There was a sweet old man that lived across the street from me. The kids called him the gum man cause he gave them wrigleys gum a lot. He always sat on his porch and only interacted with them in public out in the open. I used to send my leftivers to him. He was really a nice man. He invited my daughter and me to dinner one night.. He had the table set and pulled out TV dinners from the oven. It was so sweet of him. Have never forgotten it.
One year when our kids were little, we lucked out an found a turkey for $5! I got instant potatoes, stuffing mix, gravy mix, cranberry sauce, veggies, and a pie. Came to about $20. I was so happy! Wish I could find a sale like that again!
Our local grocery stores all year let you earn rewards points everytime you shop and i save them to cash out for a free turkey or ham every thanksgiving xmas or easter. It helps alot. See if your local stores do these offers.
For a change this Thanksgiving, We are having pot roast, as it was on sale for 99 cents a pound, I bought three of them and it cost me about $12.00 for them , two are in the freezer for a later meal.
When I was getting chemo I lived off of Banquet pot pies. The cheap little frozen ones. They were the only thing that tasted good to me and didn’t bother my stomach or the pain in my mouth (side effect of chemo). My family bought me Marie Calendar and Stouffers thinking they’d be better but honestly, the Banquets were my favorites. Now that I am in remission I still like them (although not for every meal) so I think that says a lot!
All the best to you, @mfarley252! One of my family members went through chemo recently and his go-to were two varieties of Campbell’s Chunky Soup! I hope you’re doing well ❤️
Nice, comprehensive review. As a senior citizen living alone I have a "one pot Thanksgiving dinner". I add 1 can of chicken and a small 8 oz. can of corn to 1 package of "Stove Top" cornbread stuffing. After cooking, serve it in a bowl and stir in some cranberry sauce. This makes 2 substantial bowls of "Thanksgiving dinner". This is under $10 total for 2 servings. It is also an easy clean up. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Always appreciate your family if you have one. 🫂❤️🦃🙏🕊
I'm in my early 70s, wife is late 60s. Our Thanksgiving dinner is sourced from our local food bank. We actually got a small turkey and various sides, stuffing and dessert. We're thankful just to be here in our own home. We both got punched in the face with covid in late 2021 and I had a near fatal accident day after Thanksgiving in 2019. So we have a lot to be thankful for. Frankly, we'd be happy with anything you have there. Thanks for the review.
@@WardDorrity If any of those friends or neighbors are by themselves on Thanksgiving like you are, you should all get together. That way it would be worth it to buy a turkey breast and make the sides and dessert.
Very enlightening. I agree with your taste testing. I now live with my daughter and eat mostly what I call tv dinners. The Turkey dinners are the worst.
I like to eat these type of meals on a plate also to show how small the meal is.. The reason for this is because I record myself eating it and then I send the video to poverish countries that receive a lot of humanitarian aid. The reason why I record myself eating and sending it to them is because they see how small my portion is on the plate and they won't feel so bad about their situation. Of course they don't realize that I eat about five or six consecutively. But I feel like I did my part. 😂
Amen! When my ma tired of Easter hams, she asked me to take over because she liked my pizzas and for a few years a new tradition was born. This year for Turkey Day I may make my first adventure into making/tasting the famous Kentucky Hot Brown.
I was born on Thanksgiving...and I hate Turkey. I went through most of my 20s not eating turkey on Thanksgiving. I am not a fanof following tradition for traditions sake. The Pilgrims ate turkey because the where large, everywhere, and so stupid they were easy to hunt.
I had an egg sandwich not to feed a man I was tossing out. I didn't have a deep freezer and had bought the meal so I cooked two sides at a time and we ate them like dinner for a long while after the fact. About 4 days later.
@@steveleavell114 "Stupid." Yup, it's the birds that are stupid and not the humans that destroy everything they touch. Almost anything is "easy" to murder if you have firearms. Also, we don't even know if they actually ate turkey. Deer, fish, and other fowl, probably, but not necessarily turkey.
I just wanted to come on here to say that I tried your dollar store dinner tips, and I cut our weekly grocery bill from $60-80 to just $33 for this weeks groceries! Going to do the stuffed bell pepper skillet dinner tonight!
I'm not a regular consumer of frozen dinners but over the years I've had quite a few. Here's a tip that greatly improves flavor - when you open them to stir at the halfway point, put a bit of butter (not margarine) on the veggies and the potatoes. Makes a big difference.
I think it’s awesome of you to do a video like this. Not everyone can whip up a dinner for thanksgiving due to work or other things going on in their lives. Cheers!
Haven’t been to Trader Joe’s in the last week or two - but in the past they have everything in “sides”. They also have a great Turkey roll that is both white and dark meat AND filled with stuffing. We used it a couple times in the past when it was just my hubby and myself. Bought the roll, and a couple of sides. Perfect inexpensive and (Tj right). Tastes fantastic
I really do appreciate you doing a video like this for people who may not be able to have a large Thanksgiving dinner for what ever the reason may be. I myself am kinda fund of frozen meals simply because I'm not able to get in the kitchen and cook the way I would like to. You do have to doctor up these meals a bit by adding a little butter to the veggies and maybe a little black pepper, garlic powder or any other seasoning. I do tend to stay away from salt since they are so high in sodium. With the Marie Calendar meal, you do have to cook it a little longer than the instructions say in order to get those potatoes to thicken up. Sorry for the long comment, I love to talk and respond 😊!
