Who has a good system for dividing bags of frozen vegetables into single servings?

[Cindyg]

OK, I never buy bags of frozen vegetables because they always end up with freezer burn long before I use them up. Single-serving packages of Green Giant frozen vegetables recently showed up at my grocery store. I loved this idea, and bought tons of them. Their "single-serving" was just right for my family of three. :) But there are only four varieties, and I am already sick of all four of them.

 

So now I'm wishing I could buy some other varieties and split them up into small servings and put them back in the freezer.

 

I know this sounds simple, but, first of all, the frozen vegetables have to not be frozen into a clump, and that seems to be somewhat random. Sometimes they are, and sometimes they aren't.

 

Secondly, what do I freeze them in? I want to freeze them in Ziplock baggies, but I just googled. The baggie makers don't recommend that you microwave in Ziplock baggies. I guess I could store them in the Ziplock baggies and cook them in something else.

 

Or I could freeze them in Tupperware containers, but that's going to take up so much room in my freezer. I want about 1/2 cup servings.

 

What am I missing here to make this work?

[beaners]

You want 3 servings of 1/2 cup each? Or 1/2 cup total? Are you talking about breaking up normal 1 lb bags of frozen vegetables, or something larger? My 3 young children can eat a whole bag of vegetables by themselves as a side in a meal, so I'm having trouble imagining that broken down.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

I'd freeze in the Ziploc bags and cook it in something else.

[3Blessings]

Ziploc has a steam bag for veggies. We use fresh and put some garlic and onion with it. So yummy. But probably ok for frozen for cooking.

[amey311]

We always do frozen veggies in a glass bowl in the microwave. If you're willing to nuke in something else, then your problem is easier to manage - just put 'em in plastic bags. You might even be able to get away with putting the single servings in those snack sized bags and then put all your little portions into a larger freezer bag.

[Cindyg]

You want 3 servings of 1/2 cup each? Or 1/2 cup total? Are you talking about breaking up normal 1 lb bags of frozen vegetables, or something larger? My 3 young children can eat a whole bag of vegetables by themselves as a side in a meal, so I'm having trouble imagining that broken down.

 

LOL. I just want 1/2 cup of vegetables. I'll eat 1/2 cup minus two teaspoons. My husband will eat 1.5 teaspoons. My son will eat .5 teaspoon. That's my math. (I'm the only one n my family who likes food at all.)

[Mimmy]

:lol:

You need to eat more veggies.

 

I think you are making this way too complicated. Clip or rubber band the bag closed after taking out what you want. If the veggies are in a clump whack the whole bag on the counter a few times. It breaks them up fine and is also great for relieving stress;)

[Photo Ninja]

Do you have a vacuum sealer? I would make up bags the right size, then divide up the veggies and vacuum seal them, then put them back into the freezer. I use the vacuum sealer for lots of things I buy in large quantities at Costco, but don't want to get freezer burn before I use them.

[melissel]

:lol:

You need to eat more veggies.

 

I think you are making this way too complicated. Clip or rubber band the bag closed after taking out what you want. If the veggies are in a clump whack the whole bag on the counter a few times. It breaks them up fine and is also great for relieving stress;)

 

:lol::lol::lol: :iagree:

[GingerPoppy]

:lol:

You need to eat more veggies.

 

I think you are making this way too complicated. Clip or rubber band the bag closed after taking out what you want. If the veggies are in a clump whack the whole bag on the counter a few times. It breaks them up fine and is also great for relieving stress;)

:lol: Yes, me too: :iagree:

[Tap]

LOL. I just want 1/2 cup of vegetables. I'll eat 1/2 cup minus two teaspoons. My husband will eat 1.5 teaspoons. My son will eat .5 teaspoon. That's my math. (I'm the only one n my family who likes food at all.)

 

Seriously? 1/2 a teaspoon? How do you even do that? 1/4 of a green bean? 1/2 carrot slice? 3 peas? I don't think I would even bother.

