I Got It At ALDI

I recently purchased the rug that was the "Red Hot" Special a few weeks ago week for $4.99 to replace our front door rug that was looking a little ratty. There were three color choices, that I saw, and I chose a gray and off-white diamond pattern. A few of the rugs looked a little frayed along the seams already like the construction isn't all that great? I picked one that appeared to be in good shape and so far it is holding up great! It is not rubber backed, so I will probably need to put a piece of non-skid material underneath it, but no biggie. The rugs I last purchase for my kitchen from Target were similar and I paid over $20 per rug, so these are a steal of a deal if they hold up for even a bit.

**After washing once, there are some frayed spots, but I am still not disappointed for $4.99.

Thanks to Carolyn for this quick dinner idea!
Makes 6 sandwiches, Cost per serving: $1.61

Ingredients 2 cans French Onion soup 1 package Deli Rolls 2 packages Roast Beef Deli Meat 1 package Sliced Provolone or Mozzarella 
Directions 1. Simmer roast beef in french onion soup (no water) in a medium sauce pan until warmed through. 2. Drain meat reserving soup for later. Place meat on bottom half of bun.  3. Place cheese on top of meat and broil both halves in oven until the bread is lightly toasted and the cheese is melted. 4. Serve with french onion soup in small cups for dipping.

I have yet to have a week over $100 since I started this challenge and I thought I would be running out of more things, but I am really not. I also started buying ahead for Thanksgiving dinner pantry items so that I don't get hit with a giant bill the week of Thanksgiving. Here is what I purchased this week followed by the meal plan for the week:


Booberry Cereal (my husband demands this every Halloween!) $2.49Diapers $4.99Single Serve Frozen Meals (2) $1.98Blue Cheese Dressing $1.29Wipes (2) $1.70Evaporated Milk (2) $1.58 - ThanksgivingCanned Pumpkin (2) $1.78 - ThanksgivingCoffee K-Cups $4.99Unsalted Butter $3.49 (Yikes! - what is going on with the price of butter?)Chewy Cookies $.99 (husband requested store-bought - trying not to take that personally)Cheese Crackers $1.89Animal Crackers $1.29Caramel Apples $1.29Anjou Pears $.99Frozen Broccoli Florets $.99Iceberg Lettuce $1.29Whole Wheat Bread $1.29Frosted Shredded Wheat $1.99Granny Smith Apples $1.89Cottage Cheese $2.29Extra Shar…

My overall total was a little higher this week, but still under my $100 goal. We have officially run out of the brands of pop my husband likes for his lunches and tonic water, so I may have to cheat my Aldi-Only challenge to get those items. Here is what I purchased this week followed by my meal plan with links to recipes:


Frozen meals (2) $1.98Apple Wedger $2.49 - Special deal this week- similar kind starts around $9-12 at Target and WalMartRising Crust Pizza $3.29Pumpkin Bagels $1.99Gala Apples $1.89Sugar 4 lb. $1.78Organic Bananas $1.28Frosted Shredded Wheat $1.99Dish Detergent $1.89Premium Coffee $4.99Whole Milk (2) $5.78String Cheese $2.89Elbow Macaroni $1.49Unsalted Butter $3.49Monterrey Jack Cheese Block $1.99Colby Jack Cheese Block $1.99Liquid Hand Soap $.85Black Beans (2) $1.18Sour Cream $1.29Baby Wipes $.85Apple Cinnamon "Nutrigrain" Bars $1.79Onions $.99Organic Salsa $1.99Lime $.25Lemon $.59Avocado $.79Half Ham $16.82Pumpkins (2) $5.38Tax $6.61 Total $81.73
Meal Pla…

I had plans of posting a picture tonight of my bierock casserole recipe, but when each of the three gentlemen I live with declined to eat it, I decided it was a bust. My husband tried a little and ate the meat and cabbage filling but said the bread topping was doughy and picked around it. My five year old refused to try any more than one bite and made himself ramen noodles instead. The one year old rubbed the plate on his head and then threw the rest to the dog.