Thank you for doing this one and I honestly love that you’re being “brutally honest” these people like Hungry Man makes you feel you get so much more and change your for getting more food. I always raised my daughter on a budget and we always had banquet meals in the freezer. Thank you again
My pleasure!! I agree hungry man is a little deceptive considering their marketing vs how much food you actually get, 380 calories isn’t enough for a full meal for an adult
@@DollarTreeDinners yes exactly and I still can’t get over the price and you’re not getting that much more food. I would’ve thought the plate would’ve been full. And the apple dessert was a joke 😂🤣😂🤣😂
Thanks so much, Rebecca. I've always liked the Banquet dinners. I've never tried any others, mostly because of the price. I really wanted the Marie Callender's to be the best. Her chicken pot pie is absolutely delicious! I'm really disappointed. I'm also surprised at the Stouffer's. Guess I'll stick with Banquet. Old fashioned, tried and true! 🥰
I prepare Thanksgiving dinner for my family + DIL's. But I really enjoyed your review. I also how you point out those options are going to be Thanksgiving dinner for some people. I felt when you said you are not being ungrateful. I personally don't have to eat these meals anymore but there was a time when I did and had to get them for my family. This video is thoughtful, well communicated and very heartfelt. I appreciate you! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Check to see if the same company makes the Banquet and Hungry Man dinners. They do this a lot in factories that make these meals. I used to work in a frozen food factory. They just change the labels. Of course, they had different veggies, but it's still possible.
We had Stouffers Turkey with stuffing and mashed for our Thanksgiving meal for two years now. It was good we added cranberry sauce. It is just the two of us now and this works for us. The stuffing was good too its a matter of your taste buds . Some might hate it while others love it.
Yes I want to see more ideas for thanksgiving dinner for 1 to 2 people. Thank you so much. This was a great idea. I haven't tried all of those so I found this review very helpful. I have done the gravy and turkey, stove top stuffing and instant potatoes along with a vegetable of my choice and dessert. I've done that many times. I enjoy doing that because I always love the Thanksgiving leftovers. I also add rolls. Freezer rolls work great because you can just make what you want and save the rest for later.
Just FYIfor your turkey for two go to deli and get extra thick sliced turkey and cook. Will not take as long, 1-2 sweet potatoes, frozen corn, fresh carrots, just really small portions.
Ok, I had to laugh when you were trying to get the mashed potatoes out of the peas on the Banquet meal. I thought all foods were supposed to touch on Thanksgiving. At least in my family, the plates are a mile high and EVERYTHING touches everything! Looking forward to your DT Thanksgiving dinner video this year. Have a great week!
Love your honest review! For someone missing the ol' school youtube video feel and looking for the best budget items when it comes to food, this video is a win win!
Roasted Turkey from Marie Callender goes hard and has no business being as good as it does. Lot of their meals are just very good, especially their pot pies. I would recommend for everyone to please please use the oven. Microwave does not do these justice.
I love so much you do things like this. I grew up with having frozen dinners here and there (never for Thanksgiving personally). But I have always liked "Banquet" meals and I didn't know if it was because it was it reminds me of childhood...but even today I like the "Banquet Turkey Dinner". I am guessing Swanson no longer has frozen dinners, because their turkey dinner was my fav
I would like to see a $20 Thanksgiving Dinner that uses the regular oven, because I have the smallest kitchen you ever saw, and I don't even have room for a microwave. But I do have a small stove. Thanks for your work!
I’ve been craving a thanksgiving restaurant style dinner, like when they do turkey and gravy open faced sandwiches, it sounds so good. I think after watching this I’d just make my own. I’m not shocked I used to always like the banquet dinners lol. You could always buy the banquet dinner and dollar tree apple pie filling.
A hot, open-faced turkey sandwiches from a diner is one of my top contenders for a final meal. We order thick-cut or table-cut store-roasted turkey breast at the grocery store if we want this at home. Love it!
you are the sweetest ! I love that you pull NO punches and tell it like it is ~ with money so tight for most everyone these days it helps to know what NOT to waste your money on !!! who would have thought the cheapest would be the best out of all of them ? Drives me crazy as well when the turkey stuffing potato and gravy are all just lumped together love your sense of humor too ~ thanks for all you do 🥰
Absolutely LOVE stuffing… my favorite of any holiday meal! Just wish there were a larger portion in the frozen entrees. I’d forgo the turkey for more stuffing and gravy. Paired with creamy mashed potatoes & buttered peas (yes, love peas too)… YUMMY!😋
I used to buy deli turkey, thick sliced. Place a slice of bread, gravy, turkey, bagged mashed potatoes, frozen veggies. My kids throughout the year always asked for turkey dinner. It was an easy dinner n everything can be microwaved for those who don’t have a stovetop. They even sell a prepared frozen turkey breast roll that can be defrosted, sliced and microwaved instead of the deli turkey.
I remember back in the day when Marie Callendars was very good. But they went down hill fast. Stouffers used to be great too, but they have cheaped out on their ingredients especially their mac n cheese, which used to be my all time favorite. I gave up on frozen meals years ago because they just aren't worth the price. Just imagine if these frozen meals were actually what they look like on their boxes. The only veggie I don't like is green beans, and I LOVE fresh and frozen petite peas :) Hot with butter and salt and pepper. Yummmm! Thanks for the reviews. You always do such a great job on your videos 🍃🍂🍁Happy Fall🍃🍂🍃🍂🍁
i always thought that banquet and hungryman were the same company, so maybe that is why. i was thinking banquet came out with hungryman, but i could be wrong. i would love to see a $20 budget thanksgiving meal. i know you can do it. you have done so great on your budget meals.
You were close. HungryMan was part of Swanson. For years, they were called Swanson HungryMan dinners. Banquet was a separate brand entirely. Both Banquet and Swanson are now owned by ConAgra, though.
Banquet, Hungry Man and Marie Callendar are all Conagra brands. I wouldn't be surprised if they came off the same assembly line. Stouffer's is a Nestle brand. Just throwing that out there. I enjoy your videos. Straight forward, honest approach.
honestly, it hurts my heart that anyone would have to have a microwave dinner on thanksgiving! But, with that being said, it is great that you are being a guinea pig and trying some out for us! I used to eat microwave dinners all the time for dinner at work. I was just trying to think of what my husband and I could do this year. He has had a double knee replacement and he usually smokes our turkey! so....time to rethink strategy! thanks so much rebecca for sharing! xoxo
I worked nights for a few years, and one year on Thanksgiving my coworker and I decided we’d do an all microwave thanksgiving. It’s been nearly 14 years so I don’t quite remember what we found In stores but we enjoyed everything thoroughly. It was one of the cutest holiday dinners I’ve ever had. Plus very little clean up after since we were always exhausted working nights.
