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This year, the big question for Thanksgiving is not about how to make the gravy, keep the turkey moist or whether to serve yams or mashed potatoes with dinner, but whether dinner is going to be cooked at all. According to some food researchers, "Everyone wants to know: How do I get out of this and still make it seem homemade?" Their solution is to order the whole dinner in.

It's a sad thought for those of us who enjoy cooking in general or at least enjoy cooking for a special event with friends and family. Last year, 5 percent of consumers in the US ordered Thanksgiving to-go, and this year more than 6 percent are expected to do so. They order from local upscale restaurants or natural food grocery stores, if they're looking for organic or free-range birds. Some order the whole meal online and have it shipped to them. Others opt for make and take meal assembly stores or even local fast food places. And about 20 percent of all those who order in try to take credit for the meal.

Is it really so difficult to cook something yourself, especially considering there are so many resources to help? I know that there are at least a couple of people in my own family (who shall remain nameless) who really prefer to buy the dinner, not make it, if anyone will be heading to their house. Do you prefer to do Thanksgiving it this way, or do you stick with tradition?

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Health magazine put together their list of what they considered to be the "best foods for busy women." What they clearly meant to say was the "best pre-packaged meals/snacks for busy women". There isn't anything necessarily wrong with this sort of meal, but I would hardly go so far as to say it is the "best," since my definition of "best" does not generally include a lot of shelf-stable pre-packaged meals. Nevertheless, here are their picks:

Breakfast
South Beach Diet Denver-Style Breakfast Wrap
Post Raisin Bran Cereal Bars

Lunch
Starkist Albacore Lemon & Cracked Pepper Tuna Fillet
Thai Kitchen Thai Peanut Noodle Car

Dinner
Lean Cuisine Dinnertime Selections Chicken Portobello
Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Whole Grain Brown

Snack
Kettle Brand Bakes Hickory Honey BBQ

Dessert
Edy's/Dreyer's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream French Silk
100 Percent Whole Grain Chips Ahoy! Cookies

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