My goal was to come up with a bierock recipe that avoided the canned crescent roll dough and cream of mushroom soup, so I subbed quick homemade drop biscuits instead on top and made a roux for the sauce. Any ideas for a better quick "clean" substitute for the crescent rolls?

This has been my most expensive week yet, but still under my $100 goal. Of course I had to get the new quinoa and organic tomato paste and sauce!


Organic Quinoa $3.99Cottage Cheese $2.29NFC Orange Juice $2.29No HFCS Ketchup $1.29Whole Milk (2) $6.00Organic Apples $4.99Tortilla Chips (3) $3.57Whole Wheat Bread $1.29Organic Tomato Paste (2) $1.10Organic Tomato Sauce $.79Monterrey Jack Cheese Block (2) $3.98Colby Jack Cheese Block $1.99Organic Bananas $1.28Cream Cheese (4) $5.16Diapers $4.99Large Eggs $1.49Parmesan Cheese Shreds $1.99Goat Cheese Log $1.99Baby Bella Mushrooms $1.49Baby Wipes (2) $1.70Russet Potatoes $3.49Toilet Paper $6.99Tax $5.64 Total $69.78
Menu Plan 
Saturday: Steak, Baked Potatoes, and Veggies Kabobs Sunday: Neighborhood BBQ - taking Amy's Awesome Spinach Dip Monday: Black Bean and Quinoa Chili (Slow Cooker) Tuesday: Potato Soup (Leftover) Wednesday: Bierock Casserole (Freezer) Thursday: Take Out - Soccer Practice Night Friday: Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche
Lunch Options…

This is my go-to recipe for an appetizer when hosting an event. It can be made the day before and baked just before the event. This is an adaptation of our friend Amy's recipe. Always a hit! Ingredients Season's Choice Frozen Spinach, thawed and pressed to drain thoroughly 1 c. Priano Parmesan Cheese, shredded 8 oz. Happy Farms Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded 1 c. Friendly Farms Whole Milk 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 small tomato, finely chopped 16 oz. Happy Farms Cream Cheese (2 blocks) softened Benita Tortilla Chips, Pretzel Crisps, or baguette-style bread
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350*

2. In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients with a fork.

3. Transfer to 9x13 glass pan, large quiche pan, or similar. Bake at 350* for 45 min.

4. Serve with chips, crisps, or bread

*Can be made the night before and refrigerated before baking. Make sure you allow the pan to come to room temp. before placing in a hot oven as not to crack the pan.

Since every time I think about how I wish ALDI has one thing or another, it shows up the next month in the store, I figured I would post my top 10 list and see if ALDI can take care of any of it for me? What do you think ALDI?1. Whole Wheat Flour - organic would be nice, but I'll take it either way  (Thank you ALDI!)
2. Coconut Oil (and other unrefined oils) - I love it for baking, organic preferred (Thank you ALDI!)
3. Whole Wheat Bread with less ingredients/less processed (throw in some bagels and tortillas too:)
4. Cage-Free Eggs (Free Range preferred)
5. Organic Whole Milk
6. Garbanzo Beans  Thanks ALDI! Love having them in store!
7. Cayenne Pepper
8. Organic Cheeses (Bring back the Organic Sharp Cheddar!)
9. Quinoa Thanks again ALDI!
10. Organic Unsalted Butter

If you need shelf space, you can get rid of the "Fruity Pebble" type cereal my kid asks for every time:)

Yet another affordable week at ALDI! I scored some Chinese food freezer markdowns and I am giving the "Red Hot" deal of the week a try - review soon on the Huntington Home 24x36 rug for $4.99. Here is what I purchased this week followed by the meal plan for the week:

