To Nuke or Not to Nuke, That Is the Question

I have been going back and forth on this for a while.  I got this large powerful microwave from my brother about 14 years ago when we first bought the house, and it has been my friend ever since.  But I think that our time together is coming to an end.

I defended it loyally when my mother-in-law wanted to replace it because you could no longer see the numbers on the touch pad, and I wouldn't even let her put her shiny new red one in its dedicated space on the counter when the top started bowing up.  And it still cooks like a champ, and I can make my 30 minute chicken in just that...30 minutes with all the fixin's.

But we (I use that term loosely...it has really been just me) have been trying to move toward healthier, more natural alternatives in our food consumption and lifestyle.  First, we got rid of plastics in the kitchen, then we moved on to change our diets so that we eat more salads and less starchy foods, and now, I feel that the next step is to get rid of the microwave.  I know that there are conflicting feelings and opinions about the microwave, but since ours seems to be compromised, I can't believe that it's good to have it hanging around brain height of the little kids and belly height of the rest of us.

I expected to meet much more resistance, but Jimmy has been mentioning that he thinks that we should get a new one since the old one is getting a bit old and worn out, so it's not been as hard as I first thought.

But I couldn't expect everyone to just go cold turkey, so I've been taking it in steps.

First, I cleaned all around it and unplugged it, but it's still on the counter.  That way, everyone still feels 'safe' that there's still one there if we 'absolutely need' it.  But it turns out that with a few changes in the way we do things, we haven't really needed it, although Jimmy did confess last night that he plugged it in to heat up some milk and then unplugged it again.  But the remorse that he felt and timidity with which he confessed along with the incredulity that he saw in Elizabeth and me will probably keep him from doing it again.

The biggest thing that we miss it for is heating up leftovers and milk.  Jimmy likes to make hot chocolate or coffee in the morning, and he feels that it's wasteful to dirty up a whole pan just to heat one mug of milk, although why this would bother him since he leaves it in the sink is beyond me.  As far as the other things, we have been using the toaster oven that we have, and that has been working ok, but the oven has some kind of problem and doesn't always turn off when you think that you have turned it off, so I think that we need to replace it to be safer.

But the very best thing that we have that has been most useful is this great little hot water maker that I have had for a few years.  I love it and we all use it all the time.

The only thing that I don't like about it is that I would like it to have a larger capacity, and it would also like it if the space where you put the cup was taller so that larger mugs could fit under there.  But it works for us.  One of the things that I do like about it is that the water doesn't come out after it's heated.  You have to push a lever to get it to release.  That's good if you put water in it right after you heat some up because otherwise it would just flow out the bottom because it doesn't register that it is new cold water.  Of course, that is a bad feature in one way if you travel because it seems that the hotel water warmers are the flow through kind so that means that if you don't remember to put your mug under it right away to catch the flow, it flows all over the top of the microwave that it's sitting on and onto the table and the floor.  I mean, not that I know this from experience, of course...I'm just surmising...

We have been using the water heater even more now that we have Baby B with us.  It works perfectly to heat up the water, put it in a cup and then float the milk that his mom leaves us, and I also found that one of my Pampered Chef Prep Bowls fits in my measuring cup perfectly, so I can float that with the frozen cubes of food that they send with him, too.  And everything comes out the perfect temperature!

So, our next step is to move the microwave out the door!  Yay!

And now, for today's dose of cuteness:

The weather was nice enough outside to pull out the bikes.  I was impressed that Jo and Gabriel did so well on them after having them packed away for so long!  

 Good morning, Baby B!

 Definitely double trouble both in her arms and at the table in the background!

Here, Izzy.  Let me help you with that Lit homework...

Table Grace

It's been so long since I have last written, I don't even know where to start.  That happens to me sometimes.  I have so many things that I want to write about and I can't really figure out how to say it all so instead, I end up being silent!

But let me start here by saying that it has been really crazy around here the last few days.

