A 2-Week Aldi Meal Plan
I don’t keep it a secret: I love Aldi.
My love affair with the discount grocery chain began during my newlywed days. My husband and I were struggling to figure out how to make our budget work, and a friend tipped me off on how much she saved by shopping at Aldi.
Aldi? “Get real”, I thought. “Is it dirty inside? Is the food really…good?”
But I was delighted when I discovered that the food did indeed exceed our expectations and that our misgivings about the grocery store were unjustified.
Back then my menus of the day consisted of creamed soup casseroles, boxed shells ‘n cheese and frozen dinner rolls.
When we began our transition to eating whole foods I worried that I’d have to give up my beloved Aldi!
Not so!
I soon discovered that shopping there with our new dietary preferences slimmed down our grocery budget even more!
Our grocery budget has ebbed and flowed over the past few years–from those days we could barely make it month-to-month to the little more wiggle room that we have now.
The one constant is that Aldi is always my very first stop when I make my grocery shopping rounds.
I have heard from readers that Aldis vary drastically in both their cleanliness and the quality of their offerings. My Aldi offers fresh produce, a full line of organics and a neat and clean environment.
I know not everyone has this luxury, but for those who do, I have created a 2-week Aldi meal plan. My intent of this plan was to create a menu that someone who only shops at Aldi could use.
A few disclaimers:
I personally do not do all my grocery shopping at Aldi. There are about three different grocery stores I frequent, and I also purchase some food from local growers and order some from Amazon and Vitacost.
You can read this post to find out what items I personally purchase at Aldi. You will notice that I do not purchase meats like chicken, pork or eggs there. I do not personally eat pork, I get antibiotic-free chicken at another store (or via Zaycon) and I purchase our eggs from a local farmer.
Aldi does not regularly carry grass-fed beef, but they do occasionally offer it. When they do, I stock up!
For the purpose of this meal plan, though, I have included all whole meats.
If you are in the position to either choose plain chicken OR frozen, breaded chicken nuggets, then get the chicken that you know isn’t the best choice but it is much better than the alternative.I am a firm believer in the fact that sometimes better is our best when it comes to food choices under restrictive budgets.
Also, some of these recipes may require you purchasing oils and spices elsewhere–or you can always make your own homemade spice mixes!
Without further ado, check out this 2-week Aldi meal plan!
Week 1
Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, side of fruit with freshly-squeezed orange juice and/or organic milk/almond milk and coffee
Lunch: Crockpot Paella , organic side salad
Dinner: Ham and cheese rolled up, organic carrots sticks with peanut butter, organic apple slices
Notes: Our family usually eats a bigger lunch and a lighter dinner on Sundays since we attend church in the mornings. If you do not, you can always switch up lunch and dinner on this menu!
Monday
Breakfast: Steel cut oatmeal with almond or organic dairy milk, topped with frozen organic blueberries and chopped walnuts
Lunch: Leftover Crockpot Paella
Dinner: Lemon Garlic Tilapia
Tuesday
Breakfast: Creamy Clementine Smoothie, bacon, scrambled eggs
Lunch: Organic spinach salad topped with canned tuna or salmon, organic cherry tomatoes, organic carrots and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil
Dinner: Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet
Notes: Stock up on Aldi’s grass-fed beef when they offer it as a special sale, to use in this recipe. The zucchini and potatoes will not be organic. I would leave out the corn, as the Aldi corn is most likely GMO.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, side of fruit with freshly-squeezed orange juice and/or organic milk/almond milk and coffee
Lunch: Leftover Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet
Dinner: Slow Cooker Roast Chicken , bacon-wrapped green beans and oven-roasted potatoes
Notes: This meal will not be organic.
Thursday
Breakfast: Blueberry-Banana Smoothie, scrambled eggs
Lunch: Baked sweet potato topped with butter and a side of canned salmon
Dinner: Easiest Chicken Tortilla Soup Ever, side salad of organic lettuce, organic cherry tomatoes and avocado wedges
Friday
Breakfast: Triple Berry Smoothie, omelette with chopped ham and spinach
Lunch: Leftover Easiest Chicken Tortilla Soup Ever
Dinner: Cauliflower Crust Pizza with a salad
Saturday
Breakfast: Thick Peanut Butter Smoothie, scrambled eggs, side of fruit
Lunch: Rice cake peanut butter “sandwiches” with raisins and organic apple slices
Dinner: Lemon Greek Chicken with organic side salad
Week 2
Sunday
Breakfast: Southwestern frittata
Notes: Stock up on Aldi’s grass-fed beef when they offer it as a special sale, to use in this recipe. You should be able to find the rest of the ingredients for this recipe at Aldi, but it will not be organic.