I ate a lot of TV dinners for Thanksgiving and Christmas after my daughter was grown. Now I have to cook for my brothers since they moved in with me. Lol
@@DollarTreeDinnersmix some of the too-salty stuffing with the mashed potatoes. Mush up the peas into the potatoes so you can't see them as much. Add some gravy to the potatoes til they're how you like them.
I love that you compared similar frozen meals! Interesting that the cheapest turned out to be the best overall. The more expensive ones just disappointed me, and I didn't even taste them.
Ty for assessing these frozen dinners. Much appreciated especially when everything has skyrocketed in price. So appreciate ur taking the time. I will probably buy one of these for Christmas. God bless u and have a blessed Christmas.
Oh, also i really love instant potatoes made with lots of butter (more than the instructions say) and stovetop stuffing. I just do all the sides and skip the turkey. And i can usually find a cheap but tasty dessert. Yes, please share a twenty dollar two meal Thanksgiving dinner. You probably did it last year, but with inflation this year, things are more expensive.
I always buy items for very busy days when I just don't have enough time to make dinner from scratch, but still want flavor. Today I was passing by Dollar Tree, and picked up a couple of the refrigerated John Morrell smoked sausage, based on your recommendation. Based on this review, I'll also pick up a couple of the frozen Banquet Turkey dinner the next time I'm at a grocery store. At $1.99 (my local store here in Massachusetts has them at that price). Honest reviews like these go far and wide. I don't eat frozen microwave food very often, but when I do, it's nice to have an honest recommendation. Thanks.
Thanks Rebecca for doing this.I'm really surprised at the Stoffers, a friend of mine loved their products and to have an unbiased opinion,yours, is great ! I don't want to buy/spend the money on something that you gave a low rating on, especially taste wise.If it didn't taste all that great I don't want to spend the money on it and not like it, that would be just a waste! Anyways, Y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it in the U.S.,(In Canada they already did a few weeks ago)Have a great day !
Just a warning: I actually really like banquet dinners, especially the turkey dinner and the backyard bbq meal. I also like to keep around a tray of frozen turkey for hot turkey sandwiches for a no-cook dinner of open faced sandwiches when I have leftover mashed potatoes. I usually buy the On-Cor brand bc it's cheaper, but I decided to "splurge" last time and get the banquet family size turkey and gravy. It was AWFUL. There were about 9 TINY disks of turkey, and it tasted like NOTHING. All the turkey slices cupped up like little bowls and some of the centers got hard. There were a ton of spots of unchewable gristle too. TL;DR: Don't waste your money on the family size Banquet turkey.
Have you thought about cooking the hungry man turkey dinner then repurposing the turkey stuffing potatoes and gravy and putting them in a egg roll wrapper - not sure if dollar tree has them and deep frying them as a spin on turkey pot pie?
Getting just turkey and gravy, with package of stuffing -adding craisins, and instant potatoes and small can of cranberry sauce, and maybe yams would work well. That is what I do many years with a little left over for a day or two. Always smaller pie on sale too which lasts a few days.
As a gluten free person, I can't have the frozen dinners and must make my own Thanksgiving meal...plus I don't say dinner because we eat so late in the day. Also not all turkeys are gluten free. Last year just to be different I made a ham, green pepper and pineapple sweet and sour sauce served over a bed of hot rice. My son loved it and we had it before Thanksgiving day , as he spent Thanksgiving with friends.
Just want to add...I'm gluten free because I have to be. I get really sick in more ways than one if I eat anything with gluten in it...and it stinks....but oh well...better than being sick.
Rebecca great video I enjoyed watching you and I love your honest review of the boxes meals. your truly amazing and honest and that is what I like. love you and the channel and I will always be watching.
So banquet and hungry man are both made by conagra foods so their ingredients should be pretty close if not identical to each other. Just a little production info for you 🙂 I think marie Callender is also a conagra produced brand as well
My son works at a gas station/convenience store, so he sometimes misses holiday meals with the family. His favorite thing to do is a Marie Callender's turkey pot pie.
watched this last night and needed to come back to say that this video is very thoughtful, especially for those who cannot afford to make thanksgiving dinners, those who don't have access to a kitchen, etc. keep up the great work:)
It is SO helpful to see these "dinners" scooped out onto a regular plate because it shows how unbalanced the portions are. Also, it's helpful to see why the more expensive "dinners" haven't seemed worth it to me before.
I live in a very small town. The local restaurant always has a Thanksgiving special before Thanksgiving. It's $12 and comes with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, potato salad, roll, and pie. Its all homemade. I do agree that those little Banquet meals are the best value and best tasting. All the others look better on the box.
I love watching your videos. I have limited funds for food... $291 a month and I'm trying to feed 3 adults on that. Your videos give me ideas on how to stretch things. I would love to see a video with you putting together a Thanksgiving meal with the banquet tray of turkey, a (possibly family size) pouch of Idahoan potato, a box of stuffing, a bag of frozen veg, and a dessert of sorts. Im thinking it would be u der $ 25 and possibly feed 2-4 people but I am curious as to the exact price and number of servings. I put together a meal plan idea using butterball lunch meat turkey, jarred gravy and the other items above because the lunch meat turkey is better quality than the trays we have available. It was just about $25. That is with a whole pound of turkey that would be heated in the gravy. Have a great week. From Central New York.
