Target Debuts New Archer Farms Mix & Match Meals

Quick, easy meals have always been a part of our on-the-go culture, from fast food joints to millions of microwave TV dinner options. After a long day, it can be hard to find the time or energy to cook a homemade meal. Who can blame you? (Seriously. Tell us who and we’ll handle it.)

While more convenient food choices are often inexpensive and delicious, they’re not always nutritious. Target is looking to change the latter without changing the former.

Today, Target launched Archer Farms Mix & Match Meals, a first-of-its-kind program that hopes to simplify family meal planning with healthy, home-cooked options that take less than 15 minutes to cook and are under $18 (!) each. The new assortment boasts more than 500 different meal combos, is perfectly portioned and designed to feed a family of four in the three most popular ethnic cuisines eaten in the U.S.: Mexican, Italian and Asian.

Here’s how it works: Visit Target and locate the convenient Mix & Match Meals area within the fresh food department (no need to visit multiple aisles!). Choose a desired cuisine; combine one item from each category — sauces (14 to choose from), veggies (fresh, cut and pre-washed), starch (fully cooked for easy prep) and protein (all natural and pre-cooked) — and create your meal in less than 15 minutes. Done. Boom.

And if you think Target putting Doritos in the refrigerated section is a creative (albeit quirky) move, then you’ll definitely appreciate the easy-to-shop Archer Farms Mix & Match section. Featuring a color-coded system making it mindless to find corresponding meal components, the dedicated area also shows off Archer Farms’ new, redesigned packaging, which now showcases appetizing shots of food photography. Note: looks as delicious as it tastes.

Okay — enough talking. More eating! Obviously, we felt the need to taste test the new program ourselves. Tough gig, huh? We whipped up natural pork carnitas and veggies drizzled in classic fajita sauce and served in flour tortillas. Take a taste.