The Art of Microwave Cooking

When I shipped my entire house, it didn't occur to me that I would have to live frugally for a little bit. I was on a natural high the day after the shippers arrived to pick up my stuff....my house looked exactly like it did the day I moved in...clean, clutter free, Zen-like. Then it hit me, "oh, no...what I'm I going to eat now that my refrigeration options are nil? How can I survive without my frozen grapes or my crushed ice or my brie and figs? But being a self-proclaimed "foodie" and a once-struggling college student (think PB&J sandwiches), I knew all hope was not lost! I took one look at the microwave I hate SO much and said, "it's you and be baby!"

On my way to Publix, I contemplated getting a family-sized jar of Jiffy, a loaf of bread and then it hit me..."who was I kidding...I love peanut butter but not that much!" I was definitely going to have to be creative. First stop - produce aisle to get fruit. I love cold fruit but believe it or not, fruit is sweeter and juicier when it sits on your counter. Second stop - canned goods - this is a no-brainer (think Tuna, Chicken, Salmon, Veggies and even Eggplant Tapenade!). Third stop - grains because a girl needs some carbs! Picked up some Couscous and also found these microwavable 90-second Uncle Ben's rice packets (Wow! Rice is so easy to make I never imagined anyone needing microwavable rice). Okay, so at this point, I'm thinking what I'm going to do for dessert (damn the eggs and milk that spoil the party). So this is going to sound pathetic but I remembered seeing a commercial for those warm delights from Betty Crocker (why couldn't I remember neat things like the Pythagoras Theorem...oh, because I can't eat that!) Anyway, the warm delights come in a little bowl with a little pouch of brownie mix and a fudge packet. The recipe - mix with water, stir and nuke for a minute and ta-da! Warm dessert...ok, it's not like real cake but desperate times call for desperate measures and you can't beat the fact that they are 150 calories each!

After a little experimentation with these microwavable foods I must say that I now qualify to be a bachelor - isn't this how they eat anyway?! Here is a sample dinner:
Nutty Couscous with Eggplant-Olive Tapenade and Sliced Nectarines
Couscous - in microwavable dish, bring to boil some water and set on counter (or use stock because Couscous needs all the flavor you can impart), add the Couscous and cover for 5 minutes and it's done. To make it nutty, I took a couple of nuts and crushed them and sprinkled on top of the Couscous along with a pinch of salt, pepper and parsley. Then, pop the lid of the tapenade, empty into microwavable dish and nuke for 30 seconds. Serve on top of the Couscous. For dessert, slice up one nectarine into a microwavable dish, squeeze a lime on top and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar and nuke for about 15 seconds. Voila! Dinner's served.

Disclaimer: Although I found some good microwavable stuff to quell my hunger, I would not recommend this diet as a lifestyle - these foods contain way too much sodium (not to mention tons of preservatives). I'm definitely going to need to detox after this! Mmmh, good thing I'm going to Kenya because my juicer will be working extra hard that first week.