Check out peeled steamed asparagus in the microwave, quick, beautiful and delicious.
They will keep fine that way for months. Food Network says 6 months but I've never taken more than 2 months to use 14 bags so don't know how accurate that is.
To use I take one or two of the frozen bags, empty them into a large microwave-safe bowl, add a little bit of water, and cover. Microwave for 3 minutes on high in my 1200 watt microwave, or 4 minutes if I used two bags.
Popcorn during a short commercial break (stovetop popcorn is way way more involved)
Melted butter (using a saucepan is NOT more convenient than just melting it directly in a measuring glass)
Mug brownies
For popcorn there’s a third option: get an air popper! They’re fast and convenient, make great popcorn, and allow you to precisely control how much fat you add (since they don’t use fat to pop)!
I don’t see many actual commercials anymore but I do value being able to get up during a movie with other people and make popcorn without asking them to pause or missing much context.
Maybe I’m weird in this way but pausing movies breaks my immersion, even if I miss a bit of context while I’m out of the room.
Are you a fan of Alton Brown? He seems to be at the vanguard in the war against “unitaskers”. I would imagine he’d make his popcorn in a pot with oil, though!
You can make the argument that the end product is better, but that it’s superior in “all ways” doesn’t pass the sniff test even a little.
I much prefer to spend 5-10 minutes bringing leftovers back to life in the pan, maybe adding some extra water or balancing the seasoning as I do so than chucking it in the microwave and hoping for the best.
Essentially instead of being time I minimize it's time I value more than what I would be doing otherwise (usually coding).
Mind you I work from home and have the luxury of plenty of time to prepare the majority of my meals and am definitely a "foodie" so it's unlikely this is for everyone, just my perspective.
I never watched TV growing up and by the time I got money to buy my own already developed habits that didn't include TV. I have a big TV for watching films and some occasional YouTube however. I really enjoy films.
I own a microwave but I rarely use it. I cook most of my meals fresh. I might use it for reheating something or melting some butter maybe once a month. Most of my meals are cooked in the oven or pan. I love to cook though so batching cooking up just so you can zap things throughout the week isn't something that appeals to me, etc.
So not really conscious decisions, just two things I don't really do. Am I really that weird?