Lunch: Crock Pot Cajun Tilapia
Dinner: Avocado Spinach Egg Salad sans bread or on a rice cake instead
Image by Live Renewed
Monday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, side of fruit with freshly-squeezed orange juice and/or organic milk/almond milk and coffee
Lunch: Veggie and hummus plate
Dinner: Herb Chicken Skillet served over brown rice with a side salad of organic lettuce, organic cherry tomatoes and organic carrots
Tuesday
Breakfast: Steel cut oatmeal with almond or organic dairy milk, topped with frozen organic blueberries and chopped walnuts
Lunch: Leftover Herb Chicken Skillet
Dinner: One Pan Salmon & Veggie Bake
Wednesday
Breakfast: Thick Peanut Butter Smoothie, scrambled eggs, side of fruit
Lunch: Leftover One Pan Salmon & Veggie Bake
Dinner: Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans
Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, side of fruit with freshly-squeezed orange juice and/or organic milk/almond milk and coffee
Lunch: Rice cake peanut butter “sandwiches” with raisins and organic apple slices
Dinner: Herb & Citrus Oven Roasted Chicken
image by Live Renewed
Friday
Breakfast: Southwestern frittata
Notes: Stock up on Aldi’s grass-fed beef when they offer it as a special sale, to use in this recipe. You should be able to find the rest of the ingredients for this recipe at Aldi, but it will not be organic.
Lunch: Veggie and hummus plate
Dinner: Cauliflower Crust Pizza with a salad
Saturday
Breakfast: Triple Berry Smoothie, omelette with chopped ham and spinach
Lunch: leftover Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Dinner: Mexican chicken pasta skillet
We LOVE our Aldi’s Food Store. I did a little research and found that one of the Aldi’s stores (Aldi’s was split between the two brothers who own the chain) is actually Trader Joe’s in the US…and the other brother’s company is what is called Aldi’s. Our daughter with sensory integration issues prefers Aldi’s meat over any other store’s meat…and our favorite items to get are the bacon wrapped filets and the specialty cheeses – we also prefer their milk and eggs if we are not buying those items from a local source…loved this post. Wish you had posted a shopping list, tho…(just being lazy here)!
Oh man–a shopping list is a GREAT idea! It might be a while, but I may eventually post one on my own site and link it over here! Wish I had thought of that!
And I forgot to mention – Aldi’s is the BEST place to buy your Extra Virgin Olive Oil…
Great tip! I get mine from there, too!
I LOVE this meal plan!!! There are a lot of great recipes and tips here. Thank you for sharing!!
Yay! Thanks, Stephanie! Enjoy! 🙂
I just had to thank you SO MUCH for posting this. I, too am an Aldi-lover. I have just recently gotten on the whole foods band wagon and in fact did my first whole foods grocery shopping a few days ago (when my husband could keep both of my girls who are 1 and 3, so I could ‘price compare’ at 3 or 4 different stores). I made Aldi my first stop as usual and was able to get quite a few of the things on my list. Although our branch doesn’t seem to carry any organic meat or eggs, it does have a select few organic produce items as well as milk, pastas, pasta sauce, etc. I plan on making some of the things they carry myself, but with a new baby on the way, it is good to know that I can get some of it there when I don’t have the time (or energy) to do it. Thank you so much for being such an encouragement to me and showing me how my family of 4 (and a half) can still live on an extremely tight budget while I provide them with wholesome foods (even if they don’t always eat them)! 🙂
I am so encouraged to hear you are encouraged! Congrats on the new baby! I have 3 girls–age 1, 3, 5. Once that third baby came along I moved grocery shopping to Saturdays (when hubby can watch them!). LOL!
Our Aldi only gets the organic beef about once every other month or so. They have the grass-fed beef coming up this Wednesday! I think it is all Aldis, and they only get a limited amount…so IF you can, you might want to check your store out first thing Wednesday morning! I am going then!
Thanks for the tip, Erin! I babysit another 3 yeear old this Wednesday but my husband will be home in the morning (the benefits of retail jobs) so I may be able to get out there early in the morning. 🙂
Oh! Thank you for sharing about Aldi’s. I had no idea they carried their own line of Organic foods at a much cheaper price than others. So excited to stop in this week and check them out. Checked their ad and Wednesday they are having organic, grass fed burger for $4 something a pound! I’m on it!
They just started carrying the organics in December/January! They only get the beef in for one day about once every other month! I am going first thing on Wednesday morning–and I suggest you do, too! I will get as much as I can and fill up my freezer! It is from Argentina, but is USDA 100% organic. My sister actually lives in Argentina, and their beef is excellent.
I love Aldi as well! while it may not be the absolute best option for fish, I love the frozen wild-caught salmon and flounder. If I can’t buy it fresh off the boat, I feel like this is about the best option out there.
Where do you find your bacon? I notice you have included it several times in the breakfast plan. I love bacon, but finding an acceptable “clean” bacon at a reasonable price keeps us from enjoying it often.
I love their fish as well. Our Aldi actually just started carrying uncured pork bacon! That is where I get it now! Previously, I purchased the Applegate Farms brand from BJ’s. That is where I still get it if I want turkey bacon.