My mother in law is sick and in the hospital, and has been there since Saturday and we are not yet sure when she will be able to come home.  She is curable, but she is just in a lot of pain right now and it will take time for her body to heal. 

When she is gone, I realize even more just what she does around here...and let me tell you, I miss her sorely!  She is always the one to just quietly pick up the loose ends.  She has not been doing as much since she was working, but even then, just every once in a while, when things got too hectic, I would come home to an empty sink and a clean kitchen.  Or a clean bathroom.  Or 2 bathed little kids.  Or a load of clean diapers.  Or the trash at the curb. 

Just the little things that seem to make such a difference.

Elizabeth went to Awakening Fest on Saturday with the Youth Group, and they camped out overnight til Sunday and come home super muddy and super tired...and in my van.  It is great having a large car.  I get the opportunity to drive the kids around and talk to whoever is in the front seat.  I recently found out that this was a coveted seat not only because it is 'shotgun' but because of the 'interesting conversation'.  Nice.  They think I'm interesting!  What a compliment coming from a group of teens!  (Right?)

But...

I have other exciting news to tell you!

Look at this:

This is our dining room table.  Yes, I know.  It's horrible.

But if you remember a few weeks ago, I made a resolution to do 2 things:

1.  Clean the table off every night for dinner

and

2.  Have a veggie at every meal

And know what?  I have, with the help of our resident cook, Elizabeth, and our wonderful table-cleaner-offers Jo and Jimmy, we have been able to do these 2 things every single night!

So, yes, there is a table under all that and yes, we DO see it every night!

So...

what is my next goal?

To reduce the plastic use in our house.

We tend to use a lot of plastics.   We have plastic plates and bowls for the little ones, a few plastic cups left and a lot of plastics that we use to pack lunches in.  And we also tend to use plastics in the freezer and in the fridge for left-overs. 

Honestly, for us, I do not think that it is possible for us to completely eliminate plastics from our house since we have to buy our own meats and cheeses and they always come in plastics.

But, I have been wanting to use something else in the freezer and for leftovers for a while now for a few reasons.  For the issue of food in plastic, but also because I get tired of using and washing out those gallon ziplock bags, and I don't like to wrap in wax paper and then foil all the time because it seems like so much waste.

But to buy those glass containers at the store can get expensive, and a lot of them can't go in the oven.

And then I found a solution!  I am so excited!!!!!

Pampered Chef has come out with glass containers that will go in the fridge, freezer, microwave and oven!  (Maybe I'll tackle the microwave next...)

Take a look at these guys!  They are so fun!  I already love and use the one and two cup Prep Bowls for EVERYTHING...even giving Jo snacks out of them instead of plastic bowls...and they go from freezer to oven, too, and now I have some glass storage containers. 

Of course, since I am a consultant for Pampered Chef, so I get them for a great discount, and since this is my blog and I can do what I want, I am shamelessly going to put in a plug for myself and say that you, too, can get them (or anything else you want) at a HUGE discount or even free if you host a show...and for those of you who live far away, you can do a catalog or online show and I'll still give you the full cooking show benefits just 'cuz I love you guys. 

Ok...that's enough self promoting. 

But seriously, I am really excited about these glass storage containers.  There are also removable labels that can go on them, too, which is another thing because if I write on the bag, then it wears off eventually, and if I use sticky tape, then I can't get it off to relabel.

So...how shall I set this goal?  I can't really say that I will get rid of all plastics by a certain date, but how about I say that I get rid of at least half my plastics and only use glass in the fridge and freezer except for packing meat in the freezer, which I will continue to wrap in paper. 

That sounds like an achievable goal. 

I also have made it my goal to reduce the use of plastics to feed the kids.  So, I am on the hunt for another option.  Jo is using almost all glass now, but Gabriel still makes me really nervous because he is just learning the whole fork thing and sometimes scoops his whole plate onto the floor.

So I'd love to know...what solutions do you have for getting plastics out of your kitchen...or do you think it doesn't matter?