How to Feed Your Family For $20 This Thanksgiving *Giveaway*

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winners are Zelma and Cheryl F. Congrats!

My husband and I spent some time today putting the finishing touches on our Thanksgiving menu.  This year will be small and intimate.  I’m getting close to being “done” so we’re not traveling too far away from home this year.  It’s important to me that we have traditional Thanksgiving courses like turkey, stuffing, cranberries and potatoes (which is exactly what we’re having).  

If you have a large family, you know how menu items can add up when shopping for your Thanksgiving meal.  I recently heard that you could purchase the foods necessary to feed a family of eight this Thanksgiving for $20 at Walmart and I had to a. check it out to make sure it was legit and b. share it with all of you!  

So what does this Thanksgiving meal consist of?  (I wanted to know so I figure you do too!)

• One 12-pound Grade A turkey*
• Three 11 to 15.5-ounce cans Green Giant vegetables
• Two 14-ounce cans Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
• Three 6-ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing
• One 5-pound bag of red potatoes
• One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
• One 22-ounce pumpkin roll cake

Now because I’m always honest with you, I have to say that this is a great deal if you eat any or all of the above items. Personally, I would eat *most* of the items above, but I would prefer whole wheat dinner rolls over white, a salad, and a pumpkin pie over the cake.  My dad’s rice pilaf is also a requirement!  So perhaps my final bill would be a little over $20, but it’s still a fabulous deal.  

I don’t know about you,  but we’re always on the watch for ways we can save, without compromising.  Walmart wants to make sure that you and I have the opportunity to enjoy a Thanksgiving Meal at a price we can all afford.  I particularly appreciate the fact that the foods on the menu are healthy and traditional.  I highly recommend checking out Walmart’s Holiday Meals site for recipe ideas.  Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian offers tasty variations on traditional holiday dishes using ingredients found in Walmart’s Thanksgiving Basket.  The Herb & Garlic-Scented Turkey and Creamy Smashed Potatoes sound delicious!

Win It!  The price is so phenomenal that two of you will win $30 gift cards to Walmart to use for your Thanksgiving Meal (and you’ll have an extra $10 to use as you wish!).  Simply leave me a comment with a tip on how you save time or how you save money on your Thanksgiving Meal (I so enjoy reading your tips, by the way).  Comments will close on December 7, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  

One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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 I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart. In addition, I received a Walmart gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate and two to offer as a giveaway.”

Making Life Better

Let’s get one thing straight.  When you come to my blog, you’re not likely going to find Mario Batali-like recipes or other gourmet cooking tips.  It just isn’t going to happen.  But, if you’re looking for a great food blog, check out Serious Eats or My Wooden Spoon (they’re fab!).  

The following scene is repeated in my household on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis:

Hubby (on his way home for work):  What are we doing for dinner (after our “hi” and “how was your day” conversation, of course)

Me:  I don’t know…What do you want to do?

After some going back and forth and hubby is pulling into the garage we repeat the same thing at home.  

Me:  Why don’t we get Josh fed and then decide.

8:00 rolls around…

Me:  Hey Jas…What do you want to do for dinner?

Hubby:  What about leftovers…

Just from this short scenario (which plays over and over in our house like a broken record), you wouldn’t know that my husband actually cooks really well.  However, I am the housewife who used Vanilla Soymilk in Fettucine Alfredo and thought it was a great substitution! Until we both tasted it…then threw it out…then ordered takeout.  

I’m really hoping that this website is going to make OUR life better by giving me us me some meal ideas and inspiration.  Unilever wants to make everyday life better by helping you find ways to create affordable meals.  Making Life Better features “delicious recipes and affordable meal ideas and tips that stretch your budget and save you time.”  The site offers a wealth of information including tips on beauty and style, home and family, and vitality and wellness.  

Finding the perfect recipe is easy and the site is very user-friendly.  I like the various search options offered.  Some of the most popular recipes on the site include Savory Roasted Potatoes, Baked Pasta Primavera, Caribbean Tea Splash, Marinated Chicken Italiano, and Chicken Francese. While I may not be a gourmet chef, I can pretend I’m one with the recipes and meal options offered on the site.  

Profuse thanks to Mom Central for saving our family from getting stuck in the rut of take out!  Hooray for the homemade meal!

Making Life Better

I don’t like to cook.  There….I said it!  I feel so much better now.  Thankfully, I have a husband who doesn’t mind working all day and then coming home to cook at night (provided I have do the dishes and grocery shopping). While my husband does a majority of the cooking, there are many times when I have to don the apron, whip up meal, and hope we live to see the next!  In all seriousness, I tend to stick to the basics…pasta, baked chicken, etc.  Sometimes the basics are just boring and I admit that I’d like to dabble in something with a little more flair!

So where does a busy working mom go to find healthy, creative, affordable meals for her family?  I have just discovered Making Life Better, a website that was created by Unilever to “help you feel good, look good and get more out of life.”  One of the categories you’ll find on the site is a food and recipes section.  Here is where you’ll find thousands of family-friendly recipes and affordable meal ideas.  You can search for recipes by name or use a more general search for meal types, holidays/themes, ingredients, or cooking style.  Once you hit the search button, the site will pull up a number of recipes that fit your search category.  The page you come to shows you the names of recipes and the prep/cook time.  I like this because I can scan the list of recipes by prep/cook time without even opening up a particular recipe.  This is great if I’m looking for something quick and simple to make for my husband and my son.  Each recipe also includes pictures and ratings which is helpful for determining how “good” a recipe is!  I did a general search for breakfast recipes (since that is my favorite meal of the day) and found a Chocolate Chip Scone Recipe that sounds divine!  And this Broiled Halibut With Warm Lemon Shallot Sauce only takes 5 minutes to prepare and twelve minutes to cook.  The only thing I’d love to see is the nutritional information on each recipe (right now some do and some don’t).

Easter is rapidly approaching so you definitely want to be sure to check out their brunch recipes.  Be sure to check tomorrow’s paper for a coupon that will get you $20.00 back on your ham/turkey purchase when you buy $40.00 worth of Unilever products in April.