We recently moved into our new place. It is older, which I love! There is so much beauty to be found in older homes. But living in an older home means going without some amenities…like a microwave. The simple solution would be to just buy a microwave, but our new older kitchen has small counters and only one plug, directly next to our sink that constantly splashes water from its outdated faucet.
Living without a microwave over the last few weeks has yielded some rather unexpected results.
1. We eat healthier snacks.
It takes 20 minutes to warm up the oven, not including cooking time. Foods that are fast in the microwave are slow in the oven. So snacks like hot pockets and pizza rolls aren’t options anymore. We opt for fruit, graham crackers, or yogurt as our quick go-to snack choices now. They were always staples for the kids, but the adults usually reached for the crappy choices.
2. We cut out microwave meals.
I never realized what a staple these have been in my home until I didn’t have a microwave. They were not-so-healthy, high sodium, instant fixes and I’m happy they are gone.
3. We plan meals as a family.
Since every meal has to be cooked rather than anything simply heated up, we all have to eat the same thing. So now we take the time to discuss what we’d like to eat and contribute to the shopping list.
4. We eat together.
This is my favorite side effect of all! We are forced to eat at the same time. Reheating a meal means 20-30 minutes on the stove or in the oven. So when the food is ready, we all sit down to eat!
5. We eat less fast food.
This was the most surprising to me. I thought for sure we’d be high tailing it to the nearest fast food joint whenever possible, but instead we find ourselves eating less of it and being more conscious of the fast food choices we make. The inability to instantly reheat anything we don’t eat has led to one small pizza instead of two large and salads as sides instead of fries.
Do you have a microwave? Do you think you could live without one?
