Microwave

Growing up, my stay-at-home mom cooked almost every meal from scratch. There were occasional meals out, but for the most part, everything was homemade. I don't remember ever eating premade frozen meals until my parents got divorced, when our eating habits changed as a family. I moved in with my dad, who couldn't cook much beyond boxes of macaroni and cheese and barbecued chicken with cornbread, so there were an awful lot of microwaved pizzas and pot pies. If I never eat one again, it will be too soon.

When I first moved into my apartment in Chicago, I made the decision not to get a microwave. I had never lived on my own before, but I still knew that left to my own devices, I'd live off of Hot Pockets, even though I knew how to cook. Cooking takes time and money; as a grad student, I wouldn't have much of either, and I was only half-heartedly invested in wanting to lose weight at the time, but I still knew that whatever time and money it took to cook for myself would be worth it. There were a lot of nights when I ordered take-out for my binges, but for the most part, I did all my own cooking. Even if I cooked unhealthy meals, it was still prepared by hand, and that felt good.

Finishing grad school and starting my first full-time job in Chicago coincided with the beginning of my weight loss journey, and even though I still did not have a microwave, I incorporated Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers Smart Ones frozen meals into my daily plan. We had a microwave at the office, and it was convenient. It helped me transition from my unhealthy lunches from before (usually a big sandwich or a few packs of sushi from the school store, or a few candy bars and vending machine snacks to hold me over until I got home for my "real" meal) while also serving a purpose: I didn't feel ready to keep a loaf of bread or a container of sandwich meat in the house.

Despite the convenience of microwaves, I've gotten along pretty well without one. "Convenient" doesn't always mean "good."

Problem: my new apartment has a built-in microwave. And despite my love of cooking, I've been eating mostly Smart Ones lately. My go-to lunch (and sometimes dinner) has been a Lean Cuisine heated up and dumped over a bowl of lettuce. Dump - ugh. That even sounds unappealing - far less lovely than cooking verbs like sauté, simmer, combine.

Part of it is the frustration of starting my kitchen from scratch: I have some basic pots and pans and a few spices, but nowhere near the cooking arsenal I had back in Chicago. I need a new food processor - I miss bean burgers and avocado spinach pasta sauce and frozen banana "soft serve"! I get paid on the first of the month, and then things will be a little more right once again in my culinary world.

Another excuse problem I am having is that the grocery store is farther away from my apartment than it was when I was in Chicago. Seeing as I am car-free at the moment, I'm limited to what I can fit in my backpack and then carry home while riding my bike - and conveniently, Smart Ones and Lean Cuisines come in small boxes. (Again, and I cannot stress this enough, "convenient" does not necessarily mean "good.") In Chicago, I could have a backpack and carry bags in my hands - here, it's just too far to walk. Not to mention it's still very hot here , so walking the distance and carrying my groceries would be tough. I don't really mind going grocery shopping a few times a week, I just have to get out there and do it - it's a new frustration that I need to just suck up and deal with.

I need to get back to cooking for myself. I have eliminated processed snacks in place of fresh fruit and yogurt, and it feels great. Getting back to cooking all of my meals is the last piece of the puzzle, I think. The last thing I need to do to feel entirely back on track.

So next week, look for a new recipe here. I'll be back to posting new recipes on Sundays - healthy ones that don't involve the microwave, or at least no instructions like "dump into a bowl over a bag of salad."

What about you? What new foods or recipes have you tried lately? What are your favorite fall recipes?