You mentioned in the post that you do not eat pork. Do you buy turkey bacon at Aldi?
I personally don’t eat pork, but I feed it to my family (it’s not a religious preference but just a personal preference). I do buy the pork bacon and the Aldi natural ham lunch meat. I just don’t buy the hams, etc. They also sell natural turkey lunch meat, but I leave it on the shelves because it contains carrageenan (which is a common additive to natural foods but is a carcinogen–the ingredients on the lunch meats are the same as the Applegate Farms ones).
I will occasionally buy the turkey bacon if I want to cheat a bit and get processed bacon, but I just try to “close my eyes” and pretend I don’t know it has nitrites/nitrates in it. I prefer the uncured turkey bacon from Applegate Farms, but it’s super pricey.
This is FABULOUS!! I like so many of the recipes and LOVE that I can get all the ingredients at Aldi!!
I hope you enjoy the recipes, Ashley!
What a great article, Erin. I love your meal plan and appreciate the shout-out on my slow cooker roasted chicken recipe. I wish we had an Aldi here, it sounds like a great way to save money. Appreciate you sharing. I’m definitely going to check the recipe links. Blessings, Kelly
Thanks, Kelly! I wish you had one, too–I love it!
I shop at Aldis all the time. I love it. It has saved us a lot of money over the years. I pinned most of these recipes. Thank you.
Hope you enjoy them!
The organic apples are my favorite purchase when I can’t buy from a local farm. Every other store’s organic organic apples are soft and double the price. One of my children eats an apple or two everyday so this is quite a blessing.
That’s one of my favorites as well, Maria! I get a bag of their apples every time I go!
This is a great list of meals! One think I found interesting though: You mention a recipe with zucchini. My first thought was that most zucchini is GMO. Then you say you’d make it without the corn because most corn at Aldi is GMO. I would stay just as far away from non organic zucchini as I would non organic corn.
That’s a good point, Kim! In a perfect world, I would get the zucchini organic as well.
Erin – We shop at Aldi all the time. We buy just about all of our groceries there. Sometimes I just can’t get what I need so then I just go to Cub Foods, but Aldi is, for sure, my FIRST stops.
Side note about your link to Zaycon, do you know how often they repeat an “event” in an area?
They are always my first stop as well!
I think Zaycon does events maybe every 4 months? We had a chicken event in February and have another in June.
We love Aldi! We recently started trying to pay off debt, and put ourselves on a tighter grocery budget, so we mainly buy everything from there. Perhaps it’s not the best quality, but it’s still real food!:)
Yes–still real food!
I love Aldi’s too. I use it to buy some of my basic kitchen cupboard items (flour, sugar, tomato paste, broth, pasta, etc…) I have not had much luck buying produce at Aldi’s though. And I find their dairy products to be price comparable to other chain stores. I have 3 Aldi’s stores near me, but only one is really near a place I work (I substitute teach so I am literally all over the place every week!). However, I do enjoy planning a stock-my-shelves trip to Aldi’s every once in a while!
Thanks for sharing
Did I miss a cost for this plan? I’m really interested to know what the total came to.
Thank you SO much for this line, “I am a firm believer in the fact that sometimes better is our best when it comes to food choices under restrictive budgets.” We do most of our grocery shopping at Aldi because we’re on a VERY restricted budget. Yes, I know it’s not always the best choice for others, but we also need to be good stewards of what God has given us and live within our means.
I like to buy ground turkey at Aldi. It makes a less expensive substitute for ground beef.
Oh, I forgot to mention that inexpensive spices are another thing I love about Aldi! They don’t have a huge selection, but it’s a fabulous place to stock up on the basics. Around the Holidays they sometimes have more choices as well.
Thanks for the tip! I’ve never tried theirs!
Aldi is such a great place to get Kerrygold cheese, and I love their version of Kind bars. Yesterday I spotted Simple Nature almond butter for the first time. I am surprised every week, it seems, by the new organic and simple food options that are popping up.!
Almond butter?! No way!! I am going tomorrow to stock up on the beef…I will look! I lament that I am DF right now and can’t have that wonderful cheese! I do love their Kind bars!
Just thought I’d add, since this is something I like to know. Aldis is also a great place to shop because they take very good care of their employees. My husband runs his own equipment business but also works there as a manager. They pay their employees well, even starting wages are good, and just take excellent care of their employees all the way around. I’m continually impressed with them. We pretty much shop there for the same things you do and I’m glad we have that option!
That is so good to know, Megan! Thanks for sharing!!
I miss having aldi’s!! We recently moved and don’t have one in SanAntonio, Tx :o( But I will be visiting my parents in Florida over the summer and will be visiting theres for sure!! This is a great meal plan anyway and I look forward to using some of the ideas for my family! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your menu! I needed some ideas, and this is great that the menu is completely Aldi…which is the only way we are able to stay within our tiny budget. I wondered if you had a printable shopping list that you use to simplify things?