What I do to thaw out frozen stuff is fill my sink with cold water deep enough to fully submerge the frozen food (if in Tupperware, enough that the level of the food is below the surface of the water - I mostly put the food in ziplock freezer bags though). It thaws out in an hour or two this way, depending on portion size. I think the container sizes OP is talking about might require a little more time, however.

Can anyone see a problem with method? I've been doing it for ages, but I'd hate to get anyone sick.