Since college, Sunday evenings are my kitchen time. I prep meals for the week to the point I’m playing Tetris in my fridge with Tupperware. It’s a wonderful ritual: I ease into the work week and unwind after the weekend. Typically with my Frank Sinatra Pandora station in the background and a glass of wine in hand. It’s downright therapeutic.
This Sunday, my ritual was ripped away from me and I was plunged into the depths of despair. I might be a bit dramatic but it’s Monday and I am completely exhausted already. So please bear with me.
My apartment building turned off the gas and I couldn’t spend my evening chopping, sautéing and roasting. How rude.
I had images of me living on cereal and wine for a couple of days. Which, you know, wouldn’t be so bad except for the part where I resolved this week to eat clean. Meals out = tummy sticking out. I took this as a sign from the universe that my fluff was going to stick around for another couple of days.
But then I realized: I could still use the microwave. Grabbing what I had stored in my freezer, I created a meal in minutes with these Trader Joe’s favorites:
Now, you’re probably thinking: “Lauren, seriously. It took you that long to think about the microwave?!?!”
I know, I know. I’m a little embarrassed but I can explain. In my old apartment, I didn’t have a microwave so in the year and a half I lived there, I was used to not having one. I actually didn’t miss my microwave that much, only when I wanted something to heat up quickly. I adapted. In January, I moved to an apartment that does have a microwave. But I was so used to not having one, I haven’t even plugged it in!
That and I worry my old building will lose power the moment I plug it in.
Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Rice has been a freezer staple of mine since sophomore year of college. 1 frozen bag of brown rice gives you enough for 3 single servings and it only takes 3 minutes! In No-Microwave-Days, these rice would also heat up nicely in a skillet.
Trader Joe’s Indian Masala Vegetable Burger is almost always on my list. They are pre-cooked so all you have to do is heat it up! I love the spices and the vegetables in the burger, it fills me up without weighing me down (energy-wise, not bathroom-scale wise).
Trader Joe’s Broccoli Florets can be steamed in the microwave in about 3 minutes. Just place the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl with about 1/4 cup of water.
I prepared each item in the microwave and brought out my trusty Tupperware. I lined the bottom of the container with the brown rice, followed by the burger on one side and the broccoli on the other.
I added Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning because that stuff is downright addicting. It goes great on steak, popcorn, in soups and now in microwave-made lunches. Just give a healthy number of turns on the built-in grinder and voila! A healthy, clean meal in minutes.
But in the spirit of full disclosure, I will probably give a barbaric yawp when I get the email that my apartment’s gas has been turned back on.
Do you use your microwave often to cook? What do you make?
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