Mini Egg Rolls $.99Pot Stickers $.99Crab Rangoon (2) $1.98Frozen Single Serv Meals (3) $2.97Tuscan Chicken Pizza $1.99Canola OilWhole Milk $3.00Cream Cheese (2) $2.58Baby Wipes $.85Diapers $4.99NFC Orange Juice $2.29Ham $.49Croissants $2.49Cabbage $.69Swiss Cheese Block $1.99Egg Spaetzle $1.99Organic Salsa $1.99Organic Bananas $1.28Navel Oranges $2.49Woven Rug $4.99Tax $3.83 Total: $47.35
Dinner Plan for the Week:
Saturday: Out Sunday: Kaese Spaetzle and Red Cabbage with Apples Monday: Bierock Casserole Tuesday: Potato Soup and Side Salad Wednesday: Quinoa and Black Beans Thursday: Take Out Friday: Cream Cheese Enchiladas 

I am super excited for next week's items (starting 9/24) because they are going to offer...drum roll please...QUINOA! (Pronounced Keen-Wah)

And to top that, it's organic and $3.99/lb which beats the bulk bin price I have paid in the past! I will be revising the Black Beans and Rice recipe for a Black Beans and Quinoa one later this week.  They also are going to offer "natural ketchup" without HFCS- reserving my enthusiasm to see if regular corn syrup is still an ingredient? ALDI - care to comment? FOLLOW UP 9/24 - The ketchup has sugar as a sweetener - no corn syrup (yeah) but would still love to see an organic one.

The Deutsche Kuche line is featured in the ALDI ad this week. I am excited for Cheese Spaetzle and Red Cabbage with Apples being on our menu next week:) We may also have to pick up the Spinach and Ricotta Strudel and the Bavarian Soft Pretzels. So many delicious choices! What German dishes to you prepare at your house?

On a side note- don't take all of the Red Hot Item this week. I need new kitchen rugs and those patterns look awesome!

On the Meal Planning Page, there is a 1 week collection of some of one week of our meatless meals. Below is the shopping list you would use at ALDI to make all of the  seven dinners, four lunches, and two weekend breakfasts. Prices listed are to the best of my knowledge as of the date of this post based on our NE KS store. The pantry list items, I am going to assume, are in your fridge or pantry. If not, you will need to add those items to your list, but they are all available at ALDI. If you were to purchase everything on the shopping list, your pre-tax total would be $70.18, leaving some room for fresh fruit, household items, or whatever else your family needs and still being under $100 for the week.
PantryDried BasilDried OreganoCuminDried ParsleyBlack Pepper SaltChili PowderGarlic SaltMayonnaiseOlive OilBaking PowderCanola or Vegetable OilWhite Wine or Distilled VinegarSugarFlour The ALDI Shopping List Priano Pesto $1.29Diced Tomatoes (2 regular or 1 large can) $1.18Flour Tortillas…

I was nearly jumping up and down in the aisle when I saw that the seasonal baking items are back at ALDI! I am sure the other Saturday morning shoppers thought I was nuts as I nearly took a selfie with the yeast. Below are a few of the other iems I spotted:
Yeast Strips $.79Baking Powder $.99Marshmallow CremeBaking ChipsAlmond Extract and...Cloves, Cream of Tartar, and a few other spice additions for the holidays *Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and cookie and candy baking at Christmas, I went ahead and bought a couple of yeast strips and some baking powder. My ALDI-only challenge will end before Thanksgiving, but I am thinking of seeing if I can pull off an ALDI-only Thanksgiving this year. Thoughts?

Yet again, another cheap week as I continue to use up garden produce, freezer, and pantry items. I actually bought ahead this week on a few pantry items as well. Here is what I purchased followed by the meal plan for the week:


