This Mom's Confessions

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Cooking Up A Storm in the Microwave ~ Easy Dinner and Dessert Meal

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Sometimes I admit with the hectic schedules that my husband and I lead, plus having two small girls I cheat when I cook just slightly, especially during this busy, crazy holiday time of the year when I am also having to shop until I drop for those perfect Christmas gifts for all on my list this year on top of everything else.

And I thought today I would share a complete meal where I do just that and quite possibly others who also have busy lives could this use a quick dinner and dessert to indeed benefit from it, too.

Along these lines, I have found that cooking with microwaves can mean so much more than merely removing a frozen ready meal from its packaging, piercing a film lid and heating it up.

Using a microwave when you cook can not only speed up the cooking process, but save on your energy bills, too.

Did you know that reheating up small portions of food uses up to seven times less energy than if you were reheating in a conventional fan assisted electric oven and up to fourteen times less energy than a conventional gas oven?

Boiling or steaming vegetables in a microwave for five minutes is also quicker and cheaper than using an oven or oven burners.

So, for a time and money saving method of cooking, take another look at microwaves and try the following two course meal, made entirely in the microwave oven now:

Microwave Spaghetti Bolognese:

Spaghetti Bolognese
  1. Mix 2 1/2 cups of lean minced beef into a microwave safe bowl with one chopped onion, one chopped carrot and a clove of garlic.
  2. Cover with cling film, cook for three minutes, remove, stir with fork and cook again for a further three minutes.
  3. Add a can of chopped tomatoes (14.1096 size), 3 1/2 cups of boiling water, a beef stock cube (or a cup of fresh beef broth), oregano and black pepper. Mix together, cook for seven minutes, remove, stir and cook for a further ten minutes.
  4. Remove the Bolognese and leave to stand. Put your pasta into a microwave safe bowl, add boiling water and cook in microwave for four minutes.
  5. Remove, stir and cook for a further four minutes.
  6. Leave to stand, cook for further two minutes if necessary. Drain excess water, add to the Bolognese and serve.
Recipe sourced from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/microwave_spaghetti_44920

Hasty Chocolate Pudding:

Hasty Chocolate Pudding for Dessert
  1. Whisk half a cup white sugar, one third of a cup of cocoa and three tablespoons of cornstarch together in a microwave safe bowl, adding the equivalent of two cups of cold milk as you go.
  2. Place in microwave and cook for three minutes on high. Stir, then cook at one minute intervals, stirring and cooking for two to four minutes. Stir in two teaspoons of vanilla extract when it is think and shiny.
  3. Place Clingfilm on top of the pudding to prevent skin from forming, chill in the refrigerator, then serve cold. 
Recipe sourced from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hasty-chocolate-pudding/

 Hope you enjoy and try my simple microwave dinner and dessert meal soon!

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About Janine

Janine is a published author of the books, The Mother of All Meltdowns and Only Trollops Shave Above the Knee. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, Mamapedia, Today Parenting Team and SheKnows. She also runs her own graphic design company at J9 Designs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. akryworuka says

    Great recipe! I'm a huge fan of cooking in the microwave on those busy nights. I have been cooking spaghetti in the microwave for years and that comes in handy when we are having something the kids won't eat. I usually will fix them some spaghetti in the microwave and then I don't have to dirty up another pan or pay much attention to it. Once you get to know your microwave and the type of pasta you are using, you know how much time it will take to cook it perfectly in your microwave. I usually start with cold water and put the spaghetti in and then microwave anywhere from 16-20 minutes, depending on the type of spaghetti and thickness.
    My recent post Turkey Sausage Balls

    • Janine Huldie says

      Thank you so much for sharing this with me, because I am totally new at this, but was so excited to find a recipe for both dinner and dessert that could use the microwave completely. And was also so happy to pay it forward and share here, too!! 🙂

  6. Billybuc says

    I'm sure I could continue without a microwave, but I am certainly happy for their invention. 🙂 Cooking is one of those things that I want to do in a hurry, so thank God for microwaves.

    Have a wonderful day my friend.

    • Janine Huldie says

      Oh so happy you can use this too Karen and seriously so happy to have you back. Missed you tons, but do know how crazy things must be with teaching full-time and being a mom, too. Thank you also for pinning it, too!! 🙂

  18. bethteliho says

    Have to say, this is super clever and looks YUMMY! Especially the pudding….who knew you could make pudding in the microwave?! Cool. I confess I suck at wholesome meals for my boys. I need fast and convenient, and because of that we get stuck with the same ole thing all the time. They both love spaghetti so I know this would be a great solution to FAST pasta – YAY! Thanks!
    My recent post Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!

  19. Kelly says

    That's a great quick meal and I will save it for later. I knew I was shopping today so I got stuff for the girls to make their own pizza…I had them cook for me:) lol that was the quickest idea I could come up with.

  24. cgacad says

    i will definitely use these recipes/quick tips when i have to cook for my kid since i simply don't have the patience to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

  26. ssgannett says

    That pudding looks wonderful! I so love quick and easy meals, probably why I make large amounts for days of leftovers. Thanks so much for sharing this on This Momma's Meandering Mondays. Have a great week!
    My recent post Where I Am So Far…

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