Ode to Aldi

I’m late to the party.  All the cool kids have been shopping at Aldi forever, but I just had my first legit trip there yesterday. (I had stopped in before, but never with a plan or any idea of what I was doing).  My world is a little crazy, so I try to do one trip to one store to cover the week.  It doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s my aim.  For that reason, Aldi wasn’t a super attractive option because I knew I couldn’t do it all in one stop.  But the grocery budget it getting wild with all the new foods and experiments going on over here, so I decided to give it a real shot and I’m SO glad I did.

I did my normal meal planning, made a rather advantageous grocery list, and headed off.  My list had tons of produce, a little fruit, a bunch of meat, and a good deal of dairy products.  I found nearly EVERYTHING I needed there.  At the end of the trip, my bill was just over $100 (which included a new fruit bowl/banana hanger I didn’t need, some toilet paper just because I wanted to try theirs, and a few other odds and ends that weren’t on my list).  The only things I couldn’t get there were:
chuck roast (because they were sold out)
chicken breasts (because they’re cheaper in bulk at Kroger and I had to go anyways)
tomatillos, cilantro, and chile peppers (which I didn’t expect them to have anyways because they’re super nichey)
almond flour
That’s IT.  One 10 min trip to Kroger and I was finished.  I was seriously amazed.

Aldi was clean, relatively easy to navigate, and quick.  The produce looks amazing (and what I’ve eaten so far has been).   I still can’t get over how great their zucchinis are.  The prices were crazy-inexpensive compared to Kroger and Walmart.  Their store brands are free of MSG, artificial dyes, and partially-hydrogenated oils.  They have a meat line that’s hormone and additive free.  There are tons of gluten free options.  I’m hooked, and it’s not just me.  They are ranked up there with Whole Foods as one of the healthiest grocery chains.  Check it out:  http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/01/aldis-new-organic-selection-may-give-whole-foods-a.html

A few things you’ll want to pick up before you head to Aldi:
grass-fed butter
greek yogurt cream cheese (which you know I put in EVERYTHING)
specialty items (like my weirdo Mexican stuff, almond flour, etc)

Otherwise, give it a shot and let me know what you think!  If you’re an Aldi faithful, leave me a comment about your favorite Aldi item.  Evidently there’s a lot I’ve been missing.