Paper towels $.69Whole Milk $3.00Plain Bagels $1.69 (wish they offered whole wheat - hint hint ALDI)Organic Bananas $1.28Yellow Onions $1.28Large Eggs $1.59Yeast Packets (2) $1.58 - YEAH! Seasonal baking items are back!Ibuprofen $1.99Premium Coffee $4.99Frozen Fettuccine Meal $.99 (DH requests frozen meals because he is a lazy lunch packer!)Corndogs $2.19 (DH again)Organic Stevia Packets $1.79Diapers $4.99Gala Apples $2.99Flour Tortillas $1.19Baking Powder $.99 (Seasonal Baking)Buffalo Chicken Boneless Wings $4.88 (DH again - can you tell who likes the processed food in our house?)Chopped Spinach $.99Tax $3.50 Total: $43.31
Meal Plan for the Week
Saturday: School Carnival/Out Sunday: Lasagna with Summer Squash (didn't get made last week) Monday: Mac and Cheese an…

As you can see from my last three weeks of my ALDI challenge, I rarely spend over $100 on groceries for my family for the week. *Revised *10/16/2014
I shop at ALDI (Duh!)I shop alone. Most of the time I shop first thing Saturday morning so that my kiddos can stay home with my husband. That way only one person can be affected by impulse buys (and I'm pretty disciplined).I eat breakfast and bring my coffee along from home when I shop. Aldi is not as tempting as other grocery stores in that way, but it still helps to have a contented stomach when you shop so that it is about getting what you need and not what sounds good at the moment.I meal plan for the week so I buy exactly what I will be needing and not a random assortment of things that will end up going to waste. I build my list based on items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry that need used up first.I make a list and stick to it! I use tally marks on my grocery list to estimate how much am I spending as I go and if it looks like…

Serves 4, Cost per serving $2.29 (using organic options) $1.39 if not Ingredients 1 lb. ground beef (I prefer the SimplyNature organic) 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid - organic available 1 can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained) 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained) organic available 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic chopped or minced 1 cup water 1 T. Cumin 1 T. Chili Powder 1 tsp. Dried Oregano Hot Sauce to Taste
*We like to top with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.
Directions 1. Brown beef in a skillet. 2. Combine cooked beef, tomatoes, beans, onion, garlic, and water in slow cooker. (I do this the night before and place in fridge.) 3. Cook on low all day. 4. 20 minutes prior to serving, add spices and reduce heat to warm or turn off. You may add salt if you choose, but I don't since the canned beans have quite a bit of sodium.
*Budget Tip- This recipe has double the beans and tomatoes than many recipes do stretching the volume without breaking the bank.

…

I keep waiting for a week with a huge bill, but apparently we are still eating out quite a bit since I went back to work full time. I also have been trying to use up some freezer items. Here's what I purchased this week:
Whole wheat bread $1.29Grapes $1.58Tortilla chips $1.19Frozen Broccoli $.99Frozen Peas $.99Wheat Thin - type crackers $1.25Fit and Active frozen meals (2) $1.98Cottage cheese $2.29Bananas $1.09Orange juice $2.39Diapers $4.99Lasagna Noodles $1.49Retractable Dog Leash $5.99 (awesome find! Half the price of a comparable one at Walmart)Rising Crust Pizza $3.29Premium Coffee (2) $9.98Whole milk $3.00Tax $3.84 Total $47.52
Dinner Plan for the Week:
Saturday: Turkey Burgers and Baked Potatoes Sunday: Out to Eat (with Carolyn!) Monday: Chili in the Crockpot (made ahead) Tuesday: Vegetarian Lasagna and Broccoli Wednesday: Mac and Cheese and Peas Please Thursday: Out with Grandma Friday: Frozen Pizza and side salad
Tip for keeping your bill down: Set an amount you want to stick to a…

These are super juicy if you don't over cook them and have a nice southwest flavor to jazz up ground turkey or chicken.  Serves 4, Cost per Serving $.75 Ingredients  1 lb. Ground Turkey or chicken  1 tsp. garlic salt  1 T. Chopped fresh or frozen cilantro 1T. Minced onion 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. paprika  1/2 tsp. black pepper 4 slices of cheese (your choice) 4 hamburger buns - I use the whole wheat ones Optional toppings: avocado slices, cilantro, onion, Southwest dressing
Directions 1. Combine meat, herbs, and spices until well blended.
2. Divide and form into 4 patties.
3. Grill approximately 4 minutes per side on medium high heat with grill lid closed. Top with cheese slices for the last minute of cooking. Check to make sure they cooked through. 
4. Serve on buns with desired toppings.

