Thing #14: Leftovers

When I lived in Maryland, I didn't cook much. I threw together sandwiches and frozen meals, and sometimes, I put some bag rice in the boiling water and added ranch dressing and cheese when it was done. I was lazy (and I spent a lot of time on the couch and not in the kitchen). Anyway, Trader Joe's and Safeway made plenty of good food so I didn't have to. My waist line paid the price.

Last year, I ate frozen meals like it was part of my job description. Teach class. Take your 2nd block break. At 10 AM, uncover the frozen meal and pop it in the microwave for 5-7 minutes. Let it steam. Eat. It's difficult, too, to claim leftovers when there are two other people who may want to enjoy them. I didn't want to hog the deliciousness that is (or can be) a snack made up of leftovers.

Now, I cook a lot more. And when I cook, I always have a portion to put into a Ziploc container to cart to work with me the next day. When it's lunch time, I take my Ziploc container out of the mini-fridge in the office, slightly pop the lid, and put it in microwave for a maximum of 2 minutes. This leftover routine has several advantages. The first is obvious: I'm cooking my own meals at home, so I eat more healthfully there. The second is the time saved on waiting for the frozen food to heat. Three minutes in a wonderful amount of saved time. The third is that leftovers are delicious, because, who knew, I can cook!

It's the little things (and the comment "Something smells good in here") that really make life grand.