throw it out thursday: microwave.

i know what you're thinking right now. "this girl is crazy. i can see why she wouldn't want to clean her house with chemicals, but really, no microwave? this is over the top."

i'll be the first to admit i've taken the plunge. i've been doing things the last few months my former self would have made fun of me for. only conspiracy theorists avoid microwaves...right?

for me, the reason i thought that in the past was because of a lack of education. i know there are plenty of people out there who know the facts but aren't bothered by it - to each his own. after doing the research though, i couldn't help but make the change. does this mean i will never eat something that's been microwaved at someone else's house? no. it does mean that i'm avoiding continual, habitual microwave use. 

throw out: microwave. {i just stuck mine in the basement}

why: read this and this for the science behind it. {really, go read them. esp the 2nd  one - it's an easier read.} in short, the microwave kills most nutrients in your food. my family eats for the purpose of nourishing our bodies, not just fill to our stomachs. if food heated by a microwave is void of nutrients, why eat it? food helps my family grow properly, to have the right vitamins and minerals, to give us energy, to help fight illness, etc, etc. if we can't get that with microwaved food, then i need to change what i'm doing. one of the articles states that vitamin B is no longer present in food after being microwaved. when i was pregnant with emery i had to take vitamin b pills to help with nausea and energy...i wonder if i hadn't used a microwave if i could have skipped the pills.

how we did it:

honestly, i was skeptical that i could make this work. i was totally sold on the concept of faster meaning easier, so i didn't want to get rid of the microwave until i knew i could do it. we left it on the counter and for several weeks and tried not to use it. i had a moment of panic when i needed to soften butter for cookies and hadn't set it out in time, but other than that, it was super easy! {and i have successfully softened butter in the oven now!} once we both felt like we could survive without it, we put it in the basement.

• take food out of the fridge 30-45 min before you want to eat, to get it closer to room temp.

{salmon and veggies for emery and i.
the small pampered chef bar pan
is perfect for reheating lunch.
i just use the pan as a plate!}

• set the oven for 250-300
• place food in oven safe dish/cookie sheet, place in oven. 
• walk away. {i used to check it every few minutes, thinking it would burn if i got distracted. after a week or two, i finally noticed that the same time it was warm enough was right after i could start to smell the food. it's the perfect alarm! so walk away, play with your kids, read your bible, and let your nose tell you when lunch is ready.}
• if you're wanting to heat something like leftover pancakes - use a toaster!

here are the reasons i LOVE not using a microwave:

• COUNTER SPACE!!!!! 
• nutrient rich food.
• texture & flavor - i was excited to find that eggs reheated in the oven taste exactly the same as when you make them fresh. eggs reheated in the microwave? not so much.
• convenience. it may sound crazy, but for me, it's actually more convenient to heat things slowly.
• food heated in a microwave cools off SOOO quickly! if i heat something up in the microwave and then get distracted with emery, i have to warm it up all over again. usually it's too hot when i get it out, there's a 60 second window when it's the perfect temp, and then my last few bites are cold again. not cool.
• food heated in the oven stays warm for awhile - it's ok if i get distracted - it's still warm when i get back to it. it's also ok if i leave it in the oven for several minutes after i start to smell it - the oven is set so low it wont burn or dry out in a few extra minutes. the oven is mommy-friendly! {but it does take a few days to get in the mindset of thinking ahead. don't give up if it doesn't become a habit quickly - just munch on some fruit while you wait for it to heat up!}

i definitely am learning to plan ahead - i try to think about dinner in the morning - do i need to get out some frozen chicken broth so it will thaw in time for dinner? do i need room temp butter for dessert? i've forgotten both of these until right before i needed them and still survived, but it made things take longer - i put the jar of chicken broth in warm water to melt it and put the butter in a dish in the oven and stirred it every few minutes. thinking ahead would have save me lots of time! forming new habits after 5 years of being a homemaker is hard, but worth it! sometimes change is good :-)

love and good health,

amber.