With two weeks to go, it's time to start planning Thanksgiving. To help the stressed cook, we have compared prices on pre-made Thanksgiving dinners from the local grocery stores.
SAFEWAY: Complete turkey dinner $39.99 (club price, serves 6-8)
What you get: Fully cooked turkey 10-12 pounds (heat and serve).
Two pounds of stuffing. 3 pounds mashed potatoes; 24-oz gravy; cranberry sauce; 1 dozen dinner rolls; 8" pumpkin pie.
RALEY'S/BELAIR: Premium Holiday Dinner $99.99 (serves 10-12) Order online, save $5
What you get: Free range Diestel turkey 12-14 pounds (2.5 hours of prep time)
Ciabatta stuffing; mashed potatoes; gravy; green beans almondine; maple orange glazed sweet potatoes; whole berry orange cranberry sauce; dinner rolls; pumpkin pie.
Butterball Turkey dinner $49.99 (serves 8-10) Order online, save $5
What you get: 10-12 pound Butterball turkey (prep time 2.5 hours)
Cranberry herb stuffing (2 pounds); mashed potatoes (3 pounds); gravy (24 oz.); broccoli cheese and rice casserole (28 oz.); cranapple sauce; 1 dozen dinner rolls; 9" pumpkin pie.
WHOLE FOODS: Traditional pre-roasted turkey dinner $129.99
What you get: Fully cooked Diestel turkey (10-12 pounds) serves up to 8
Fresh green beans with shallots; stuffing; garlic mashed potatoes; gravy; cranberry relish; 1 dozen dinner rolls; pumpkin pie.
SAVEMART: Complete turkey dinner $49.99 (heat and serve)
What you get: Fully cooked 10-12 pound turkey
Stuffing (22 oz); mashed potatoes (32 oz.); gravy (24 oz.); broccoli and cheese casserole (22 oz.); spiced apples (23 oz.); 1 dozen dinner rolls; 9" pumpkin pie.
For Savemart shoppers, spend $99 or more at the checkout and get a free turkey (up to 15 pounds).
Now, for the week's sales.
Let's start at Raley's/Belair because they have Michelina's frozen entrees for 88-cents; General Mills cereal 2/$4; store brand stone ground wheat bread $1.99; raw, shell-on shrimp $3.99 lb.; 3lb bag of Clementine tangerines $3; tri tip roast $2.97 lb (with a recipe for tri tip tortilla soup with avocado - $1 each) and a coupon for 2-liter Coca Cola 88-cents.
In the bakery, you will find soft iced cookies for $3.99; dream cake for $4.99 and bread for two $1.29 each. Minute Maid Lemonade or Punch is $1 a carton; Raley's whipped topping is $1.19; Keebler, Cheeze-It or All-Bran crackers are $1.99 a box; Raley's spring water is $3.88 a case and Ramen is 8 packs for $2. In produce, York apples are $1.47 a pound; large hot house tomatoes are $1.99 a pound and whole or sliced mushrooms are $2 a container.
Safeway's 48-hour specials get top billing this week. On Saturday and Sunday, you can get Progresso soups for 97-cents a can; Nabisco snack crackers for $1.88 a box; pudding cake for $1.99 and a pound of Starbucks coffee for $5.99. BOGOs are also big. Choose from Foster Farms whole chicken; pomegranates; blueberries; Safeway wheat breads; orange juice; stuffing mix (Safeway brand and Stove Top); Heinz homestyle gravy; Sara Lee frozen pies; Pop-Secret popcorn; Chex Mix; Ritz and Saltine crackers; Bigelow tea and Nature Made vitamins or Osteo Bi Flex.
If you can't wait until Thanksgiving, the Friday $5 special is oven roasted turkey breast, Add Safeway cranberry sauce at $1 a can, the BOGO stuffing and Sara Lee pie and you've got a quick meal. Get a head start on the holiday baking with coupons for raisins ($1 off); chocolate baking chips (2/$3) and paper plates and napkins. Safeway brown or powdered sugar is 79-cents a bag; navel oranges are 99-cents a pound; Ocean Spray cranberries are $1.99 a bag; Fuji or Granny Smith apples are 88-cents a pound; Arrowhead or Refreshe water is $3.77 a case and best of all General Mills cereal is $1.99 a box.
Remember if you shop Savemart, spending $99 at the checkout will get you a free bird. Here are a few items to get you going. Yoplait yogurt 10/$5; avocado 69-cents each; Del Monte veggies $1 a can; whole Foster Farms chicken 99-cents a pound; boneless roast $2.99lb; Sargento shredded cheese $3 a bag; a dozen large eggs $2; Sunny Select drinking water $3.50 a case; Quaker cereals $2.50 a box; cranberry sauce or olives $1 a can; bakery french bread $1.49 a loaf; and chicken tenders from the deli $4.99lb. In produce 12 oz. blackberries or blueberries are $3.99 a carton; apples are $1.29lb.; hothouse tomatoes $1.69lb and Fresh Express salads are 2/$5. Swanson broth and Campbell's cream soups are $1 a can; Sunny Select whipped topping is $1 per container; Pillsbury Grands! biscuits are 3/$5 and bags of Marie Callendar's croutons are $1 a bag.
Foods Co. has a great price on eggs- $2.38 for 18 Grade AA large; Van de Kamp's sliced bread is 99-cents a loaf; Donald Duck orange juice is $2 a carton; Fuji or Braeburn apples are 67-cents a pound and Maruchan lunch cups are 25-cents each. Limes are 10/$1; grapefruit is 68-cents each; Ocean Spray cranberries are $1.98 a bag and Yoplait yogurt is 10/$5.
Vics in Folsom has boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.77 a pound; Swanson broth for 75-cents a can; Newman's Own brands are on sale with salad dressing $2.99 a bottle; salsa and pasta sauce $2.50 a jar and popcorn $2 a box. Fuji apples are 99-cents a pound and grapefruit is 2/$1. Blueberries from Argentina are $2.99 for a 4.4oz. package and be sure to clip the coupon on page 2 to save $3 when you buy 3 boxes of Chex cereals.
Come back tomorrow for recipes to help with Thanksgiving dinner.
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