Over the years, I’ve discovered that my love language is cooking for others. (More specifically, “acts of service,” with that service being time spent in the kitchen.) My idea of a great weekend afternoon involves putting on my headphones, rolling up my sleeves and immersing myself in a new recipe. I’ve been known to spend hours making food for my family: homemade marinara sauce, dinner rolls from scratch, batches and batches of cookies and brownies. So yes, I love to cook for my family … when I have time.

These days, I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to cook. My youngest has basketball practice and games, which eat up a good portion of our weekday evenings. My oldest is in band and has after-school clubs that require shuttling him to and fro. I work all day, and so does my husband. Those leisurely hours in the kitchen just aren’t a reality right now!

Enter PanFare Complete Dinner Kits. They approached Indy’s Child and let us know that these complete dinner kits were hitting our local Meijer stores. I was happy to try them out! Every parent needs an easy one-pan, no-fuss, delicious meal in their freezer, for those evenings where dinner seems next to impossible. As much as I love cooking from scratch, I also love having the option of getting a meal on my family’s table in less than 20 minutes, with almost no dishes to clean up afterward.

Where to Find PanFare Complete Dinner Kits

Currently, PanFare meal kits are only available in central Indiana Meijer stores, including locations in Anderson, Carmel, Cumberland, Greenwood, Muncie, McCordsville, Noblesville, and three Indianapolis Meijer locations (96th Street, Keystone Avenue and Southport Road). You’ll find them in the freezer section, where the frozen meals are located.

The PanFare Experience

Here are some things that make the PanFare Complete Dinner Kits great, especially for busy parents:

• There are three different dinners you can make: Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice, Homestyle Meatballs & Egg Noodles, and Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein.
• They are sized for families. There are 2 pounds of food in every kit!
• They’re a good source of protein. Each meal kit contains anywhere from 11 grams to 15 grams of protein per serving, depending on which meal you choose.
• They’re a complete meal. There’s a protein, vegetable and starch in each meal.
• They require only one pan. You’ll have little to no dirty dishes to deal with afterward!
• They are ready in less than 20 minutes.

I chose the Homestyle Meatballs & Egg Noodles, because my family and I love meatballs.

Each meal kit comes with all of the ingredients you need to make a complete meal. The only extra things I needed was a skillet, one tablespoon of cooking oil and 1/3 cup of water.

Making the meatballs and egg noodles couldn’t have been simpler. I didn’t have to chop or prepare any ingredients, so the meal came together quickly. The step-by-step instructions on the back of the bag were clear and easy to follow, too. Here’s all I did:

Step 1: Add the oil to the pan over medium heat. Sauté the meatballs and green beans (top left) for several minutes .

Step 2: Add the sauce, water and egg noodles (bottom left) to the meatballs and green beans.

Step 3: Simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, then add red bell peppers (right).

In less than 20 minutes, I had a complete meal for my family of four! My oldest loved the meatballs the most, and my youngest loved the noodles the most. My husband and I thought that everything was tasty, especially the sauce. And best of all: I didn’t have a mountain of dishes to deal with after dinner. It was a win-win dinner!

More Info

Find PanFare Complete Dinner Kits at your local Meijer. For more information about PanFare, visit panfarekits.com.

Indy’s Child has partnered with PanFare Kits for this article. All photos and opinions belong to the writer.