Easy Meal Planning: Five weeknight favorites

I’m always looking for the stars. Not the heavenly kind – the ones that show up next to product names, movie reviews and recipes online. Those ratings submitted by other people who have bought the stuff, seen the show or made the food, do more to influence me than all the slick ad copy that marketing pros can throw my way. I believe in people like ME.

Browsing online recipes, I am often attracted by mouthwatering photos of the completed dish. But if I only see, say, a measly two stars attached to the recipe, I’ll usually give it a pass. There’s got to be something wrong with it to rate that low, right? So when I found the Five-Star Favorites 5-Meal Kit in Tastefully Simple’s Spring-Summer catalog, I didn’t hesitate to take a closer look. And am I glad I did!

This kit includes products and recipes for dishes that have been rated five stars by people who actually made and enjoyed them. They’re not fancy or complicated, just flavorful, easy-to-make main dishes perfect for any weeknight dinner.

Best of all, the recipes include “Make Ahead & Freeze” instructions so you can get most of the meal prep done ahead of time. You might choose to set aside a weekend afternoon to prep all five recipes and snug them into the freezer. What a relief not to have to face that familiar, “What am I going to make for dinner?” question again!

With delish dishes like Mediterranean Pasta, Chicken Fajita Tacos, Pesto Turkey Burgers, Savory Boneless BBQ Pork Chops and Cheesy Pesto Wicked Beef, the kit offers great variety with a focus on family-friendly flavors. Each recipe serves 6, which means an ample dinner for a family or – if you’re single like me – plenty of leftovers to portion out and freeze for future lunches and dinners.

I also love that these recipes showcase some of Tastefully Simple’s most popular products, and after making all the included recipes, you’ll still have enough remaining seasonings and barbecue sauce to try some of the thousands of other recipes available at tastefullysimple.com/recipes. You can search the recipe database by product as well as other filters, such as cooking method, occasion, the time it takes to make and more. TIP: Check the Freezer Meal box for more make ahead and freeze options.

If you’re looking for a way to cut the stress of meal planning while still enjoying hearty, wholesome meals that everyone in the family will love, look no further than the Five-Star Favorites 5-Meal Kit. It’s a gold star winner in my book!

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