Freeze Your Way to Portion Control
There's no need to struggle with food temptation anymore: Let your freezer do the work when it comes to portion control.
Article By: Leslie Fink, MS, RD COMMENTS (6)
Freeze Your Way to Portion Control
Where there's a chill, there's a way — to control food portions, that is. Freezing foods in portion-controlled servings can help put the brakes on overeating. It's also an easy way to have the right amount of ingredients at your fingertips when you're cooking.
Enjoy our tips for using your freezer to its full portion-control potential.
Meat, poultry and fish
Remove items from their original wrappings. Wrap each piece (about 4 oz) in plastic wrap (or aluminum foil) and place two to four wrapped pieces in a large freezer bag; label and date it with a permanent marker. Press out the air, seal the bag and freeze it in a single layer. (Once frozen, you can fold bags over for easy stacking.) Or forget the plastic bags and try Glad® Press'n Seal Freezer® Wrap. Place your food on a sheet of the wrap; fold over the wrap and press along the edges to make a tight seal. (You can freeze burgers and extra tortillas like this, too.)
Sauces and spreads
Make a light version of a pesto or creamy tomato sauce and spoon the sauce into an ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop out the cubes into a sealable freezer bag or other airtight container (make sure to label and date the items). When you're ready to cook, defrost only as many cubes as you need.
Bagels, bread and muffins
Wrap each serving (two slices of light bread, a pre-sliced mini bagel or two mini muffins, for example) in plastic wrap and place them in freezer bags. Defrost only as much as you need; the items can go straight from freezer to toaster.
Soups, chilies and stews
Make a big pot of soup, chili or stew and freeze it in quart-size freezer bags. (Only fill the bags halfway and squeeze out any excess air.) When ready to eat, submerge a frozen bag in a pot of gently boiling water for a few minutes—just like boil-in-the-bag rice.
Homemade frozen dinners
Cook in large batches with the intention of freezing extras, freezing these in single-serve portions. Store them in airtight containers and enjoy them on too-busy-to-cook nights or as take-to-work lunches. Tupperware's® Meal Solutions To Go Pack is perfect for the office. You get an insulated carrier case with four small storage containers that can go from freezer to microwave to dishwasher.
Cookie dough
Divide your dough into individual balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper or a silicone baking mat. Pop the whole tray in the freezer and once frozen, place the balls in an airtight container or tightly-sealed freezer bag. Remove and bake only as many as cookies as you need (there's no need to defrost the dough first).