I am not a great microwave cook. Until recently I only considered the microwave good for melting and reheating, not for cooking. That attitude is gradually changing. While the microwave may not be great for baking, it can be a useful tool in making easy side dishes to go with freezer meals. Plus grocery store have started selling
rice or pasta pouches that are already cooked and can be reheated in the microwave. I haven't tried the pasta pouches, but I have tried a couple of the rice ones and found them useful. I don't plan to use them all the time since they're more expensive, but having a few in the pantry would be handy as a back up.
For making my own microwave sides, I started with the obvious, potatoes. I have been
microwaving potatoes and sweet potatoes to serve as a side since long before I started making freezer meals. When I started doing freezer meals I sometimes needed a vegetable side for a meal. This lead me to using the
ready-to-microwave bags of green beans or broccoli that are found in the supermarket produce section. It took me a while to get over not prepping my own veggies, but these are convenient and tasty with a little butter, salt and pepper.
