Thanksgiving Dinner, Made Easy and Delicious by Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts Farmers Market provided us with a complimentary full Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Let me start by saying I’m still full.

I’ve never purchased a Thanksgiving dinner before, thinking it wouldn’t be like a “real” dinner, but I was wrong. (It’s in writing now.) I now have an entirely different view of purchasing a pre-packaged meal and I am so glad!

If you’re going to be short on time on Thanksgiving or you just don’t want to cook, you cannot go wrong by buying a dinner like this. I can go back and think of numerous times I could have used this option! Many years ago, we had a child get seriously ill over the holidays and end up in the hospital. We wouldn’t have eaten had a kind neighbor not brought us a fully-cooked dinner; she didn’t know about our child’s illness and it was one of those times you can’t help but wonder at the timing of the gift. It still makes me a little teary to think of how that act of kindness made such a huge difference for a tired set of parents of four! Know a new parent? A full meal this could be the perfect holiday gift! I also know some friends whose kitchen is too small to cook a big meal in, so this would solve all their problems and allow them to finally host the big day.

I picked up the meal yesterday at lunch time. I met with Tommy, who shared some really interesting info on the Grab ‘n Give food gifting program that Sprouts holds, where customers can purchase a bag of holiday food to be donated to those who can’t have a big meal otherwise. The Rancho Cucamonga Sprouts is rocking it at 150+ bags a day! You can help them bag hunger by purchasing one when you check-out.

And of course I had to take some photos of some Thanksgiving displays. I am so going back on Monday and hope they still have one of those herb baskets available; what a perfect hostess gift, right? (I’m hosting, but I can still buy it….)

Such pretty centerpiece options!

Isn’t the little turkey adorable?

The dinner comes all in one big sturdy box, so it’s easy to stow in your trunk and quickly get on the road. It will fit on a refrigerator shelf, but since I photography everything, I took it apart right away, took the pictures, then assembled it in my spare fridge so it was all ready to get heating up that evening.

In a word: easy. Another word? Delicious. Sprouts provides several documents – including a way cool thank you note – that list ingredients for every part of the meal and directions on how to heat it all. No confusion or wondering what to do next, the directions talk you through it all. All you have to do is have the roasting pan ready for the turkey and dishes to serve all the sides in! It really doesn’t get any easier than this.

This is all the food they sent home with me! Thanks, Tommy and Sprouts! That’s SO much food and every little bit was delicious!

I put the turkey in the oven at 4:30. In about 30 minutes, my house smelled like Thanksgiving, essentially giving us a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner. So much fun! We put out a bowl of grapes, courtesy of Tommy, to snack on while we were waiting on the turkey. Poured some wine. Decorated the table. It was fun!

After the turkey had reached the proper and safe temperature, we pulled it out to rest the recommended 30 minutes. That is the perfect allotment of time to heat the mashed potatoes, broccoli au gratin and stuffing. Put some rolls on a plate, heat the gravy in the microwave and put the cranberry sauce into a pretty bowl. Voila, Thanksgiving dinner!

Not a turkey fan? They also offer a rib roast or a spiral sliced ham. You can purchase dessert, too, so you really will have every single thing you need from start to finish. After a slight break from dinner, we sliced the delicious double crust apple pie and the pumpkin pie. Yes, both, and I have no problem admitting I ate both. So good!

If you’re considering ordering a meal, you can do it online even! Visit the Sprouts Farmers Market website here, and look at all your options. Meals are available for pickup beginning yesterday, November 19, and you can choose the store closest to you for pick-up. (Need just the meat or just some catering trays? Those are options, too!)

While you’re on their website, check out this page about their community involvement. You’ll be pleased to know about their daily donations and how nothing goes to waste! This page alone makes me love Sprouts even more. I’m there weekly and love how Sprouts meets our family’s needs for fresh produce, good quality meats and safe options for canned, bagged and boxed goods. We attempt to eat non-GMO and organic as much as possible, and Sprouts is a huge part of that. Their website also offers recipes for new inspirations on how to use the food you purchase, perfect for a recipe collector like me!

For $69.99 to feed 6-8 people, you are saving money and hassle and giving yourself the gift of time spent with your family and loved ones. (And when it says 6-8 people, it probably could even allow you to feed a straggling person or two that doesn’t have a home to go to for the holiday. There’s a lot of food!)

Thank you, Sprouts Farmers Market, for the delicious food and fun evening. And my youngest says that the broccoli au gratin is “all mine.” I now have big shoes to fill as he wants to have it “all the time, Mom!”