😊All these YTers have extreme budget Thanksgiving videos too: Southern Frugal Momma All Things Mandy Home Made Simple Meals With Maria Amy Way To Save SouthernWife EverydayLife Savvy Saute
What a great video, thank you so much for showing these frozen dinners, and your brutal honesty is very much appreciated. Thank you also for the time, care and attention to detail you've taken in explaining every detail about each dinner and the comparisons, it's very much appreciated. I'm going to stock up on a couple of the banquet ones on my next grocery trip. While these are great for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who doesn't have the time, money or means to make a full dinner, they would also be good for just a regular dinner anytime, especially during the winter months. Adding a pat of butter to the veggies and a little salt or maybe a small can of cranberry sauce on the side, would make them even better. It's so caring of you to show ways that anyone in any situation can have. a good Thanksgiving dinner, thank you so much again.
Man, when I was a full time college student and working nearly full-time, I lived off some of these meals. Stouffer's lasagnas and their mac and cheese were my favorites, but the turkey dinner options were decent too, iirc
Thank you for reviews of the meals. I thought the Marie Callendar one would be one of the better ones because their frozen pies are so good. Thanks for saving me the disappointment, lol. And yes, id love to see a follow up to this!
I think the hungry man and banquet have the same parent company. They used to have something called sandwich toppers that was basically meat and gravy frozen in a pouch that would be a good substitute for an affordable Thanksgiving dinner.
We used to devour the Hungry Man dinners when they had they cranberry sides. We'd add butter and salt to the sides and you couldn't tell us they weren't home made haha.
I love your videos and there are so many people that can’t have the big meals I’ve had and still make but I thank God for the free turkey or hams from my shop rite
I miss the frozen thanksgiving tonight casserole that was available at walmart in the 1990s. We don't have frozen turkey dinners in Sweden......In my single years i did frozen banquet turkey/gravy, stove top stuffing, baked sweet potato and frozen green bean casserole (single serving) and a store bought pie (full size of course).
Hungry man is my favorite out of all of them... this was fun... This is my first time watching you... Enjoyed the video alot... Yes I subscribe 😊😊😊 Look forward to more videos... You speak really well and clear, and not boring at all... Have a wonderful day!!!😊😊😊
In my mid to late 20s I used to eat that honey turkey Marie callender meal OFTEN! I absolutely loved it! I haven’t had it in years now but I bet it’s still delicious!
There was a sweet old man that lived across the street from me. The kids called him the gum man cause he gave them wrigleys gum a lot. He always sat on his porch and only interacted with them in public out in the open. I used to send my leftivers to him. He was really a nice man. He invited my daughter and me to dinner one night.. He had the table set and pulled out TV dinners from the oven. It was so sweet of him. Have never forgotten it.
ThankYou for sharing such a lovely story:)
You have a beautiful way with words.
One year when our kids were little, we lucked out an found a turkey for $5! I got instant potatoes, stuffing mix, gravy mix, cranberry sauce, veggies, and a pie. Came to about $20. I was so happy! Wish I could find a sale like that again!
Start looking now. Theres an overstock grocery in my area, minus the turkey i bet i could come close still.
Aldi has Butterball turkeys on sale this week for $1.29
Our local grocery stores all year let you earn rewards points everytime you shop and i save them to cash out for a free turkey or ham every thanksgiving xmas or easter. It helps alot. See if your local stores do these offers.
For a change this Thanksgiving, We are having pot roast, as it was on sale for 99 cents a pound, I bought three of them and it cost me about $12.00 for them , two are in the freezer for a later meal.
@@barbwall3678I saw that, but I had already bought, Pot roast from Thanksgiving, as it was 99 cents a pound.
When I was getting chemo I lived off of Banquet pot pies. The cheap little frozen ones. They were the only thing that tasted good to me and didn’t bother my stomach or the pain in my mouth (side effect of chemo). My family bought me Marie Calendar and Stouffers thinking they’d be better but honestly, the Banquets were my favorites. Now that I am in remission I still like them (although not for every meal) so I think that says a lot!
Glad you're in remission 😊
Congrats on remission!❤
@@wandamontgomery6030 thank you!
@@Anwelei thank you!
All the best to you, @mfarley252! One of my family members went through chemo recently and his go-to were two varieties of Campbell’s Chunky Soup! I hope you’re doing well ❤️
Nice, comprehensive review. As a senior citizen living alone I have a "one pot Thanksgiving dinner". I add 1 can of chicken and a small 8 oz. can of corn to 1 package of "Stove Top" cornbread stuffing. After cooking, serve it in a bowl and stir in some cranberry sauce. This makes 2 substantial bowls of "Thanksgiving dinner". This is under $10 total for 2 servings. It is also an easy clean up. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Always appreciate your family if you have one. 🫂❤️🦃🙏🕊
Happy thanksgiving ❤️❤️
Happy Thanksgiving❤❤
That's a great idea! I am going to try that!
That sounds good!
I'm in my early 70s, wife is late 60s. Our Thanksgiving dinner is sourced from our local food bank. We actually got a small turkey and various sides, stuffing and dessert. We're thankful just to be here in our own home. We both got punched in the face with covid in late 2021 and I had a near fatal accident day after Thanksgiving in 2019. So we have a lot to be thankful for. Frankly, we'd be happy with anything you have there. Thanks for the review.
Glad you’re okay❤
@@sophies.munchies Thanks, Sophie. We're doing well. We're fortunate to have good friends and neighbors.
"hold fast"! (1 Thess 5 :21)
"hold fast"! (1 Thess 5 :21)
@@WardDorrity If any of those friends or neighbors are by themselves on Thanksgiving like you are, you should all get together. That way it would be worth it to buy a turkey breast and make the sides and dessert.
I like how you plated each to show how LITTLE the portions really are in each packaged meal. Thank you.
yes very helpful!
Very enlightening. I agree with your taste testing. I now live with my daughter and eat mostly what I call tv dinners. The Turkey dinners are the worst.
