The Art of Holiday Preparation: A Personal Shopping Experience

I'm a little scared because I've never made it before but she uses lemons in that recipe cucumber I make pasta salad here's another onion and then I got a bunch of russet potatoes to make home made mashed potatoes. This is going to be my first time making homemade mashed potatoes, and I'm excited to learn how to do it the right way.

As I began shopping for ingredients, I thought about what dishes I wanted to make during the holiday season. My daughter loves pasta salad, so I picked up some lemons, cucumbers, onions, and other vegetables to make a delicious recipe. In addition to that, I got a bunch of russet potatoes to make homemade mashed potatoes. These are going to be a staple in my household for years to come.

Next on my list was the turkey. I wanted to ensure that it cooked perfectly, so I purchased a meat thermometer to use while it's cooking. This way, I can guarantee that the turkey is cooked to perfection and safe to eat. With the turkey taken care of, I moved on to other ingredients for side dishes.

One of my favorite recipes is for Cajun chicken pasta, which requires heavy whipping cream. I picked up some yogurt as well, since it's a staple in many of my daughter's favorite recipes. Another must-have ingredient was ham, which I used for the ham and cheese croissants that are always a hit with my kids.

As I continued shopping, I thought about other holiday treats that I wanted to make. Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite of mine, so I picked up some ingredients for those as well. Texas toast is also a staple in our household during the holidays, and I grabbed some bread to serve alongside pasta dishes.

Now, let's talk about breakfast. My kids love waffles, especially when topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream. And what's Thanksgiving without pie? I picked up two types of pie from my favorite bakery: Mrs. Smith's apple pie and cherry pie (although they were out of stock!).

In addition to the food and drinks, I also grabbed some snacks that are perfect for kids' parties. Soda is always a hit with this age group, so I stocked up on Coke, Sprite, and ginger ale. Orange juice and milk are also staples in our household, so I picked those up as well.

As I continued shopping, I remembered that my niece was coming over to visit. She loves cookies, especially the ones from Nutter Butters, so I grabbed a few packets of those for her. Pop-Tarts are another favorite snack of hers, and I picked up a few boxes of those as well.

The rest of my haul included some other snacks like doughnuts, BBQ chips, Pirate's Booty chips, ranch Doritos, and individual packets of fudge stripes. These are perfect for grabbing on the go or enjoying as a quick snack.

Laundry detergent was also on my list. I know it might not be the most exciting item to buy, but having clean clothes is essential during the holiday season when we have guests coming over. And speaking of cleaning supplies, I grabbed some hair clog remover to try out for myself (although I'm sure my pipes won't appreciate it!).

Finally, I picked up some other essentials like biscuits, nutrigain grain bars, and Pace picante sauce salsa. These are perfect for adding a little extra flavor to our meals. I also got creamy chicken flavor right sides, which is always a hit with my kids. And since we love waffles so much, I grabbed some syrup to go along with them.

As I finished shopping, I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that I had everything I needed for the holiday season. The pantry was stocked with all sorts of ingredients and snacks, and the fridge and freezer were filled with delicious treats. It's always a challenge to plan meals and buy groceries in advance, but it makes the cooking process so much easier.

One of the things I love most about this shopping experience is how organized it has become over the years. I use bins and baskets to keep everything tidy and accessible. This system has worked so well for me that I'm now sharing it with others through videos like this one. From cereal to canned goods, every item has its own designated place.

