Product Review: Green Giant Just for ONE! Frozen Vegetables

I will admit I bought the Green Giant Just for ONE! product because I had a coupon, but I liked the concept of a small, easily prepared serving of vegetables. We don't have kids, and since my husband works at a restaurant and can eat there, I am frequently left to fend for myself. I like frozen vegetables because I can portion them out in a single serving, but I get a little bored with my usual olive-oil and pepper or butter-and-salt toppings. The Green Giant Just for ONE! veggies looked pretty appealing, so I picked out two varieties: the Niblets Corn & Butter Sauce, and the Broccoli & Cheese Sauce.

For those of you who do have kids, the Green Giant Just for ONE! vegetable servings are also a good idea-they look small enough for kids not to whine about having to eat them, but each serving is very satisfying and filling. Also, individual servings mean kids can stick with their favorites: Billy Broccoli-Eater and Cathy Corn-lover can each have their own vegetables instead of fussing over which is served.

Where to Find Them: Available in most grocery stores in the frozen food department, near the bagged frozen vegetables.

Packaging: There are 4 trays (at 4 ¼ oz each) per package. The plastic trays are not recyclable, unfortunately, but the cardboard sleeve that holds them is. The packaging has Box Tops for Education, so make sure to clip those before you toss the sleeve into your recycling bin!

Preparation: The Green Giant Just for ONE! package says "ready in 2 minutes", but I found 2 ½ minutes (on HIGH) to be ideal with my particular microwave. The trays heated the food evenly, and it was fun to stir the sauce into the veggies (I am easily amused); however, take great caution while removing the tray from the microwave oven and while removing the film, because quite a lot of steam comes out and there is a definite risk of burning-you will want to have keep the fun of stirring for yourself, perhaps, rather than passing the food to a child while it is still hot.

Taste: Both the Niblets Corn & Butter Sauce and the Broccoli & Cheese Sauce flavors were quite good. The vegetables in both cases were tender, yet not overcooked; they still had some snap and character. The cheese sauce was a good complement to the broccoli, and there was enough to cover the broccoli without drowning it. The butter sauce on the corn overpowered the corn taste just a touch, but it was delicious: buttery and sweet with a bite of saltiness, just like you would season fresh corn on the cob.

Nutrition Information:

"Niblets" Corn & Butter Sauce -120 calories, 2g fat (0.5g sat), 5mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 24g carbs, 2g fiber, 6g sugars, 3g protein. Vitamins are negligible; a small amount of Vitamin C (8% DRV). Dietary exchanges: 1 ½ starch

Broccoli & Cheese Sauce - 60 calories, 3g fat (1g sat), no cholesterol, 470mg sodium (20% of DRV), 7g carbs, 2g fiber, 2g sugars, 2g protein. Good source of Vitamin C (45% DRV); smallish amounts of Vitamin A (2%), calcium (6%), and iron (2%). Dietary exchanges: one vegetable, ½ fat. The cheese sauce is dairy-based, which I like, but lactose-intolerant folks might want to take note.

Overall, the Green Giant Just for ONE! single-serve frozen vegetables really filled a niche in my meal plan: They are a convenient side dish, and so quick to prepare they are a healthy alternative to chips or crackers on the side of a sandwich-by the time you've made your sandwich, the veggies are done, so it's definitely a healthier pick. As a snack on their own, they are also quite hearty and satisfying. I don't need any more coupons-I will definitely be buying these regularly from now on!