I like to eat these type of meals on a plate also to show how small the meal is.. The reason for this is because I record myself eating it and then I send the video to poverish countries that receive a lot of humanitarian aid. The reason why I record myself eating and sending it to them is because they see how small my portion is on the plate and they won't feel so bad about their situation. Of course they don't realize that I eat about five or six consecutively. But I feel like I did my part. 😂
@@Got_Your_6😂😂😂😂😂
It's mind-boggling how much salt they fit into such small portions
Lean Cuisine has a glazed turkey tenderloins, mashed sweet potatoes, dressing and cranberry sauce. It is easily the best I have found.
I've tried those! Super delicious! Wished they could combine it. But I always nab the variation with the sweet potatoes
I really like that one. The sweet potato is really good in it.
I agree, the Lean Cuisine with the turkey tenderloins and mashed sweet potatoes is very good.
I've done pizza on Thanksgiving, it's really about the sentiment than it is about the dish. Thanks for your ideas!
It really is!
Amen! When my ma tired of Easter hams, she asked me to take over because she liked my pizzas and for a few years a new tradition was born. This year for Turkey Day I may make my first adventure into making/tasting the famous Kentucky Hot Brown.
I was born on Thanksgiving...and I hate Turkey. I went through most of my 20s not eating turkey on Thanksgiving. I am not a fanof following tradition for traditions sake. The Pilgrims ate turkey because the where large, everywhere, and so stupid they were easy to hunt.
I had an egg sandwich not to feed a man I was tossing out. I didn't have a deep freezer and had bought the meal so I cooked two sides at a time and we ate them like dinner for a long while after the fact. About 4 days later.
@@steveleavell114 "Stupid." Yup, it's the birds that are stupid and not the humans that destroy everything they touch. Almost anything is "easy" to murder if you have firearms. Also, we don't even know if they actually ate turkey. Deer, fish, and other fowl, probably, but not necessarily turkey.
I just wanted to come on here to say that I tried your dollar store dinner tips, and I cut our weekly grocery bill from $60-80 to just $33 for this weeks groceries! Going to do the stuffed bell pepper skillet dinner tonight!
Does anyone remember the "cranberry" dessert from the frozen meals of the 80/90s? So gooooood!
I do! Yum
YES!!! Swanson still had into the 2000s, both the regular and HungryMan dinners. IDK why they stopped offering that.
It’s now turned into an apple, cranberry compote. I think.
Oh yes… I had forgotten about them but yes they were good
Yes don't know why they got rid of it.
I'm not a regular consumer of frozen dinners but over the years I've had quite a few. Here's a tip that greatly improves flavor - when you open them to stir at the halfway point, put a bit of butter (not margarine) on the veggies and the potatoes. Makes a big difference.
I do this all the time! It really does help! Butter also helps out those microwave cups of Mac and cheese. Add a little bit before stirring.
I think it’s awesome of you to do a video like this. Not everyone can whip up a dinner for thanksgiving due to work or other things going on in their lives. Cheers!
Haven’t been to Trader Joe’s in the last week or two - but in the past they have everything in “sides”. They also have a great Turkey roll that is both white and dark meat AND filled with stuffing. We used it a couple times in the past when it was just my hubby and myself. Bought the roll, and a couple of sides. Perfect inexpensive and (Tj right). Tastes fantastic
I really do appreciate you doing a video like this for people who may not be able to have a large Thanksgiving dinner for what ever the reason may be. I myself am kinda fund of frozen meals simply because I'm not able to get in the kitchen and cook the way I would like to. You do have to doctor up these meals a bit by adding a little butter to the veggies and maybe a little black pepper, garlic powder or any other seasoning. I do tend to stay away from salt since they are so high in sodium. With the Marie Calendar meal, you do have to cook it a little longer than the instructions say in order to get those potatoes to thicken up. Sorry for the long comment, I love to talk and respond 😊!
Thank you for doing this one and I honestly love that you’re being “brutally honest” these people like Hungry Man makes you feel you get so much more and change your for getting more food. I always raised my daughter on a budget and we always had banquet meals in the freezer. Thank you again
My pleasure!! I agree hungry man is a little deceptive considering their marketing vs how much food you actually get, 380 calories isn’t enough for a full meal for an adult
@@DollarTreeDinners yes exactly and I still can’t get over the price and you’re not getting that much more food. I would’ve thought the plate would’ve been full. And the apple dessert was a joke 😂🤣😂🤣😂
Thanks so much, Rebecca. I've always liked the Banquet dinners. I've never tried any others, mostly because of the price. I really wanted the Marie Callender's to be the best. Her chicken pot pie is absolutely delicious! I'm really disappointed. I'm also surprised at the Stouffer's. Guess I'll stick with Banquet. Old fashioned, tried and true! 🥰
Thank you for this review. Spot on! I so appreciate how compassionate and respectful you are of those that are struggling.
I prepare Thanksgiving dinner for my family + DIL's. But I really enjoyed your review. I also how you point out those options are going to be Thanksgiving dinner for some people. I felt when you said you are not being ungrateful. I personally don't have to eat these meals anymore but there was a time when I did and had to get them for my family. This video is thoughtful, well communicated and very heartfelt. I appreciate you! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Check to see if the same company makes the Banquet and Hungry Man dinners. They do this a lot in factories that make these meals. I used to work in a frozen food factory. They just change the labels. Of course, they had different veggies, but it's still possible.
They are from the same company, ConAgra Foods.
@@Leopardivy I thought they were. At one time, when I was young, they were referred to as Banquet Hungry Man dinners
Marie Callendar's is also Conagra.
They do.
HungryMan was part of Swanson, not Banquet. Both subsidiaries are now part of ConAgra.
We had Stouffers Turkey with stuffing and mashed for our Thanksgiving meal for two years now. It was good we added cranberry sauce. It is just the two of us now and this works for us. The stuffing was good too its a matter of your taste buds . Some might hate it while others love it.
