Photo Credit: Epicurious
With Thanksgiving less than one week away, it’s time to plan the menu and start shopping. Since we won’t be traveling this holiday season, my husband and I brainstormed to come up with a gourmet menu that still retains some of the traditional foods our family enjoys. As you can imagine, shopping for a Thanksgiving meal can be pricey. And with our “foodie” menu, we weren’t sure if we could take on Walmart‘s challenge to purchase everything we needed for under $40, but we aspired to.
Here is the menu we created:
Roast Turkey with Pomegranate Gravy
Chicken-Apple Sausage and Fresh Fennel Stuffing (modified to omit the sausage)
Fresh, Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Baked Yams
Pumpkin Pie
And here are the items we purchased:
Frozen Li’l Butterball Turkey ($13.23)
Sourdough Bread Slices for the stuffing ($3.97)
Swanson Chicken Broth ($1.98) *This one is free from MSG and contains less sodium than conventional broths*
Celery ($0.88)
1 Onion ($0.16)
Fresh Sage ($2.88)
3 Sweet Potatoes ($0.90)
Bag of fresh Cranberries ($1.68)
Sparkling Apple Cider ($2.99)
1 can of pumpkin ($1.68)
1 can of evaporated milk ($1.00) *lowfat and nonfat varieties are available*
1 container of whipping cream ($2.94)
1 graham cracker pie crust ($1.78)
The grand total was just under $40 at $36.07. However, I am still missing the fresh thyme, pomegranate juice, and fresh fennel. I also didn’t factor in that we’ll likely have fresh bread and salad. I didn’t purchase items such as spices, eggs, flour, etc. because we already keep a supply of those items. Apart from the recipes above, I’ll make the cranberry sauce from scratch using a few spices, sugar, and orange juice on the stove. To accompany the pumpkin pie, I’ll whip the whipping cream with some powdered sugar in place of store-bought varieties.
This season, Walmart is making it easier and more affordable to shop for your Thanksgiving meal. Whether you’re looking to prepare the meal yourself, or will be using some prepared foods, you’ll find incredibly low prices to fit your needs and your budget.
Through this haul, I wanted to show how you could opt for a freshly prepared meal (versus one out of cans and boxes) while sticking to a budget. Even if I had found those 3 items above that I need for the recipes, I’d still likely be at or around $40.
How will you celebrate Thanksgiving this season? Will you prepare the meal? Do you have a favorite recipe? Weigh in here!
Disclosure: I participate in the Walmart Moms program and am compensated for my time and honest opinions.
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