I CAN.NOT believe Christmas is just 2 days away. And for us, really, the celebrations begin tomorrow. Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) is the day that we all get together and have our family get-together and big dinner. Good food, sharing memories from when my brothers and I were young, and creating new memories for my baby girl. I get to spend this time with my husband, daughter, and my parents. I love it.

I’ve never really taken count as to how much money goes into creating a meal for so many people. Even when I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house last year, I didn’t keep track; I just bought what I needed. But, I know that it can quickly add up. This year, I’m watching our money more closely and plan to do this even more so as 2010 comes around. One thing I’m doing to save money this year is buying presents for only the children in our family. The adults have agreed to this and it works out great for everyone, since it can be hard to find presents for grown-ups who already have a lot of things, anyway.

How can you save money with your holiday cooking? Well, Walmart is providing tips for cooking a Christmas Dinner for Eight for $30 as well as a New Year’s Party for Ten under $40. The Walmart Holiday Meals site has recipes from Food Network chef Aarón Sánchez with tips on how to create an affordable meal. The $30 Christmas meal for eight starts with the following ingredients:

• One 10-pound spiral cut half-ham
• Three 8-ounce cans Del Monte Green Beans
• One 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes
• One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
• One 10 inch Pumpkin Pie

Aarón then takes these ingredients and spices them up to create dishes like Ham with Mango Jalapeño Glaze, Chipotle Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Green Bean & Mushroom Picadillo. He does the same for the $40 New Year’s Party meal and even spices up Egg Nog to create a Coquito-like drink.

Want your chance to shop Walmart and create an affordable meal? Even if not in time for the holidays, you can always appreciate saving money when cooking.

Giveaway

We’re going to do a super-quick giveaway due to the time crunch. Two of you will win a $30 Walmart gift card.

How to Enter

If you’d like to enter this contest for a $30 Walmart gift card, leave a comment below sharing your own favorite holiday memory or your money-saving tips. (mandatory entry)

For extra entries:

1. Tweet about this contest with a link back to this post and include @modernmami in your tweet. You must leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet for your entry to count.
2. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
3. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog and link back to this contest page. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Saturday, December 26 at 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winners will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart. In addition, I received a Walmart gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate and two to offer as a giveaway.

Photos from Walmart Holiday Meals site

This month’s Potato Tastemaker 2K10 challenge was Nutrition on a Budget. I had to create a nutritious dish for 4 with only $10 – using potatoes of course!

First, a few facts about potatoes:

• one medium-size potato has just 110 calories and is absolutely fat free
• one potato provides 45% of your daily value of vitamin C
• when eaten with the skin, a potato has more potassium than a banana
• potatoes are often one of the best values in the produce department, costing (on average), just $.25 per pound

For more potato goodness, tips, and recipes, check out Mom’s Dinner Helper from the US Potato Board.

Now, watch and see what I created:

Make sure you click over to the ModernMami.com YouTube channel and rank the video. You’ll have to sign in, but it’s super easy and free to create a YouTube account if you don’t already have one.

Here’s how to rank the video:

• View the ModernMami #tastemaker challenge 2 video at YouTube. Just click that link to go there.
• Sign in with your YouTube account or Google account; either works.
• Click the stars under the video to rank it.

That’s it!

Make sure to spread the word to your friends!

Rank the video. Pretty please?

Thanks!!!

Don’t remember what I made for part 1 of the challenge? I showed you how to make rellenos de papa…with a salmon twist.

Disclosure: As a Potato Tastemaker challenger, for round 2 of the challenge, I was provided with $10 for creating my dish. Additionally, I received a few kitchen gadgets and a recipe book. No other compensation received.

Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?

Sorry, I’m just a tad bit excited about my latest blogging gig.

I’m guest blogging, along with four other great ladies, at Scholastic Parent Voices for the month of May. I’ll be over there at least once a week blogging about various topics. First topic is Summer Plans in a Tough Economy.

And my first post? It’s all about our summer vacation on a budget. Meet all the guest bloggers and check out my first post, won’t you?

You also already know that I’m blogging at Family Eden. But, starting this week, now I’ll be over there once a week and on Tuesdays instead of every other Wednesday.

This week’s post at Family Eden is all about tantrums. I took a look back at our ordeal with tantrums about a year ago. Whew! What a time that was.

And if you’re currently dealing with tantrums or know someone who is, be sure to enter the contest for the book I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your 2- to 5-year-old.

It’s a busy week no doubt. But, when isn’t it?