Yes I want to see more ideas for thanksgiving dinner for 1 to 2 people. Thank you so much. This was a great idea. I haven't tried all of those so I found this review very helpful. I have done the gravy and turkey, stove top stuffing and instant potatoes along with a vegetable of my choice and dessert. I've done that many times. I enjoy doing that because I always love the Thanksgiving leftovers. I also add rolls. Freezer rolls work great because you can just make what you want and save the rest for later.
Just FYIfor your turkey for two go to deli and get extra thick sliced turkey and cook. Will not take as long, 1-2 sweet potatoes, frozen corn, fresh carrots, just really small portions.
Ok, I had to laugh when you were trying to get the mashed potatoes out of the peas on the Banquet meal. I thought all foods were supposed to touch on Thanksgiving. At least in my family, the plates are a mile high and EVERYTHING touches everything! Looking forward to your DT Thanksgiving dinner video this year. Have a great week!
You too! Hope I do ya proud!
@@DollarTreeDinners you always do!
Mix the peas WITH the mashed potatoes lol that's my favorite
Yuck, LOL... I don't like peas either!
🤣🤣🤣
Love your honest review! For someone missing the ol' school youtube video feel and looking for the best budget items when it comes to food, this video is a win win!
I’m binge watching your videos! I love your content. You are respectful and genuine.
Thks.for being honest and sharing because alot times I'm on my own for Thanksgiving and these frozen dinners work for me.
You are helping so many people! I've recommended your channel in reddit frugal subs. Keep up the good work! ❤
Thank you! Will do!
You’re certainly up and running with November, and I’m very thankful for this new video you’ve posted. Looks like another classic!
Roasted Turkey from Marie Callender goes hard and has no business being as good as it does. Lot of their meals are just very good, especially their pot pies. I would recommend for everyone to please please use the oven. Microwave does not do these justice.
Thank you so much for doing this! Some of us can't stand for long so microwaving is very important. You are so kind to do these!
I definitely have a weak spot for the frozen dinners. Thanks for sharing 😅
You are so welcome!
I love so much you do things like this. I grew up with having frozen dinners here and there (never for Thanksgiving personally). But I have always liked "Banquet" meals and I didn't know if it was because it was it reminds me of childhood...but even today I like the "Banquet Turkey Dinner". I am guessing Swanson no longer has frozen dinners, because their turkey dinner was my fav
Hungry Man is Swanson
I would like to see a $20 Thanksgiving Dinner that uses the regular oven, because I have the smallest kitchen you ever saw, and I don't even have room for a microwave. But I do have a small stove. Thanks for your work!
YES! Please make a Thanksgiving dinner for around $20.
I’ve been craving a thanksgiving restaurant style dinner, like when they do turkey and gravy open faced sandwiches, it sounds so good. I think after watching this I’d just make my own. I’m not shocked I used to always like the banquet dinners lol. You could always buy the banquet dinner and dollar tree apple pie filling.
A hot, open-faced turkey sandwiches from a diner is one of my top contenders for a final meal. We order thick-cut or table-cut store-roasted turkey breast at the grocery store if we want this at home. Love it!
I fell like 2 banquet dinners would be the best option. I also believe that Hungry Man is made by banquet.
HungryMan was part of Swanson, not Banquet. Both subsidiaries are now part of ConAgra, though.
I ate so many of those exact same banquet dinners when I was in college.
Ok sis. Now you know we need to see your version of Thanksgiving! I love your honesty though. ❤
you are the sweetest ! I love that you pull NO punches and tell it like it is ~ with money so tight for most everyone these days it helps to know what NOT to waste your money on !!! who would have thought the cheapest would be the best out of all of them ? Drives me crazy as well when the turkey stuffing potato and gravy are all just lumped together love your sense of humor too ~ thanks for all you do 🥰
We appreciate your honesty. You are trying to help and to educate us as to cost, value and benefit. Thank you.
Thank you for your honesty.
The "meal" with all that stuffing, wow! 😄😄
Absolutely LOVE stuffing… my favorite of any holiday meal! Just wish there were a larger portion in the frozen entrees. I’d forgo the turkey for more stuffing and gravy. Paired with creamy mashed potatoes & buttered peas (yes, love peas too)… YUMMY!😋
I’ve always been curious about these when I see them in stores but have been hesitant to try them so thanks for the reviews!
You are so welcome!
If u add a little bit of butter and pepper to any tv dinner mashed potatoes it greatly improves the taste
I used to buy deli turkey, thick sliced. Place a slice of bread, gravy, turkey, bagged mashed potatoes, frozen veggies. My kids throughout the year always asked for turkey dinner. It was an easy dinner n everything can be microwaved for those who don’t have a stovetop. They even sell a prepared frozen turkey breast roll that can be defrosted, sliced and microwaved instead of the deli turkey.
I remember back in the day when Marie Callendars was very good. But they went down hill fast. Stouffers used to be great too, but they have cheaped out on their ingredients especially their mac n cheese, which used to be my all time favorite. I gave up on frozen meals years ago because they just aren't worth the price. Just imagine if these frozen meals were actually what they look like on their boxes. The only veggie I don't like is green beans, and I LOVE fresh and frozen petite peas :) Hot with butter and salt and pepper. Yummmm! Thanks for the reviews. You always do such a great job on your videos 🍃🍂🍁Happy Fall🍃🍂🍃🍂🍁
Agree with you on the Mac and Cheese. Stouffers definitely changed the recipe. Not what I grew up on.👎👎
i bought stofers classic french bread pizza and think they skimping on the cheese as i didnt burn the roof of my mouth 😂
@@BrianK-zz4fk I remember those days. 😆😆
Im a simple man and I like people who does reviews on stuff like this.
