Ramadan Shopping list

Ramadan in Quarantine is an experience we never thought we would live through, with mosque closed, gatherings forbidden, and everyone forced to spend this blessed month at home brings a whole set of challenges as well as blessings. 

We all had to le-learn what Ramadan looks like, and get used to the new normal. Ramadan for us usually meant Gama3ah prayers in the mosque, iftars with friends over the weekends, and looking forward to Eid outings. This Ramadan it was just us, our family and Allah, we all had to put the effort to gain the blessings of Ramadan without the support of the community.

One of the challenges I personally faced is the need to reduce my grocery store visits to the minimum, once a week was my goal, and even that wasn’t guaranteed with the continuously evolving situation of the covid-19 pandemic. I needed a system to help me make sure I always have what it takes to feed my family healthy food even if the lockdown gets worse.

My system played on two things, meal planning all our meals each week along with a shopping list with everything we will need for that week to reduce need for shopping and Making one generic shopping list with non-perishable items that I can store to use in case I no longer have access to fresh grocery.

I wanted to share with you my list in hopes it can bring some ease to your life during these hard times and help you stay healthy during ramadan in quarantine this year.

Whole Grains and carbs

Quinoa

Brown rice

Sweet potato 

Rolled oats 

Gluten free whole grain pasta

Beans and Lentils

Your favourite beans and lentils, they can store forever without going bad and will fill your protein needs. You can get them dried or canned for convenience 

Proteins

Frozen Organic Pasture raised chicken

Frozen Organic grass fed beef

Frozen Wild fish and seafood

Organic pasture raised eggs 

Vegetables

You can only get so much fresh vegetables and fruits before it will get bad, most won’t survive more than week in the fridge but some are more hardy than others,  so after you pack fresh ones to fit for a week it's a good idea to load up on some frozen or canned fruits and veggies in case of emergencies.

Carrots

Frozen peas

Frozen green beans

Frozen broccoli 

Fruits

Frozen berries

Cut bananas and freeze in a ziplock

Apples

Orange

dates

Seeds and Nuts

Nuts  and seeds store very well for long periods and can provide your body with a great source of fiber, health fats, proteins and vitamins,

Chia

Flax

Hemp

Sunflower Seeds 

Pumpkin seeds

Almond butter

Pecans

Almonds

Walnuts

Flour and baking

Staying home might induce your survival skills of baking, let’s make sure we have the basic healthy ingredients we would need to bake healthy cakes and breads

Almond flour

Coconut flour

Psyllium husk 

Flaxseeds

Shredded coconut 

Raw cocoa

Vanilla 

FATS

Fats are essential for properly absorbing nutrients from food and for balancing blood sugar and keep us feeling full. And the good news is most fats store long periods without going bad. I only recommend natural unprocessed fats like

Ghee

Butter

Extra virgin Olive oil

Extra virgin Coconut oil

Drinks

Almond milk 

Coconut water

Herbal teas

Canned coconut milk (for cooking)

Condiments 

Can add taste quickly and easily to any dish 

Coconut aminos

Raw honey

Apple cider vinegar 

Whole grain mustard

This list can hopefully help you survive on a healthy diet even if you weren’t able to go grocery shopping as frequent as you used to! Stay healthy and safe 

Final Words

If this all seems overwhelming and you want a full step by step guide to help transform your Ramadan this year, check out my full Ramadan healthy guide. In this Ramadan Health guide, I will be showing you how to break your fast in a way that allows you to feel your best so that you can use Ramadan for what it is really meant for! and as a bonus boost your metabolism and lose weight as well.