This is my second week of grocery shopping exclusively at ALDI and I was expecting to spend a lot more than I did. I was shocked to come out so far under budget. We took a Labor Day Weekend Trip to Tulsa and I packed lunches, snacks, and drinks for all three days of the trip. We ate hotel breakfast and had dinner out both nights. This also included what I needed for the week for meals at home.
Bottled Water $1.99Seedless Watermelon $2.99Lunch Buddies (ALDI Lunchable) $1.993 Oscar Meyer Lunchables $7.47Whole Cashews $4.29Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips $1.19Unsalted Butter $2.99Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns $1.29Feta Crumbles $1.99Baking Potatoes $2.692 Nuby Cups $3.78Kettle Chips $1.79Whole Milk $3.00Diapers $4.99Sliced Turkey 1 lb. $3.99Whole Wheat Bread $1.29Deli Sliced Colby Jack $2.19Red Pepper Hummus $1.99Tax $4.57 Total: $56.47
Dinner Plan for the Week Saturday: Out to Eat Sunday: Out to Eat Monday: Frozen Pizza and Caprese Salad Tuesday: Chicken Burgers and Fries Wednesday: Fish Tacos and C…

I love quiche for all the variations that you can make with leftovers from the fridge. Last night's rendition was a Summer Squash, Onion, and Goat Cheese version. (I have lemon squash coming out my ears in the garden.) I also love how well it reheats the next day. Making a good quiche has taken me sometime to get it down where it sets in the right amount of time, doesn't have all the cheese float to the top, or the crust burnt on the edge. So here is what I have learned:

1. Precook all your mix-ins like veggies and meat. Excess moisture in the quiche will cause it to be too runny and not set correctly. I like to saute veggies like onion, shredded squash or zucchini, broccoli, or tomatoes in olive oil or butter. Press out the moisture really well if using thawed, frozen spinach.

2. Use whole milk (or half and half if you are feeling like a splurge). Reduced fat milks can be used but you sacrifice the richness and density.

3. If you want cheese mixed throughout the quiche, try …

In an effort to keep my grocery bills down and simplify things, I am challenging myself to doing all of my grocery shopping exclusively at Aldi for three months. I am allowing myself up to $100/week for our family of four: Mom, Dad, Kindergartner, and 1 year old. This includes any diapers, household supplies, and anything else that ends up in my cart.

One major trick I use for keeping our bill down is meal planning. Here are my steps:

1. List out the nights of the week, then look at your calendar for the week. I allow myself one take-out dinner and one dinner out per week and I try to plug those in on nights that are packed with activities or when I know I will be too tired to put much effort into cooking. I also make sure I plan for special events, treats at school, etc. so they don't sneak up on me.

2. Take a look in your fridge, freezer, and pantry and see what needs used up - for me this week it was tomatoes, yellow squash, and red cabbage- so Yellow Squash Casserole, Caprese …

These 8 oz. handle cups are half the price of the Target price and about $1 cheaper than the Walmart price (per cup). My oldest did so well with these when we transitioned off the bottle. The larger ones are a little bit cheaper at Walmart per cup if you do the 3-pack and can work free shipping or site-to-store.

I have been enticed by a recent Groupon into renewing my Sam's Club membership. I'm usually not a fan of bulk buying because unless you do the math, what seems like a good deal can be a let down. Also, my family just seems to consume whatever it is faster when they know we have tons of them in the pantry. Seeing what I thought might be a decent deal on almonds, I decided to price out the two stores: ALDI vs. Sam's Club

Whole Unsalted Almonds
Aldi: $4.99/ 12 oz. = $.42 per ounce
Sam's Club $15.98 /48 oz. = $.33 per ounce

Shelled Walnuts
Aldi: $6.49/16 oz. = $.41 per ounce
Sam's Club $13.98/32oz. =  $.44 per ounce

Pecan Halves
Aldi: $3.29/ 6 oz. = $.55 per ounce
Sam's Club $13.98/ 32 oz. = $.44 per ounce

Looks like Sam's Club has the winning price on almonds and pecans if you are willing to buy two pounds at a time. However-keep buying those Aldi walnuts-steal of a deal!