Nice.
i always thought that banquet and hungryman were the same company, so maybe that is why. i was thinking banquet came out with hungryman, but i could be wrong. i would love to see a $20 budget thanksgiving meal. i know you can do it. you have done so great on your budget meals.
You were close. HungryMan was part of Swanson. For years, they were called Swanson HungryMan dinners. Banquet was a separate brand entirely. Both Banquet and Swanson are now owned by ConAgra, though.
Banquet, Hungry Man and Marie Callendar are all Conagra brands. I wouldn't be surprised if they came off the same assembly line. Stouffer's is a Nestle brand. Just throwing that out there. I enjoy your videos. Straight forward, honest approach.
honestly, it hurts my heart that anyone would have to have a microwave dinner on thanksgiving! But, with that being said, it is great that you are being a guinea pig and trying some out for us! I used to eat microwave dinners all the time for dinner at work. I was just trying to think of what my husband and I could do this year. He has had a double knee replacement and he usually smokes our turkey! so....time to rethink strategy! thanks so much rebecca for sharing! xoxo
I worked nights for a few years, and one year on Thanksgiving my coworker and I decided we’d do an all microwave thanksgiving. It’s been nearly 14 years so I don’t quite remember what we found In stores but we enjoyed everything thoroughly. It was one of the cutest holiday dinners I’ve ever had. Plus very little clean up after since we were always exhausted working nights.
Hungry man meals are $3.74 here in Cali at Walmart. I can’t imagine paying over $5 for one. Awesome vid!
Both Banquet and Hungry-Man are owned by the same parent company, Conagra Brands, so I guess it's not surprising they taste very similar!
I ate a lot of TV dinners for Thanksgiving and Christmas after my daughter was grown. Now I have to cook for my brothers since they moved in with me. Lol
I think the reason you see the similarities between the banquet and Hungry Man is because they come from the same subsidiary company Conagra Brands
I had a feeling they had the same parent company
@@DollarTreeDinnersmix some of the too-salty stuffing with the mashed potatoes. Mush up the peas into the potatoes so you can't see them as much. Add some gravy to the potatoes til they're how you like them.
This is great to see just because some people don't have a family for the holidays, or they have to work, and now they know maybe what to look for.
I love that you compared similar frozen meals! Interesting that the cheapest turned out to be the best overall. The more expensive ones just disappointed me, and I didn't even taste them.
Ty for assessing these frozen dinners. Much appreciated especially when everything has skyrocketed in price. So appreciate ur taking the time. I will probably buy one of these for Christmas. God bless u and have a blessed Christmas.
For the price of 2x dinners you can get a Subway Footlong. Subway in my area was always open on Thanksgiving.
Oh, also i really love instant potatoes made with lots of butter (more than the instructions say) and stovetop stuffing. I just do all the sides and skip the turkey. And i can usually find a cheap but tasty dessert. Yes, please share a twenty dollar two meal Thanksgiving dinner. You probably did it last year, but with inflation this year, things are more expensive.
I always buy items for very busy days when I just don't have enough time to make dinner from scratch, but still want flavor. Today I was passing by Dollar Tree, and picked up a couple of the refrigerated John Morrell smoked sausage, based on your recommendation. Based on this review, I'll also pick up a couple of the frozen Banquet Turkey dinner the next time I'm at a grocery store. At $1.99 (my local store here in Massachusetts has them at that price). Honest reviews like these go far and wide. I don't eat frozen microwave food very often, but when I do, it's nice to have an honest recommendation. Thanks.
Definitely would love to see a better microwave dinner for 20 bucks. I think you could do it!
I think we definitely can!
@@DollarTreeDinners- They beat me to it, but yeah I'd like to see what you'd come up with for a Microwave Thanksgiving Dinner.
As stated... yes please. You come up with some really awesome "recipes"... (I love that you also show us the fails!)
Lean Cuisine has a good turkey with sweet potatoes
I actually lowkey love the hungry man dinners.
I agree, for the price per amount, the Banquet offered the most protein. Thanks Rebecca 😊
Thanks Rebecca for doing this.I'm really surprised at the Stoffers, a friend of mine loved their products and to have an unbiased opinion,yours, is great ! I don't want to buy/spend the money on something that you gave a low rating on, especially taste wise.If it didn't taste all that great I don't want to spend the money on it and not like it, that would be just a waste!
Anyways, Y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it in the U.S.,(In Canada they already did a few weeks ago)Have a great day !
Happy Thanksgiving and great review. I adore the plating, very unique.
Banquet turkey meal is in my top 10 favorite any kind of meal, home cooked or microwave. I just love it
Just a warning:
I actually really like banquet dinners, especially the turkey dinner and the backyard bbq meal. I also like to keep around a tray of frozen turkey for hot turkey sandwiches for a no-cook dinner of open faced sandwiches when I have leftover mashed potatoes. I usually buy the On-Cor brand bc it's cheaper, but I decided to "splurge" last time and get the banquet family size turkey and gravy.
It was AWFUL. There were about 9 TINY disks of turkey, and it tasted like NOTHING. All the turkey slices cupped up like little bowls and some of the centers got hard. There were a ton of spots of unchewable gristle too.
TL;DR:
Don't waste your money on the family size Banquet turkey.
Sometimes I get sliced turkey from the deli, envelope of turkey gravy a package of instant potatoes a can of cranberry sauce and a vegetable.
Have you thought about cooking the hungry man turkey dinner then repurposing the turkey stuffing potatoes and gravy and putting them in a egg roll wrapper - not sure if dollar tree has them and deep frying them as a spin on turkey pot pie?
I did want to do a gobbler thanksgiving bowl, didn’t think about egg rolls though
Getting just turkey and gravy, with package of stuffing -adding craisins, and instant potatoes and small can of cranberry sauce, and maybe yams would work well. That is what I do many years with a little left over for a day or two. Always smaller pie on sale too which lasts a few days.
