Grocery shopping: the biggest pain in the ass. Unless you make it your job to be an extreme couponer, most people generally do not like grocery shopping. While it can cause migraines, it is also extremely satisfying when you find bomb deals that make life a hell of a lot easier and exponentially lower your grocery bill. It can be hard to find these deals though, that’s why it’s important for people to help each other out and share knowledge when it’s obtained. And that’s exactly what I’m about to do with a list of some of my favorite Aldi’s finds. If you’ve never been to an Aldi’s…oh my God. You are in for a treat.
- Frozen Steamed Veggie Packs – this. is. by. far. the. best. (in my opinion). these frozen veggie packs are 99 CENTS a piece, just pop them in the microwave for 5 minutes and BAM you have yourself a bowl of steamed vegetables. Just add some Mrs. Dash, maybe a touch of mozzarella or parmesan if you’re obsessed with cheese like I am.
- Protein Ice Cream – just like you will find Halo Top or Enlightened in any grocery store, Aldis has their own version of a low-calorie, high-protein ice cream that is lights out. As of right now, the flavors include vanilla, chocolate and mint chip, and they taste far better than many of the other brands I have tried. (Not to mention they are WAY cheaper than other brands). It can be expensive buying a $6 pint of Enlightened, so give these a try instead. I promise it will NOT disappoint.
- Sweet Potato Casserole – it is actually stupid how good this is. For a family get-together, my grandma brought a sweet potato casserole dish that was to DIE for, I would absolutely have no trouble eating the entire thing in one sitting. When I asked her where she got it, she said, “Now normally I would take credit for something like this, but not this time. I found this at Aldis the other day and thought I would give it a try. I had no idea it would turn out to be this damn good.” Well there you have it folks.
- Greek Yogurt – Aldi’s has such a wide variety of yogurts that range from 70 cents to a dollar, from fruit on the bottom, to plain greek yogurt, calories ranging from 70 to 120 per cup; they are unbeatable. The flavor (the most important part) is lights out too, of course. I would not waste your time if they weren’t the best. I honestly will not go anywhere else for yogurt.
- Gluten Free Pretzels – I would never pick up a bag of gluten free pretzels (or even a regular bag of pretzels) for myself, but my mom had these stashed in her car one day when we went out driving. Hungry and munchy like always, I ripped open the bag and was pleasantly surprised by the burst of flavor associated with every crunch. I could not BELIEVE how good these were. I flipped over the bag immediately to read the nutrition label for damage control, only to find that there’s as little as 90 calories per serving, which is around 20 pretzels in that bag. In my honest opinion they taste better than any other pretzel brand, and they are now one of my favorite guilt-free snacks. Just try not to eat the whole bag.
- Protein Powder – protein powder in general is ridiculously expensive, and few brands actually don’t taste like chalk. This stuff, called Elevation, is absolutely delicious. Not to mention cheap like everything at Aldi’s, but this time there is no need to sacrifice flavor for price. It’s just all of the good stuff. The other products from this line, like the protein bars, are also fantastic. Either of those would be a great investment for anyone who likes protein powder
- Glacier Mint Ice Cream – okay, not so healthy…but this is my favorite ice cream of all time. It was one of those late night runs to the grocery store with my mom, on a mission to find something that will satisfy our sweet tooth when we found this diamond. All I can say is, good luck finding it, because it is very rare when they have it in stock. But when they do, it is absolutely the best.
- Fruit/Avocados/Produce – all super cheap, has a wide variety, everything is really super easy to find, and it tastes fantastic. If you have not had any of the produce from Aldi’s…I highly recommend.
- Clancys Jalapano chips – THESE ARE THE BEST MF POTATO CHIPS. Nothing needs to be said here. Go fucking get them. Thank me later. 🙂
10. 100-Calorie Almond Packs (and other nuts) – one of the best foods for snacking when trying to promote a healthy diet is nuts, in moderation of course. This is the hard part about nuts too, whether they be almonds, cashews, pecans, etc. They’re addicting, high in (the good) fats and calories, and it’s easy to eat three day’s worth of calories in one sitting if you’re not careful. However Aldi’s has a wide selection of nuts, my favorite being the 100 calorie Emerald almond packs. These are an excellent snack tool to have in your pantry for those who love almonds or are following a healthy diet plan but may not have the easiest time with portion control like myself.
If this is the first you are hearing about Aldi’s, take this cheat sheet with you and have fun exploring in a new place with great food, both healthy and inexpensive. Make sure you find me on social media and let me know if you like the items on this list and be sure to fill me in on your great finds!