--Update for June 2017 - still loving our Aldi mattress and it's wearing well. (3 years old and no problems)
***See update for July 2015 at the bottom of the post***
I know this sounds strange to buy a mattress from a grocery store and I have reserved posting about this until I had a month to decide if I liked the mattress or not...but here it goes! I bought my new mattress at a grocery store and I LOVE IT!


My last mattress was a pillow-top Englander mattress that my parents bought me as a college graduation present to help me furnish my first apartment. My husband and I have slept on that thing for 12 years and we had flipped it, rotated it, and flipped it again trying to postpone what I was sure was going to be a $1000 purchase to get a mattress we could agree on. So when I was reading that ALDI was going to offer a 10" memory foam for $199.99, we did a little research and decided to jump at it. At that price, we figured it would only have to last a year or two to feel like…

I love this recipe for making me look like an awesome cook when I go to barbecues without a lot of effort. The leftovers freeze well to pull out later as an easy microwavable side. This would be vegetarian if you use vegetarian baked beans (not at ALDI) or substituted another can of beans instead.


Ingredients 1 can light red kidney beans, drained 1 can chick peas, drained  1 can Great Northern beans, drained 1 big can pinto beans, drained 1 big can baked beans with sauce 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 2 cloves of garlic minced 3/4 c. ketchup 1/2 c. maple syrup 1/4 c. brown sugar 2 T. steak sauce or Worcestershire  1 T. prepared mustard 1/2 tsp. black pepper (omit if you use steak sauce)
Directions 1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker on low for at least 4 hours.
2. Stir every hour. If it is too runny, leave the lid off for the last hour to thicken.

Freezer to Crockpot: Place all ingredients listed into a gallon freezer bag. Press air out of the bag, seal and freeze for up to 3…

I'm not a huge fan of HFCS-laden ketchup, especially when my five-year-old would eat ketchup with a spoon if given the chance. This one is a great weekend recipe when you are going to be home throughout the day because it requires attention about every hour. This does have a different consistency than commercial ketchup, but that's one of the best things about it!

Recipe cost: $3.79, yields approx 6 cups
Ingredients 2 cans SimplyNature Diced Tomatoes (Organic) 2/3 c. Baker's Corner brown sugar or maple syrup 3/4 c. Happy Harvest white vinegar 1/4 c. chopped onion 1/4 c. finely chopped celery 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tsp. sea salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 pinch of cinnamon Directions 1. Put all ingredients on high in the slow cooker. Once boiling, turn to low.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend well. (You could also transfer in small batches to a regular blender if you don't have an immersion blender).
3. Even hour or so use a rubber scraper to scrape down the sides a…

Mild salsa similar to local Mexican restaurants - must have a food processor for this recipe as a blender will come out too thin.

Recipe Cost approx. $1.65 Ingredients 1 can Happy Farms diced tomatoes, drained
1 can Casa Mamita diced tomatoes and chiles, drained ("Rotel"-type stuff)
1/2 medium onion, loosely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 clove of garlic
1/4 c. fresh or frozen cilantro (seasonally available at ALDI- I freeze tons of it when they have it in)
1/2 tsp. sugar/agave nectar/honey/sweetener of your choice equivalent to 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions 1. Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until onions are finely chopped and all ingredients are incorporated.
2. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving for flavors to blend.
*I freeze this in batches to always have on hand. If you find this to be too mild, you could always add a fresh jalapeno to the batch. If you would prefer to use the SimplyNature Organic diced tomat…