The extra stuffing instead of extra mashed potatoes was a nice touch
As a gluten free person, I can't have the frozen dinners and must make my own Thanksgiving meal...plus I don't say dinner because we eat so late in the day. Also not all turkeys are gluten free. Last year just to be different I made a ham, green pepper and pineapple sweet and sour sauce served over a bed of hot rice. My son loved it and we had it before Thanksgiving day , as he spent Thanksgiving with friends.
Just want to add...I'm gluten free because I have to be. I get really sick in more ways than one if I eat anything with gluten in it...and it stinks....but oh well...better than being sick.
That sounds so good
Rebecca great video I enjoyed watching you and I love your honest review of the boxes meals. your truly amazing and honest and that is what I like. love you and the channel and I will always be watching.
The Hungry Man dinners are cooked in the oven to be at their best.
So banquet and hungry man are both made by conagra foods so their ingredients should be pretty close if not identical to each other. Just a little production info for you 🙂 I think marie Callender is also a conagra produced brand as well
My son works at a gas station/convenience store, so he sometimes misses holiday meals with the family. His favorite thing to do is a Marie Callender's turkey pot pie.
watched this last night and needed to come back to say that this video is very thoughtful, especially for those who cannot afford to make thanksgiving dinners, those who don't have access to a kitchen, etc. keep up the great work:)
Your so right about buying 2 of Marie's dinners.
I really hope dollar general sponsor your videos. You are awesome with their food items. Thank you for sharing.
It is SO helpful to see these "dinners" scooped out onto a regular plate because it shows how unbalanced the portions are. Also, it's helpful to see why the more expensive "dinners" haven't seemed worth it to me before.
Hungry man is basically a slightly bigger Banquet dinner with dessert for a lot more money
I live in a very small town. The local restaurant always has a Thanksgiving special before Thanksgiving. It's $12 and comes with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, potato salad, roll, and pie. Its all homemade. I do agree that those little Banquet meals are the best value and best tasting. All the others look better on the box.
I love watching your videos. I have limited funds for food... $291 a month and I'm trying to feed 3 adults on that. Your videos give me ideas on how to stretch things. I would love to see a video with you putting together a Thanksgiving meal with the banquet tray of turkey, a (possibly family size) pouch of Idahoan potato, a box of stuffing, a bag of frozen veg, and a dessert of sorts. Im thinking it would be u der $ 25 and possibly feed 2-4 people but I am curious as to the exact price and number of servings. I put together a meal plan idea using butterball lunch meat turkey, jarred gravy and the other items above because the lunch meat turkey is better quality than the trays we have available. It was just about $25. That is with a whole pound of turkey that would be heated in the gravy. Have a great week. From Central New York.
There are a couple of other women who do good videos on how to save money. One of them is Ardent Michelle and southern frugal mom and that Lisa dawn.
😊All these YTers have extreme budget Thanksgiving videos too:
Southern Frugal Momma
All Things Mandy
Home Made Simple
Meals With Maria
Amy Way To Save
SouthernWife EverydayLife
Savvy Saute
@@Fdt172 thank you that is very helpful. I will check them out.
@@barbarawalker3366 ,thank you for the suggestions. I will check them out .
What a great video, thank you so much for showing these frozen dinners, and your brutal honesty is very much appreciated. Thank you also for the time, care and attention to detail you've taken in explaining every detail about each dinner and the comparisons, it's very much appreciated. I'm going to stock up on a couple of the banquet ones on my next grocery trip. While these are great for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who doesn't have the time, money or means to make a full dinner, they would also be good for just a regular dinner anytime, especially during the winter months. Adding a pat of butter to the veggies and a little salt or maybe a small can of cranberry sauce on the side, would make them even better. It's so caring of you to show ways that anyone in any situation can have. a good Thanksgiving dinner, thank you so much again.
yes, yes, yes,.... do a dollar tree thanksgiving dinner video 😁😁
Years ago, my hubby and I bought loads of frozen dinners because I worked a lot of overtime in those days. We found BANQUET to be the best value.
Man, when I was a full time college student and working nearly full-time, I lived off some of these meals. Stouffer's lasagnas and their mac and cheese were my favorites, but the turkey dinner options were decent too, iirc
Thank you for reviews of the meals. I thought the Marie Callendar one would be one of the better ones because their frozen pies are so good. Thanks for saving me the disappointment, lol. And yes, id love to see a follow up to this!
I think the hungry man and banquet have the same parent company. They used to have something called sandwich toppers that was basically meat and gravy frozen in a pouch that would be a good substitute for an affordable Thanksgiving dinner.
We used to devour the Hungry Man dinners when they had they cranberry sides. We'd add butter and salt to the sides and you couldn't tell us they weren't home made haha.
I love your videos and there are so many people that can’t have the big meals I’ve had and still make but I thank God for the free turkey or hams from my shop rite
I miss the frozen thanksgiving tonight casserole that was available at walmart in the 1990s. We don't have frozen turkey dinners in Sweden......In my single years i did frozen banquet turkey/gravy, stove top stuffing, baked sweet potato and frozen green bean casserole (single serving) and a store bought pie (full size of course).
Hungry man is my favorite out of all of them... this was fun... This is my first time watching you... Enjoyed the video alot... Yes I subscribe 😊😊😊 Look forward to more videos... You speak really well and clear, and not boring at all... Have a wonderful day!!!😊😊😊
Thank you so much for this video. My family is on a major budget this year so this was very useful. Subscribed! :D
In my mid to late 20s I used to eat that honey turkey Marie callender meal OFTEN! I absolutely loved it! I haven’t had it in years now but I bet it’s still delicious!
Frozen Thanksgiving dinners are a great idea especially for people who are challenged cooks.
Love the hungry man turkey dinner ever since I was a kid. Not only nostalgic but very tasty. Will eat it again after my real turkey dinner lol
when my dad had dementia the banquet meal was one of the few things we could get him to eat,