Microwave Free Fridays

FitSugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 08:45:00 PDT

New research from a scientist in the UK has found a correlation between the rise in obesity and the rise in microwave ownership. Obesity started becoming a problem between 1984 and 1987. In 1984, ironically, there was a rapid spread of microwave ownership.

Sounds pretty convincing to me. Think about how easy it is to get an abundance of food when you're hungry these days -- 30 seconds and wham, your Hot Pocket is ready. One suggestion then, why not take a day off from the microwave and cook something on the stove, or maybe even in the oven? Microwave Free Fridays anyone? Perhaps you may surprise yourself with cooking skills you never knew you had. Also, you'll be able to make your meal as healthy as you want it, instead of consuming already determined nutritional info from a food maker that is not always 100% accurate. I am sure YumSugar will agree that preparing a meal can bring the fun and experience back to eating, rather than just eating for satiety. Heck, you may even notice some weight loss too.

I picked Friday because I like cooking a nice meal on a Friday night followed by watching a movie with my family, however do what works for you, just take one day off a week from nuking your food.

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Brown Bagging and Bacteria-Free: Tips For Bringing Leftovers to Work

Leta Shy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:52:32 PDT

Does August's back-to-school mode have you in the mood for bringing your lunch to work? Good idea: not only will you be saving money, but you'll also be making healthier options while you're at it.

If you're ready to brown-bag it, bringing leftovers can be the perfect solution. Making a little extra when cooking dinner is a great time-saver; no need to carve out extra time to make a sandwich when you've already got a meal waiting in the pan, and you don't need to spend extra time planning out a lunch menu before you go shopping. But using leftovers for lunch doesn't mean that there's no preplanning required. Making sure you are safely and conveniently storing leftovers tonight means a happy, healthy lunch for tomorrow, so check out these tips for bringing leftovers as lunch.

Leftover prep. That huge dish of lasagna shouldn't stay out on your counter for too long. You should pack away your food (in convenient lunch portions if it's a big batch) within two hours at room temperature - but note that since Summer days can mean hot kitchens that you should refrigerate leftovers within an hour if the temps reach 90 degrees or more.

Read on for more tips on how to safely and easily bring leftovers at work.