Here's How I Cooked A Complete Thanksgiving Dinner On An $100 Budget

Baked Camembert is one of the easiest things you can make, and it's great for sharing. You could use Brie as well, and you can spice it up with whatever is in your pantry. I drizzled the cheese with honey and baked it in a 350°F oven for about six minutes until it was melty and gooey. Then, I topped it with more honey and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. You could also serve it with any fruit, nuts, or jam you have on hand.

I always like having a few vegetable sides on any holiday table, but of course veggies taste better when they're smothered in cream and cheese. Just heat it up for 25 minutes in the oven and serve. It's a super rich veggie side that everyone at the table will love.

Making mashed potatoes from scratch isn't difficult by any means, but this frozen version is so easy and actually tastes delicious. You just heat them up in a sauce pan with a bit of water or milk for a creamier texture. That being said, if you want to make mashed potatoes from scratch you can easily do so within the $100 budget. Since butter and half and half are already in your grocery cart, just buy a bag of russet potatoes and make them the classic way.

IMHO, If there's a single side dish your Thanksgiving table will feel naked without, it's stuffing. There's no other food I associate so strongly with Thanksgiving. This boxed version comes with a package of seasoning that you boil with water and butter. Then, add the cornbread and let it sop up all the seasoning. In about 15 minutes, you've got enough moist, flavorful stuffing for an army.

It is an unspoken rule of Thanksgiving that you should both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes on your table. These defrost in a sauce pan just like the regular mashed potatoes. You can always spice up the sweet potatoes up with some marshmallow, cinnamon, and pecans if you prefer them sweeter. If you don't want two types of mashed potatoes, you could swap this side dish for simple roasted sweet potato wedges with olive oil, salt, and pepper, or sweet potato fries from the frozen aisle.

Remember what I said about vegetables tasting better when loaded with cream and cheese? This decadent cheese and spaghetti squash casserole is just more proof. But for those seeking something healthier, TJ's also sells spiralized butternut squash that you can sauté in olive oil.

When I was younger, my mom used to make plain, boiled Brussels sprouts and they were not very appetizing. But today, Brussels sprouts are the trendiest vegetable around. Toss them with a little balsamic glaze, and they taste incredible. There are a handful of Brussels to choose from in TJ's produce aisle, but I opted for the pre-cut, seasoned version. They are seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper so you don't have to buy extra ingredients, and the fact that they are pre-cut makes roasting them so easy.

Mac 'n' cheese is always a hit at my Thanksgiving table, so I made two boxes so there was plenty to go around. TJ's has a bunch of different kinds of mac 'n' cheese, including some very easy frozen versions, but IMO there's nothing more satisfying than white cheddar shells.

You just put the chicken skin-side up in the oven for 60-70 minutes until it's cooked through, then slice it. The lemon rosemary marinade was delicious and it gave the chicken a ton of flavor. There was also a lot of meat on the bird. I got a chicken that was just around 3 pounds, and it easily fed four people. After all, let's be honest: The sides are the star of the Thanksgiving show.

Cut the puff pastry sheets into squares and peel and slice the apples. Then, line the apples diagonally across the puff pastry sheets. Top the apples with sugar and chopped, cold butter. Bake it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown. I followed this simple recipe by Ina Garten, and it came out delicious, but instead of apricot jam I topped the pastries with TJ's cinnamon bun spread.

I really enjoy baking for the holidays, so I wanted to make dessert from scratch. That being said, these dessert ingredients accounted for a lot of my grocery budget, so if you want to cut back, you could always skip the homemade desserts and opt for one of TJ's packaged baked goods. The apple crumble and apple slab pies are both delicious, and they also sell a handful of great frozen desserts like an apple galette, Nantucket-style cranberry pie, and pumpkin pie.

I followed this Pillsbury recipe for pumpkin pie because it calls for only a handful of ingredients, which kept my costs down. The end result was definitely satisfying, but it tasted a bit more like a pumpkin soufflé with a slightly loose and airy filling as opposed to traditional pumpkin pie.