Ingredients Crust: 2 c. crushed pretzels (measure after crushing or you will be short) 5 T. sugar 3/4 c. butter, melted
Filling: 2 block cream cheese, softened 1 c. sugar 1 container (8oz.) whipped topping (or make your own whipped cream-about 4 c. needed)
1 pint fresh strawberries, trimmed and quartered 1 c. fresh blueberries
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350* Mix together crushed pretzels, sugar, and butter. Press into a 9x13 baking dish in an even layer. 
2. Bake for 10 minutes to lightly toast the crust. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. 
3. For the filling, use an electric mixer to cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in whipped cream. 
4. Spread evenly over cooled crust. I like to use a table knife run under hot water to get a smooth finish. 
5. Decorate with strawberries and blueberries as pictured. (On other holidays this dessert gets topped with cherry pie filling).

For those of you who follow Lisa at 100 Days of Real Food, here are the items I have found at ALDI that qualify as unprocessed. If an item is available as USDA organic, I mark it with a * I love to stick as close to her "rules" as I can but even her budget challenge at $125/wk is WAY more than our current grocery budget, so I cheat a little here and there to make it work. Click on UNPROCESSED for a few of our recipes that are whole/real/clean-food recipes. I will add to this list as I find more!


Produce: Everything! -plus the greens in the fridge cases and some frozen berries and veggies *Bananas $.64/lb
*Baby Kale, Baby Spinach, Spring Greens, and Arugula $2.49/5oz.
*Baby Carrots 16oz.
*Gala Apples 3lb.
*Navel Oranges 4lb. - haven't seen these at my store yet
*Grape Tomatoes 10oz.
*Pineapple Meats: Grass-Fed Ground Beef* $5.89/lb (not local- so stretching this one a bit)
Wild-Caught Salmon (freezer) Freezer: *Blueberries $2.99/10oz. *Strawberries  $2.69/12oz.
*Green Bea…

We picked this up as family dish when my grandma was living in Florida. The best part is no plates or silverware! With shrimp prices being a little high right now, it's not a budget meal for us, but a delicious special treat and still much more affordable than eating out. If you have a side burner on your grill, this is a great one to do outside. Serves 4, $3.25 per serving 

Ingredients 1 T. salt 1 lemon, quartered 2 quarts of boiling water 1 lb. Kielbasa sausage cut into 1 inch pieces - ALDI carries in regular pork or turkey Kielbasa 4-8 baby red or new potatoes, depending on size. If they are very large, cut in half to reduce cooking time 4 corn on the cob, peeled and halved if desired 1 lb. raw, deveined shrimp (I used medium) Cocktail sauce, spicy mustard, hot sauce, and melted butter for condiments (opt.) Directions 1. Bring a stock pot of water to a boil. Add 1 T. salt and lemon quarters. If you have liquid crab boil or crab boil spice bags, use it - but they don't have…

Nice and simple muffin recipe and blueberries are a great deal at ALDI right now! These freeze well in bags and then make a nice grab and go breakfast or sack lunch treat. Makes 24 muffins, $.12 per muffin

Ingredients 3 c. Baker's Corner All-Purpose Flour 1 1/2c. Baker's Corner Sugar 1 tsp. Stonemill Essential Salt 1 T. Baker's Corner Baking Powder 2 Goldhen eggs 2/3 c. oil (whatever you like to bake with) 1 c. Friendly Farms Milk 1 pint fresh blueberries
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400* and grease muffin pan unless using liners.
2. Combine all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder.)
3. Combine all wet ingredients and then mix into dry with a fork. Batter will be thick but not lumpy.
4. Gently fold in blueberries.
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until starting to turn golden on the edges.

Great way to turn fruit into dessert or a quick summer snack. Ingredients 1 block cream cheese 1 T. pure vanilla extract 3 T. brown sugar (or honey)
Fresh Fruit
Directions 1. Allow cream cheese to soften at room temp.
2. Blend all ingredients with an electric mixer until well incorporated and fluffy.
3. Serve with fresh fruit such as apples or strawberries.