How to make a no-cook, no-clean Thanksgiving that Grandma Can be Proud of

When my husband and I first were married, Thanksgiving was a special event where we made a unique meal and invited our friends to dine in their PJs as we ate with china, crystal and silver. Each Thanksgiving meal was different like the year German theme so we had Sauerbraten, German Potato Salad (made with a pound of bacon) and a Krispy Kreme bread pudding (made with a dozen doughnuts!) After finishing off the meal, we’d all lay around in our elastic flannels and complain about how much food we ate. It was total bliss.

While I love the memories of those days, when our kiddos came into the picture, suddenly holidays with our families were much more important and somehow the traditional Thanksgiving meal found itself at back on the menu. However, this year’s schedule, no matter how hard we wish we could see our families, there’s just no time between work, school and the travel time to spend an entire day in the kitchen to make and clean up Thanksgiving with our families. The whole idea seemed kind of miserable. However, as parents we feel we are responsible for creating traditions that transcend our lifetime – just as our parents and grandparents did before us.

Since ordering pizza or going to a restaurant really wasn’t what we are looking to do, I was looking at home options. Naturally, Dickey’s and my local grocery store and HoneyBaked Ham came to mind as possibilities, but I wasn’t sure if turkey or ham was the right way to go. And then I found out HoneyBaked ham recently reformulated their turkey breast recipe, preparing it like their award-winning ham and wanted my family to be a part of the test-run. Score.

I actually had never been into a HoneyBaked Ham store so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Set up part warm meat shop and part frozen section at a grocery store, I was able to go straight to the front and order my meat, turn to the freezer case for my sides as well as my dessert choice. That easy.

Speaking with my associate, since it was pre-Thanksgiving the store featured several side order options, but during the holiday season there would be more available including bread options (a fundamental Thankgiving meal item!) However, there was so much to choose from just to create a perfect dinner or special Sunday meal.

Our selection included:

HoneyBaked’s New Recipe Turkey Breast

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Herb Stuffing

Carrot Cake

When we returned home, the only work I had to do was put the sides in the oven for 30-45 minutes. When they came out, dinner was done and it smelled delicious. I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical and that the food would resemble those meals you get in the deli section that just don’t measure up. However, that wasn’t the case in the least.

The turkey ham (the name my son called it) was amazing. It was moist, tender, sweet and had that perfect crunch that HoneyBaked is known for. AND DID I MENTION IT WAS LESS THAN 2 GRAMS OF FAT PER SERVING, SO SECONDS ARE TOTALLY OK! Both sides, if I hadn’t kept them in their containers, could have easily been a better alternative to some of even my family’s homemade recipes. And that carrot cake. was really to die for. Unfortunately, it called to me at nighttime and thankfully, I was able to resist the urge some of the time. It really was an outstanding meal and contrary to the norm, we ate every part of those leftovers.

Best of all for me, no cleanup. I just threw the containers away when we were done. Cost? No different that what Thanksgiving normally would be and considering the time I saved not having to make anything. That made it even more attractive. My only work was to make the order and pick it up.

So Thanksgiving 2012’s busy schedule can actually take a break at least an hour this year for us to partake on what is already making me hungry again – the taste of that HoneyBaked turkey (and maybe some carrot cake, too.) Wondering about leftovers? They’ve got you covered with some pretty tasty recipes, but that’s IF you have leftovers.

Curious? Hungry? Already making your order? Here’s a $3 off coupon!

DISCLAIMER:
I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)