 

If you only want 1/2 cup but want the convenience, I would buy the little glass bowls with lids. They would hold less than a cup if filled to the brim, so 1/2 cup would be about right so you could stir them. They aren't too expensive since you can reuse them. I would take off the lid before microwaving them, but if you aren't concerned about that, then just pop off the lid but set it loosely on top so it will keep the splatters down to a minimum. Butter freezes well, so if you eat butter on them, you can slice a pat of butter on top of them before you freeze them.

[LibraryLover]

 

If the veggies are in a clump whack the whole bag on the counter a few times. It breaks them up fine and is also great for relieving stress;)

 

 

:cheers2:

Edited November 16, 2011 by LibraryLover

[Cindyg]

Thank you all for your concern about my vegetable intake. :lol: The 1/2 cup of frozen vegetables (minus 2 teaspoons) does not represent my total intake of vegetables for the day. I'm a huge proponent of SIX meals a day. So family dinner is just one meal. (Meal 2 is an enormous salad.)

 

I'm sorta kidding about dh eating 1.5 tsp and ds eating .5 tsp of vegetables with dinner. But also sorta not kidding. Those family-sized bags are like a lifetime supply of vegetables for my family. We never finish one before they go bad. (My son eats 3 raw baby carrots with each meal without complaint. If I get .5 tsp of a cooked vegetable in his mouth, that's a plus.)

 

I love the idea of the vacuum sealer thing. I might check into that.

 

And I have some of the ziplock steamer bags. They work great, but they're humongous. I really need something the size of a snack bag.

 

And I also have some of the glass containers. That's a fine idea too. They're great for the freezer and the microwave.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I don't think I'd use frozen vegetables a green bean at a time. You're right, they'd get freezer burn over three months of constantly being opened and closed to bring out a mouthful.

 

Wouldn't it be simpler to choose 3 radishes, a bag of baby carrots, and exactly 17 snow peas or whatever from the fresh produce department on market day?

 

Obviously, this is hard for me to understand. We eat our vegetables by the half pound or pound, so the twist-and-clip method works for us.

 

If you really want to use frozen, what about bulk cooking? Fix your soups or casseroles that contain the frozen veggies, and those will freeze better than the veggies on their own.

[beaners]

I don't think I'd use frozen vegetables a green bean at a time. You're right, they'd get freezer burn over three months of constantly being opened and closed to bring out a mouthful.

 

Wouldn't it be simpler to choose 3 radishes, a bag of baby carrots, and exactly 17 snow peas or whatever from the fresh produce department on market day?

 

Obviously, this is hard for me to understand. We eat our vegetables by the half pound or pound, so the twist-and-clip method works for us.

 

If you really want to use frozen, what about bulk cooking? Fix your soups or casseroles that contain the frozen veggies, and those will freeze better than the veggies on their own.

 

Or maybe you could cook up a whole bag or half a bag and then add those vegetables into your other meals? Broccoli for dinner and broccoli in an omelet, corn for dinner and corn tossed in your salad the next day, peas for dinner and peas in pasta salad, mixed veg for dinner and then tossed in some soup?

 

I portion some things out, but I find that the portioned stuff freezer burns just as quickly.

[Harriet Vane]

:lol:

You need to eat more veggies.

 

I think you are making this way too complicated. Clip or rubber band the bag closed after taking out what you want. If the veggies are in a clump whack the whole bag on the counter a few times. It breaks them up fine and is also great for relieving stress;)

 

:iagree:

[Dobela]

I use the snack size bags in the freezer regularly. I don't cook in them though. Since they are not double lined and don't protect the food well, I just put several of them inside of a 1 gallon or larger freezer bag and they do just fine. If I am freezing small quantities of meats (think shredded chicken in 1 cup servings) then I do stick a labeled piece of paper inside so that I can remember what it actually is. Anything that comes out of the plastic bags is cooked on the stove or in the microwave in a different type container.

 

I also only buy the 1 pound size bags of food, not the family sized ones. If I watch sales I can buy them cheaper per pound than the larger bags. We go thru spells of eating lots of frozen veggies or not so I can see how some would go bad.

[mrs.m]

I'd freeze in the Ziploc bags and cook it in something else.

 

:iagree:I always transfer to freezer bags after opening frozen veggies. They last longer and I see the contents to remind me to cook them. ;)

Edited November 16, 2011 by jannylynn