What I Buy At Aldi - Round 2 Grocery Haul
Alright friends- I know y'all have been waiting for round 2 of my Aldi favorites!!! If you missed my first post, you can check it out right here. Every time I visit Aldi, I swear I find something new that I did not see the previous time I shopped there. This blog post is going to feature my FAVORITE parts of Aldi. The cheese, dairy, protein, meat, and frozen food section. Buckle up, there is a ton! Just to note - I shop at the Aldi in Green/Uniontown on Massillon Road.
Open cooler section
This is the section that is open that does not have doors. They have chicken salad (yum - I used to eat this BEFORE surgery), HUGE pizzas (great value for families), and then the stuff I now eat after surgery.
Spinach Artichoke Dip - This is a new item in the open cooler section and it is so reasonable in price. I tried it and wow it is super good. This would pair so nicely with some homemade low carb pita chips or some fresh veggies.
This would be a good option to take to a picnic or party if you are looking for something quick. The fat content is a little high, but everything in moderation. It is pretty tasty!
Cheese Snacks - Aldi has the most affordable cheese snacks! I was at Giant Eagle a few weeks ago and I could not believe how much a 12 pack of string cheese was! I love the little Laughing Cow cheese snacks with some turkey pepperoni or salami for a snack; protein packed and so convenient.
Blocks of cheese - HOLY CHEESE!!! If you know me, you know I love cheese. Aldi has the best block cheese and the best prices. I always get my block cheese here and cube it up for work. They have a wide variety of flavors and as always, you can not beat the price. I melt this on my egg omelets all the time! They have Swiss, sharp cheddar, and mild cheddar. Sometimes they will have seasonal speciality flavors as well.
Brats and Turkey/Summer Sausages - These are one of my "go-to" meals for summer and post gastric bypass. They are super easy, protein packed and the turkey ones are lower in fat. They are DELICIOUS on the grill and I love having a few packs of these on hand in the freezer. They are so reasonable in price and kid friendly as well! You can't go wrong with throwing a pack or two of these in your cart!
MEAT/POULTRY
This is probably the section that I shop the most of at Aldi. I feel that their meat/poultry is the absolute best and they can barely keep it on the shelves, which to me means it is always sooo fresh. They are always having sales and the prices even without sales are extremely cheap. I am a bulk shopper; it has been hard to adjust to having a stomach the size of an egg because I love to buy in large quantity. I buy usually three to four packs of meat at a time and freeze them so that I always have some on hand. We have three refrigerators with freezers (don't even ask me why because I don't have the answer) so I have room to store them. We also have a deep freezer.
Ground beef - Aldi just started carrying the 96% lean ground beef and it is $3.00 cheaper per pound compared to Giant Eagle. WIN!!!! The quality is just as good. They also carry the 93% lean ground beef. I buy both. They run out of the 96% lean quickly so usually if I go later in the day, they are out of the 96% lean. I mean, check out the prices of these, you can't beat that.
Ground turkey - I always buy my ground turkey from Aldi. They carry the 93% lean ground turkey which is lean enough for me. Right after gastric bypass I ate a little leaner than that, but now that I am in the maintenance phase my fat intake is a little higher. This ground turkey is really good and they price, as you can see is so good!!
Chicken - Aldi has a HUGE variety of chicken breasts, thighs, wings, etc. You name it- they have it. They even just started carrying ground chicken but they were out of it this last trip I made there. So I am kind of picky when it comes to chicken and I despise cutting off excess fat and cleaning chicken. I tend to gravitate more towards the "already cleaned and trimmed" chicken. Even if it means spending a little more money on it. Most of Aldi's chicken is trimmed and cleaned pretty well. Their "Never Any" brand is usually trimmed and cleaned a little better. It is their brand that is hormone, antibiotic, steroid, cage free brand.
closed cooler section
This is the section with all the shredded cheese, milk, eggs, etc. Aldi's packkkks this stuff in these coolers and they have so much to choose from in this area. I was shocked at how much milk variety they had. I personally don't drink milk (it doesn't sit well with my new little belly), but they have a fantastic variety. So let's get into it!
Shredded cheese - WOW!!! Cheese on cheese on cheese! Which is fine by me. I have never had issues with cheese since gastric bypass surgery (thank goodness)! That would be a sad, sad thing! They have tons of kinds. They have reduced fat and full fat in multiple flavors. Aldi carries 1 pound bags in a couple kinds and the price is super reasonable.
Neufchatel cream cheese - This is like the holy grail of cream cheese!!! It is lower fat when compared to regular cream cheese and it has a little more protein. I also feel like it has a more rich taste to it. The price at Aldi is astronomically lower than any other store.
Plain greek yogurt - Aldi carries the full fat version only of plain greek yogurt. This is great to cook with and ONCE AGAIN, you can't beat the price at Aldi. For a snack, my sister introduced me to adding sugar free jello to plain greek yogurt. It is a fabulous before bedtime snack and very filling with the fat content.
Milk - I am so impressed by the variety of milk products that Aldi has. They not only have the traditional whole, 2%, 1%, and skim milk; they also have many kinds of almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, DHA omega-3 milk and different types of organic milk.
Eggs - The price of eggs at Aldi's vary week to week, but one thing is for sure - you will never find them anywhere else cheaper than here!! And they can not keep them on the shelves. I buy a couple dozen at a time and always have some on hand in the fridge.
frozen foods
Another one of my favorite sections, especially because I have all the room to store this at my house. Three refrigerator/freezers and a deep freezer calls for ALL THE FREEZER GOODIES AT ALDI'S! #dontjudge
Frozen broccoli - This is the only place I buy frozen broccoli. I am slightly OCD when it comes to frozen broccoli. Have you ever bought broccoli and its seriously just a bag full of the stems? GROSS. I get so mad. This has never happened with the bags at Aldi. And its $0.95! You can steam it in the bag also which is super convenient.
Frozen veggie medleys - These are some other veggies I get at Aldi. There is a California Medley, broccoli stir-fry, a couple different bean medleys, and steerable Brussel sprouts. I will pair these with a protein and BOOM- dinner is done. They are so nice to have on hand for quick and easy dinners.
Frozen veggie spirals and shelled edemame - These are a seasonal "Aldi Find" that I am not certain how long they will be at Aldi and they are only at certain locations. So of course, I stocked up. I LOVE BOTH OF THESE. I cook the carrot and zucchini spirals and top them with some ground beef or turkey and put a low sugar sauce, just like a spaghetti. One key is to thaw them and then blot them to get all the water out of the spirals before steaming or cooking them to make them less "soggy." I steam the shelled edamame and eat them for a snack while watching TV.
Multigrain blend and pepper/onion blend - Another couple seasonal "Aldi Finds" that I found during this trip were these next two items. Once again, I do not know how long they will be around at the Green/Uniontown location on Massillon Road. I stocked up on the three pepper and onion blend and I also got a few of the plain three pepper blend without onions. I got one of the multigrain blend that is made with vegetables. They had two versions; one with couscous and one with vegetables. I throw these frozen peppers and onions in a skillet with a protein and cook a side dish and dinner can be ready in ten minutes.
What are your favorite things to buy at Aldi?? Does the Aldi that you visit have any great Aldi Finds currently? Please comment below if so!! I would love to hear from you all about what some of your favorite things are at the Aldi near you. I am always finding new things each time I visit Aldi and I love it. I am here for ALL THE IDEAS and NEW FINDS at Aldi. Thanks so much for reading and I love you all!
♥ Love and Hugs,
Maddie