Tastefully Simple Tonight Collection

As a new mom of a three week old, I am on the lookout for quick and easy meals.  We have been very fortunate to have many friends and family come to visit and bring lunch and dinner for us.  But,  at some point I knew we would to need to get onto our own two feet and I was going to need to get back in the kitchen.  Last weekend…that happened.  I went to the grocery store…by myself.  While I didn't love it, it did feel good to have a little normalcy and a reason to put on clothes besides yoga pants.  

My mom watched the baby while I shopped and made these awesome freezer meals from Tastefully Simple.  I was so excited to get the Tastefully Simple Tonight Collection in the mail!  It was seriously like Christmas morning.  Here is what came in the package 

 An envelope...

 Full of recipe cards and labels.  I'm a sucker for a label and these came with the cooking instructions right on them along with a space for the date.  So easy to just pop on the completed meal so there isn't any confusion when it is time to prepare.  Let's be honest, with a sleep deprived brain and baby in my arms, things are confusing enough!

 I also love the recipe cards and shopping list that came with the package.  It made it so easy to shop and follow along with the recipes.

 And here are the awesome products included in the Tastefully Simple Tonight Collection, starting at the left, Artichoke and Spinach Warm Dip Mix, Pot Roast Slow Cooker Soup Mix, Vidalia® Onion Dressing, Simply Salsa™ Mix , Mama Mia™ Marinara Sauce Mix, Bountiful Beer Bread Mix®, Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix and Creamy Buffalo Dip Mix.

I made a few of the freezer meals last weekend starting with the Mama Mia French Bread Pizzas and the Italian Pasta Casserole.  I modified things just a bit but it only took about 20 minutes to whip these two recipes up.

First I started by browning a pound of hamburger and Italian sausage in a skillet.

 I added a few shakes of Onion Onion™

 And Garlic Garlic™ because I love them and had them both on hand.  **Note that they do not come with the Tastefully Simple Tonight Collection**

 Once the ground beef and sausage were browned, I removed them and placed them on a paper towel lined plate.

 I then chopped up a green pepper

 And added it to the skillet

 Added the meat back to the pan, along with a can of crushed tomatoes.

 As well as the Mama Mia™ Marinara Sauce Mix.

 Pepperoni

 And a few mushrooms.  Gave it a good mix and it was time to assemble.

 I cut a large loaf of Italian bread into thirds

 Halved them then scooped out the insides just a  bit.

 Scooped the pizza mixture into each of the boats

 And topped with mozzarella cheese.

 That was it, just rolled each of the loaves up in tin foil and placed the sticker on one of the loaves.

 To make the Italian Pasta Casserole I just added cooked pasta to the pizza mixture

 And topped with shredded cheese

 Packaged it up with a layer of Press and Seal and tin foil.  Popped a label on and into the freezer it went.

 I also made the Vidalia Honey-Glazed Chicken Thighs but I subbed chicken breasts.  This recipe was super easy, just mixing up a few ingredients and pouring over the chicken in a freezer bag!

I also prepped Mom's Sunday Pot Roast.  This was the easiest with mixing the Pot Roast Slow Cooker Mix with water and pouring over a chuck roast.  Easy, easy! 

I couldn't wait to try the Mama Mia French Bread Pizzas so we made them this week.  Seriously, they only lasted 2 days in the freezer before we dug in!  They worked so well too!  I just took them out of the freezer the night before and put them in the fridge.  The night we ate them, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and placed them on a cookie sheet.  Into the oven for 20 minutes and out came… 

These bad boys.  Seriously delicious and it was so so easy to make!  We devoured them.

Overall I was extremely impressed by the Tastefully Simple Tonight Collection of freezer meals.  I was able to make 6 of the 10 meals in an afternoon while my mom snuggled our sweet little girl.  I have to say, it worked out pretty perfectly.

While I worked on these meals by myself, Tastefully Simple offers Freezer Meal Workshops that allow guests to create meals to take home and put in their own freezer!   Guests pre-purchase the products and the consultants lead them through making the meals while learning about different Tastefully Simple products.  There are a variety of Freezer Meal Menus available which include crockpot meals, paleo-friendly recipes as well as a variety of kid-pleasing meals.  The three menus that are currently offered consist of 10 different recipes and take about 2 hours to assemble regardless of how many attendees as everyone is preparing their own meals.  I think it would be super fun to get a bunch of girls together, drink some wine (FINALLY!) and make a bunch of freezer meals to bring home.  If you are interested in hosting a Freezer Meal Workshop, feel free to contact a Tastefully Simple Consultant or visit their website here.

**DISCLAIMER: I was provided products and compensation for creating this post.  However, all opinions are honest and are my own.  As always, you can't buy my love, baby.**