Now that I've finished shopping and organizing my pantry, I can start thinking about the cooking process itself. It's time to get started on those homemade mashed potatoes and Cajun chicken pasta dishes!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI did not think that I would ever be this excited for a grocery haul but this one's just a little bit more special than usual the items aren't special it's really the reason for all of it and that's because my daughter's gonna be coming home for Thanksgiving break so for those of you that are new she is at college her first year and so this will be you know her first time I guess coming home for Thanksgiving because the force has always just looked here so I wanted to make sure I just kind of stocked up on some of you know some snacks things that I haven't been keeping while she's been gone also I planned out the dinners that I'm gonna make while she's here as well besides obviously Thanksgiving which I already bought my turkey but I did have to buy other things that I'm gonna be making for Thanksgiving just potatoes and rolls and mac and cheese and things like that and of course pies but anyway um so you're just gonna see a variety of things now if you are just very health conscious and yeah this might not be the grocery haul you want to watch I do have a mixture of you know fruits and vegetables but I also have things like Oreos and a ton of chips so anyway I'm gonna go ahead and dive in and show you guys what I got we're gonna make it quick because then I'm actually going to stock the pantry and there's actually a video on how I redid the entire pantry pantry using Dollar Tree products I love it it's still very functional system for me it has worked has kept me organized and I just don't think I could ever do without it now so without further ado let me show you everything that I got some a couple of random things but I got some hand towels as I was cleaning her room in her bathroom I realized she really didn't have any so I got her a couple of those I got a couple of my favorite yogurts these are the Chobani strawberry banana drinkables she loves the ham egg and cheese croissant which I think there's a video that I've done on how to so I got the croissants for that I got the Pringles chips I'd like to get a variety of chips because she brings a lot of her friends over makeup wipes and I need a deodorant so I got that I don't think that she'll bring like home like her shampoo and stuff and she didn't have any upstairs so I got her the shampoo and conditioner it's the Dove kind it is the daily moisture and I also got bananas and then I have a variety of vegetable products I have Tomatoes I'm going to be making my cajun chicken pasta which is also a recipe that I put up not too long ago I'll try to link all these things down below I don't know why they gave it to me like this I like them in the bags but green bell pepper I got two lemons and onion so this year I'm actually changing my turkey recipe I'm actually gonna follow a natasha's kitchen turkey recipe and I'm a little scared because I've never made it before but she uses lemons in that recipe cucumber I make pasta salad here's another onion and then I got a bunch of russet potatoes to make home made mashed potatoes and I got the elf sandwich cookies I had to get any other meat thermometer so that I could put this into the turkey while it's cooking so that I make sure that I am bringing it to be proper to be sure I got another couple of little things of yoghurt I don't buy yogurt in mass quantity just because we don't go through it that fast and my daughter loves these so I just got some those heavy whipping cream for that cajun chicken pasta this is the ham I use for the ham and cheese croissants I also got some mild cheddar cheese for my sandwiches chocolate chip cookies I love just randomly at night baking these and then giving my daughter some cookies it Texas toast because I'm gonna make just like a pasta night and we'll have a slice of toast with pout and garlic toast she loves waffles and this is my favorite kind of pie I get it every year and it's the mrs. Smith apple pie I also ordered a cherry pie but they were out of stock so I didn't get that item and now we're gonna go down the line of all this stuff I got a ton of soda because the kids come over and it's like the one thing that they always grab so I got coke and sprite and my ginger ale and I like to get it sprite and coke just because it distracts them from grabbing my ginger ale which is my choice soda I also got orange juice and milk I got these chewy yogurt bars and these are actually really good I got these for myself actually and they come in strawberry and blueberry and pop-tarts I needed some more of my coffee I drink the doughnuts originals BBQ chips some Pirate's Booty chips and then ranch doritos and i also got these cookies and like individual packets the fudge stripes and then the chips Deluxe they're kind of like immanent type cookies so I got those here are the Double Stuf Oreos and sour cream chips these are for me I love Nutter butters I caved but also my niece is coming over and she loves these too and then I got some gushers and some bread for my sandwiches I also got laundry detergent I got homestyle like the instant mashed potatoes these are just gonna be for the dinners that we make before Thanksgiving I'm making the homemade ones and then I got this hair clog remover I know what this stuff is probably bad for the pipes but I'm gonna give this a go because I can't seem to yeah that so there's that and then I got the bigger fudge stripe cookies that I got my cookies that's a cookie haul right I got these biscuits these are delicious with coffee those are mine the nutrigain grain bars and strawberry some pace picante sauce salsa and mild I got some of these right sides and I got creamy chicken flavor which I always get and then chicken flavor fried rice I've never tried the fried rice somebody get that ago and more chips we've got those for the salsa the kettle cooked barbecue and then the Sun Chips the garden salsa kinds and I got some marinara sauce because I'm gonna make pasta with the garlic bread I got some syrup for the waffles and then this I believe this is parsley is this parsley there's a wasp stuck in this house some parsley for the turkey because that's what Natasha uses in her recipe more bell peppers I got some green beans some asparagus and then I got two things of meat I got chicken strips and then I believe this is chicken breast you all right so I am done getting everything put up into their bins again I've already done an organization where I put together all these items from the Dollar Tree so I will link that video down below but that's how the system has been working I've been using it ever since that video which I think was a year and a half two years ago ish and it just works keep the chips down there we keep other things here like rice and mashed potatoes and muffin mix all the bars random little snacks pop-tarts things like that usually this section right here is actually reserved for a cereal but I forgot to get some that's fine and then up here I just have all the random cooking stuff all of my canned goods this needs to go where my coffee goes and then all the pastas are in these bins but I already had all of that so I didn't need to get any and then there's still a bunch of trail mix those are still good and then I stacked all of the cookies