The Simple Life at Home

First off, let me state that my prayers are with those along the Gulf Coast who are facing an incredibly powerful storm. Please join me in praying for safety, protection and that God will lessen the impact of the storm.

This week, we begin to feel the effects of living in a Muslim country in a way we yet haven't - Ramadan. This month long holy period is a time during which Muslims are called to spend the month trying to get closer to God by means which include the following: fasting from sunrise to sunset, giving extra to charity, and refraining from certain activities. In a country such as Qatar, one that is governed by Islamic law, that means that everyone is expected to abide by these rules, and if you don't, you'd better do it in the privacy of your own home.

That means that no restaurants are open from sunrise to sunset. You may not even drink a sip of water in public. Grocery stores are open, but at unusual time (early in the morning and then closed until after sunset). Basically, nothing is open until after sunset as all are expected to be fasting and spending time in contemplation. We are expected to dress even more modestly than normal.

On the upside, Hubby gets reduced working hours (7:30 - 1:30, as opposed to 6:30 - 4:00), as well as a three day holiday at the end of the Ramadan month. That should be really nice for us, although there won't be anywhere to go during that extra time off!!

All this is to say that the next month I'll have to be super-organized. I'll be needing to feed Hubby lunch with the rest of us (I don't think chicken nuggets are going to cut it!), and manage to do it with a crazy shopping schedule, due to the wierd times things will be open.

Here's my plan for this week:

Monday - Roast Sticky Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, Garlic Roasted Green Beans

Tuesday - Lentils and Rice with a lemon dressed salad

Wednesday - Chicken fajitas

Thursday - Pineapple Glazed Meatloaf, noodles in sour cream sauce, broccoli salad

Friday - Mezze (hummous, tabbouleh, kubbeh, pita bread, cheeses, olives, pickles)

Saturday - Baja Beef & Beans and Tex-Mex Rice

Sunday - Chicken Parmesan, garlic bread and caesar salad

That's what we'll be having around here this week. I may actually mix things up and make our main meal be in the afternoon since Hubby will be home so early and then just have either leftovers or sandwiches in the evening. That way, I will have all the cooking out of the way so we can enjoy our time with him while he's home. And, of course, there may be a quite big "to-do" list for him to work on!

Hope you all have a great week! For more great menu ideas, be sure to visit Laura at The Organizing Junkie!