Healthy Food from the Microwave

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Microwave ovens really speed up cooking and keep you from getting a lot of pots and pans dirty as you cook. A small microwave oven costs less that $100. You don't need a big one. Perhaps you could borrow one from a friend, family member or health agency. Here are some ideas for healthy fast foods from the microwave.

• Try frozen dinners made for the microwave. They cook much faster than the frozen dinners that have to go in the regular oven.

• Heat leftovers from past meals. You can put several different foods on a plate, cover it with plastic wrap or an upside-down plate and heat it all together. Saves you lots of dirty' pots and pans.

• Baked potatoes. Potatoes bake in just 8 minutes in a microwave oven. They take about an hour in a regular oven. Once you have a hot baked potato, use these tips to turn it into a whole meal:
  - Pour canned chili over it. Microwave again till chili is hot. Top with lots of grated cheese. Eat a salad on the side.

  - Pour canned cream soup like cream of mushroom or cream of chicken over it, right out 6f the can. Microwave again till soup is hot. Sprinkle with chopped ham or tuna. Eat an apple or pear on the side.

  - Pour canned sloppy joe or "Manwich" over it. Microwave again till hot. Top with cheese or sour cream. Have some buttered toast and sliced tomatoes on the side.

  -Pour canned beef stew over it. Microwave again till hot. Drink glass of milk and have some buttered toast with it.

• You can bake sweet potatoes or yams in microwave oven, too. After they are done, sweet potatoes taste good with lots of butter, honey or syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Have a bowl of cottage cheese and cucumbers on the side.

• Make burritos. Open a can of pinto beans and pour into a bowl. Heat in the microwave. Mash with a fork. Put a line of the mashed beans down the center of a flour tortilla. (You buy these in the dairy section of your grocery store.) Top with cheese and a little hot sauce. Roll up. Put on a plate and microwave about 1 minute till hot.

• Make little pizzas. Open up an English muffin. Spread it with canned tomato sauce. Add chopped cooked meat. Put sliced cheese on top of that. Sprinkle with oregano leaves. Microwave until melted and bubbly.

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