Shopping for Thanksgiving is fairly simple in our household. I only cook enough for Greg, Jayden, and I and I pack it up and freeze to have after we return from visiting family for a few days. We usually have most of the ingredients already since I cook from scratch. No need for stuffing mixes, canned goods (just pumpkin since I couldn’t find whole pumpkin), etc. So shopping for Thanksgiving is simple. This year, I made Turkey (which practically melted off the bone), yams, smothered cabbage, chicken pot pie (in place of dressing), and pumpkin cheesecake. I’ll make the potato salad when we return. With a budget of $40, Walmart challenge me to shop for our Thanksgiving meal. Easy peasy! Let’s take a look at my shopping list!

Thanksgiving Shopping List

Turkey – $10.29
Cabbage x 2- $3.54
Smoked Bacon – $2.98
Sweet Potatoes x4 – $4.98
Chicken Broth x2 – $5.36
Pumpkin Pie Mix x2 – $5.56
Cream Cheese x2 – $2.50
Chicken Tenders – $3.98 (Not pictured but featured in the video. I had to retake the photo and forgot them. DOH!)

For $39.19, I was able to get everything on my shopping list… right on the money!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOEbN40L4sI

Do you do much shopping for Thanksgiving dinner or do you generally have all of your ingredients on hand?

I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart is compensating me for sharing this experience with you. All words are my own. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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The mouth watering poultry that you are drooling over is the turkey that I made using a soy sauce brine. It was my first turkey and I must say, I did pretty darn good. It was very tender and and simply flavorlicious. Kikkoman sent us a package full of their products, recipes and a gift card for the turkey. Sadly, the leftovers didn’t last long enough for me to make the turkey fried rice that I had planned! The turkey disappeared in three days! Well, there’s still hope if Thanksgiving’s turkey doesn’t go like this one did!

For soy sauce inspired turkey recipes and Kikkoman product coupons, visit Kikkoman’s Home Cooks page. And if you’re interested, I’m giving away a Kikkoman cookbook and sauces here!

This Thanksgiving we are doing something new. We are having Thanksgiving dinner at our house. It’s exciting because it’s our first time hosting a gathering and we’re breaking out of a routine. Each Thanksgiving my mother gives something at her house and Greg’s grandmother gives something at hers. Since Greg, Boogie, and I are a new family, we’ve been trying to figure out the whole who’s house are we going over and when debate so no one feels left out. This year Greg’s side will be coming over on Thanksgiving day and the day after, some of my side will be coming over.

We’re hoping to create a new tradition with a new environment, new family member (Boogie), and entertainment. There will be turkey, greens, dressing, mac n cheese, sweet potato pie, cabbage, potato salad, salad, and pumpkin cheesecake. No way am I cooking all of that, not this year! I’m just making the cabbage, potato salad, salad, and pumpkin cheesecake. I had planned on making catfish, but since the season has changed, so did the price of seafood, yikes!

To get in the Thanksgiving spirit, I bought table linens to use. I thought they might make the kitchen look more inviting. Through my involvement with the Rwanda Path to Peace Project, I received a beautiful hand woven basket bowl, an apron, and a market tote that I can put to use on Thanksgiving day. Rwandan basket bowls celebrate different blessings based on their patterns such as patience, bountiful harvest, and good fortune. The basket that I received celebrates life-giving bounty, certainly something we all are thankful for. The village print featured on the apron and market tote celebrate the Rwandan village life of graceful balance with the earth and their neighbors. Curving paths lead from one house to house, from friend to friend, clusters of plump fruit hang, flowers bloom, garden rows are dotted with sprouting plants coming up from fertile soil. A winding stream brings the delight of gurgling sounds and clear, cool water to drink. Yes, so much significance in one pattern.

Consider paying it forward to women in Rwanda who earn a sustainable income by providing these gifts to consumers. The entire line of Rwanda Path to Peace products can be found at Macy’s. Also, if you’re interested in giving the gift of O Bracelets for the holidays, hold that thought. I just may be able to provide a discount in the near future!

For a chance to win a Rwandan basket (color may vary), a Kikkoman recipe book, two full sized bottles of Kikkoman’s special sauces, plus a bottle of Country Bob’s seasoning salt and all purpose sauce to use this holiday season, leave a comment. Feel free to answer any of the following questions: What do you have planned this Thanksgiving or depending on the day, what did you do this Thanksgiving? Do you usually jump from house to house? How do you make it work? Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions? Tell us about them in the comments! This giveaway will run through December 1st, 2009 7PM CST.

To everyone celebrating Thanksgiving today, we’d like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!