Monday, August 1, 2011

Microwave no more

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, my health goals for July were to never use the microwave, or any processed sugar.


 

I ended up using sugar just once on the last day of this "challenge" simply because I wanted Anna to be able to eat the strawberry scones I was making for breakfast with us - babies are not supposed to eat any honey, not even after it has been baked (commercial products containing honey are ok). 

Same with the microwave - I used it just once for 20 seconds to defrost some bread because it was late and I had not had any dinner. 

Our plan had been to take out the microwave at the end of July and replace it with a built-in convection oven. After speaking with an appliance store, I realized the cost for this project ($500+) was not justifiable considering how easy it was to get by without a microwave using my existing appliances. 

Instead, on Saturday my husband installed an open shelf where the microwave had been, to which he mounted a new range hood because the old one had been taken out along with the microwave. This gave me some much-needed space for my ever-expanding collection of herbs and spices. 

 "You are not going to control us any more!!!"

 Camera smile

The new look - complete with a love note from one of the kids that I moved from the old microwave.

And because my husband is such a wonderful guy, he also went from store to store for a couple of hours on Saturday with all the kids in tow, finding me a new blender. The last one, a powerful and nice model, croaked after just 4 months - probably because I make smoothies daily. It was still under warranty, so the store refunded the money. I neither wanted to buy the same model again, nor did I want to spend any time shopping around, so my husband took care of it for me. Thank you, honey! :)

15 comments:

  1. You should look into storing your spices away from the heat source. Being exposed to the heat cuts back their shelf life & potency.

    Just a thought! Looks great & congrats on NOT using the microwave.

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  2. Very nice but I'd find someplace else to store the spices. They are affected easily by heat and storing spices (or vitamins and medicine) above the stove is not the best choice of location.

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  3. Good for you! I miss my old microwave for one reason- it is the only safe way to heat up my corn pack- which always felt amazing when my lower back was crampy. (especially during labor) I shall have to find an alternative. I have a very small galley kitchen, so it wasn't worth keeping the microwave for that solitary reason. Blessings!

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  4. Congratulations on throwing out the "nuking machine"!

    Love the first photograph and subheading! ;)

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  5. I love it! If it wasn't for the fact we are renting, I would love to take out our built in micro. I don't even want to be tempted to use it. Which of the two were harder? I would imagine the sugar goal. I just made brownies today with yogurt instead of sugar and so surprised by the taste..going to look further into sugar substitutes! :)

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  6. With the money you saved not buying a convection oven you could get a VitaMix!

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  7. If you are going to make smoothies regularly, there is no better blender than the VitaMix. Look into it if the new one doesn't work out for you!

    Good for you for giving up the microwave. I have been trying to use mine less, but we eat more convenience food than you do so it is hard to give it up entirely. Maybe when our baby is a little older and I'm more organized I can cook more from scratch and we won't have to use it so much. :)

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  8. Looks great! I just started reading your blog. What are the reasons you stopped using the microwave? I don't like to use mine much but would love some good data to back up my decision. Thanks!

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  9. I agree about the Vita-Mix. I have had mine for around 5 years and it is wonderful!!! We took our microwave out 4 years ago and it is so easy. I never miss it. You will get used to it quick. Nice little spice collection!!!!!

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  10. 'Tis true - it's not good to store your herbs and spices in a hot humid spot. They look fantastic, but I agree with others that you should consider moving them.
    A tip for defrosting frozen foods:
    Put them in sealed in plastic bags and placed in a sink or bowl of tap water. (Not hot water.)

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  11. I like it a lot. Looks much cleaner. But I have to agree with not storing the spices there. It's even too warm in the little cabinet above most stoves. They should be in a cool, dark area like another cabinet.

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  12. Wow, you have a lot of spices!!! :D

    I've gone about 4 months without a microwave now, and it's great! Sure, it takes way more time to cook food the old fashioned way, but I feel so much better about it, knowing how unhealthy the microwave really is. :)

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  13. I have two books that do not recommend microwaves-The Seven Pillars of Health by Don Colbert,M.D. and The Great Physician's Rx for Health and Wellness by Jordan Rubin with David Remedios,M.D.

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  14. maybe I missed it, but I would love to read more about how to rid sugar out of baking? What substitutes work and which ones dont work? thanks!

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  15. The first picture of him pulling out the microwave w/the caption at the bottom is hilarious.

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Your KINDLY WORDED, constructive comments are welcome, whether or not they express a differing opinion. All others will be deleted without second thought.