No. No. No.

Microwave Panini? Please, I beg of you, do not buy these things. There is something so anti-panini, so absolutely insane, about going to the store to get frozen, pre-packaged sandwiches already impressed with toaster marks, then popping them into the microwave at work. It's like buying microwave toast, or biscuits in a can. Ingenious food science, yes, something to feel good about? No. Just read the labels.

Get some nice vegetables, some slices of turkey breast or whatever, a little cheese, and toast your own sandwich. Put a little arugula on it, a drizzle of balsamic or a little Dijon mustard. It's going to taste so much better than these. You can get this basic George Foreman grill for twenty bucks, or you can use two frying pans and weight the top one with a can, the way Mama used to. Or, if you don't care, buy these things, call it a meal and break my heart. Crack open a can of Spaghettios while you're at it.

But what, you ask, am I going to do for a quick nutritious lunch at work? Well, you could always do the Burrito Factory. We used to do this on the weekends sometimes when we were both working outside the house. You'll need two packages of medium-sized flour tortillas, parchment paper (or foil, or plastic, but I don't want you microwaving those), a can or two of black beans, spiced to your liking, some salsa, creme fraiche or cheese if you like, and if you'd like meat in your burritos, boil up some boneless chicken thighs with a little onion. If you have kids, especially teenagers, enlist their help-- and make twice as much.

Mike and I would get all of our ingredients together and make a little assembly line: warm tortillas on the stove top (for easier folding), stack squares of parchment paper, open all of your cans, stir up the beans in a saucepan, and put spoons in everything. Put one tortilla on one square of parchment, place a couple of spoonfuls of beans, one of meat, salsa, cheese. Fold over one side, then the ends, then the other side, and roll the parchment tightly around it. Stack all of your burritos on a plate, tightly rolled. You can refrigerate just like this, or place in a zip-lock bag. Tasty, nutritious, wholesome, and best of all, fast. They heat up quickly and nicely in a microwave, a toaster oven, or even on a panini grill. You could do the very same thing with sandwiches if you wanted, making up a week's worth of your sandwich of choice on a Sunday afternoon, and just pack your own greens for inside. Maybe the office would be willing to go in on a little grill, and you could grill up your own homemade paninis, too. That would make me very happy.