down there anyway that's it for this video thank you so much for watching and I will see you guys next time Happy ThanksgivingI did not think that I would ever be this excited for a grocery haul but this one's just a little bit more special than usual the items aren't special it's really the reason for all of it and that's because my daughter's gonna be coming home for Thanksgiving break so for those of you that are new she is at college her first year and so this will be you know her first time I guess coming home for Thanksgiving because the force has always just looked here so I wanted to make sure I just kind of stocked up on some of you know some snacks things that I haven't been keeping while she's been gone also I planned out the dinners that I'm gonna make while she's here as well besides obviously Thanksgiving which I already bought my turkey but I did have to buy other things that I'm gonna be making for Thanksgiving just potatoes and rolls and mac and cheese and things like that and of course pies but anyway um so you're just gonna see a variety of things now if you are just very health conscious and yeah this might not be the grocery haul you want to watch I do have a mixture of you know fruits and vegetables but I also have things like Oreos and a ton of chips so anyway I'm gonna go ahead and dive in and show you guys what I got we're gonna make it quick because then I'm actually going to stock the pantry and there's actually a video on how I redid the entire pantry pantry using Dollar Tree products I love it it's still very functional system for me it has worked has kept me organized and I just don't think I could ever do without it now so without further ado let me show you everything that I got some a couple of random things but I got some hand towels as I was cleaning her room in her bathroom I realized she really didn't have any so I got her a couple of those I got a couple of my favorite yogurts these are the Chobani strawberry banana drinkables she loves the ham egg and cheese croissant which I think there's a video that I've done on how to so I got the croissants for that I got the Pringles chips I'd like to get a variety of chips because she brings a lot of her friends over makeup wipes and I need a deodorant so I got that I don't think that she'll bring like home like her shampoo and stuff and she didn't have any upstairs so I got her the shampoo and conditioner it's the Dove kind it is the daily moisture and I also got bananas and then I have a variety of vegetable products I have Tomatoes I'm going to be making my cajun chicken pasta which is also a recipe that I put up not too long ago I'll try to link all these things down below I don't know why they gave it to me like this I like them in the bags but green bell pepper I got two lemons and onion so this year I'm actually changing my turkey recipe I'm actually gonna follow a natasha's kitchen turkey recipe and I'm a little scared because I've never made it before but she uses lemons in that recipe cucumber I make pasta salad here's another onion and then I got a bunch of russet potatoes to make home made mashed potatoes and I got the elf sandwich cookies I had to get any other meat thermometer so that I could put this into the turkey while it's cooking so that I make sure that I am bringing it to be proper to be sure I got another couple of little things of yoghurt I don't buy yogurt in mass quantity just because we don't go through it that fast and my daughter loves these so I just got some those heavy whipping cream for that cajun chicken pasta this is the ham I use for the ham and cheese croissants I also got some mild cheddar cheese for my sandwiches chocolate chip cookies I love just randomly at night baking these and then giving my daughter some cookies it Texas toast because I'm gonna make just like a pasta night and we'll have a slice of toast with pout and garlic toast she loves waffles and this is my favorite kind of pie I get it every year and it's the mrs. Smith apple pie I also ordered a cherry pie but they were out of stock so I didn't get that item and now we're gonna go down the line of all this stuff I got a ton of soda because the kids come over and it's like the one thing that they always grab so I got coke and sprite and my ginger ale and I like to get it sprite and coke just because it distracts them from grabbing my ginger ale which is my choice soda I also got orange juice and milk I got these chewy yogurt bars and these are actually really good I got these for myself actually and they come in strawberry and blueberry and pop-tarts I needed some more of my coffee I drink the doughnuts originals BBQ chips some Pirate's Booty chips and then ranch doritos and i also got these cookies and like individual packets the fudge stripes and then the chips Deluxe they're kind of like immanent type cookies so I got those here are the Double Stuf Oreos and sour cream chips these are for me I love Nutter butters I caved but also my niece is coming over and she loves these too and then I got some gushers and some bread for my sandwiches I also got laundry detergent I got homestyle like the instant mashed potatoes these are just gonna be for the dinners that we make before Thanksgiving I'm making the homemade ones and then I got this hair clog remover I know what this stuff is probably bad for the pipes but I'm gonna give this a go because I can't seem to yeah that so there's that and then I got the bigger fudge stripe cookies that I got my cookies that's a cookie haul right I got these biscuits these are delicious with coffee those are mine the nutrigain grain bars and strawberry some pace picante sauce salsa and mild I got some of these right sides and I got creamy chicken flavor which I always get and then chicken flavor fried rice I've never tried the fried rice somebody get that ago and more chips we've got those for the salsa the kettle cooked barbecue and then the Sun Chips the garden salsa kinds and I got some marinara sauce because I'm gonna make pasta with the garlic bread I got some syrup for the waffles and then this I believe this is parsley is this parsley there's a wasp stuck in this house some parsley for the turkey because that's what Natasha uses in her recipe more bell peppers I got some green beans some asparagus and then I got two things of meat I got chicken strips and then I believe this is chicken breast you all right so I am done getting everything put up into their bins again I've already done an organization where I put together all these items from the Dollar Tree so I will link that video down below but that's how the system has been working I've been using it ever since that video which I think was a year and a half two years ago ish and it just works keep the chips down there we keep other things here like rice and mashed potatoes and muffin mix all the bars random little snacks pop-tarts things like that usually this section right here is actually reserved for a cereal but I forgot to get some that's fine and then up here I just have all the random cooking stuff all of my canned goods this needs to go where my coffee goes and then all the pastas are in these bins but I already had all of that so I didn't need to get any and then there's still a bunch of trail mix those are still good and then I stacked all of the cookies down there anyway that's it for this video thank you so much for watching and I will see you guys next time Happy Thanksgiving\n"