Aldi $140.49
Although a stock up trip to King Arthur Flour is on the calendar for this week, I don’t anticipate another trip to a grocery store this month for food. I may pick up some eggs from the family a few streets over, or a gallon of milk from the country store, but other than those items, I think we will be good for awhile.
Chicken strips for Ritz cracker chicken, pepperoni for homemade pizzas, some sort of funky bratwurst for beans and weenies night, and ground beef for tacos with homemade tortillas.
Picky dinner supplies. Costco quality cheese, a few spreads but in smaller {more manageable} portions, and fancy chips and crackers {with similar packaging to Trader Joe’s}. And those milk chocolate butter cookies? They are divine. They taste exactly like the LU Cookies Le Petit Ecolier, The Little Schoolboy cookies that are at least twice the price!
Big salad night with pickled whole beets, dried cranberries, peas, cheese, apple, hard boiled eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes and salami all topped with a wee bit of Ranch dressing. Gobble gobble.
DIY Chipotle bowl. Rice, left over pot roast, black beans, corn, salsa, sour cream and avocado.
Quinoa Salad with Feta, Avocado and Kale minus the avocado and spinach instead of kale.
Meat and potatoes. Two simple ingredients with a little bit of seasoning. Perfect after a day of plowing the fields. 😉 When I make a simple dinner like this, I always think about the people who lived in colonial times and even my grandparents generation.
No freezer meals, no Costco ready made dinners, no restaurants, no granola bars in the drawer to tide you over until dinner. Just a simple meal that takes very little time or energy to cook and yet a totally satisfying. And if your portion controls are in check, probably costs less than $0.75 a person.
No knead dutch oven bread. Have you made this yet? Isn’t it seriously the easiest bread on the planet to make? Why I don’t make at least a loaf a week is beyond me. I need to start doing that!
Saturday night beans. It’s a New England tradition. 😉 Also, I think I’ve mentioned this before, but if/when you make the Mississippi Pot Roast recipe, SAVE ALL THE JUICES and a little bit of meat. Pop the liquid gold in the freezer for later and then when you don’t feel like making some sort of grand dinner…. Soak some beans overnight, toss in the pot roast juices and let everything simmer for a good hour or two. And there you go, dinner is served!
And last but not least, Sunday’s breakfast in bed. Fried eggs and waffles.
No frills. Just a bunch of simple meals for a busy week.
~Mavis
How about you? What did you cook this week? Anything good? Or incredibly simple? We want to hear about it.
Total Spent This Week $140.49
- Total Spent in may on Groceries $140.49
- Total Spent in April on Groceries $169.98
- Total Spent in March on Groceries $306.75 <– Apartment life, moving across the country and settling into a new house
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $259.81 < Living in an apartment and buying a lot of ready-made meals
- Total Spent in January on Groceries $240.15 <– Packing mode and not cooking from scratch as much
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Greta says
I love the Dutch oven bread. My grandchildren’s favorite! Two loaves don’t last very long and I love caking for them since we eat very little bread now.
Jeanie says
I made steaks on the grill with grilled veggies, used the leftover grilled veg on a grilled veg sandwich. I usually boil a dozen eggs on the weekend to make egg salad sandwiches for the hubs lunch or to use for salad topping. I cooked cod fillets with fresh spinach and basil pesto one night and served that over jasmine rice. I made a quiche for people’s lunches. We had pasta one night with jarred spaghetti sauce. I made homemade pizza which we cooked in our Breville Pizza oven which is one gadget that I totally love. I made shrimp quesadillas one night. I made morning glory muffins and all bran muffins for breakfast for the week. Froze the leftovers for quick on the go grabbing. It seems like that might be it for the week. I have a hard time remembering. All my salad greens are coming up and I’m excited to start having homegrown salads again.
Connie says
I do love the easy dutch oven bread. But our summers are hot so my oven is not used !
CSirca says
Oh my goodness I LOVE that Guryere, I couldn’t tell if it’s the applewood smoked kind? But seriously, it’s one of my favorites!
Mavis Butterfield says
Applewood smoked! We haven’t tried it yet.
Em says
Your site is full of inspiration, thank you Mavis.
Meals this week that are simple: Ribs in crockpot, a nice arugula and spinach salad, potato salad.
Mim says
Lamb chops from our own sheep last night with fresh asparagus from the garden — hooray for fresh asparagus! Quiche this week with eggs from our chickens, fresh pasta with sauce canned last summer, squid (NOT homegrown!) with chilies and basil (yes, homegrown), pork from our neighbors with apples and a hard cider and cream sauce, and tons of leftovers.
Like Jeanie, hard boiled eggs are a staple and hmm, I think homemade pizza may be in the cards. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hey Mavis, it just occurred to me — do you want an almost-new InstantPot? I bought it a year ago when all the hype started, but have only used it 3 times. I realized that I actually LIKE cooking long and slow and being able to smell and taste along the way. Email me if interested. I can probably leave it at King Arthur for you to pick up, complete with cookbooks and extras.
Rebecca in MD says
I love reading what everyone is making for dinners – – – so inspiring, and I am always looking for ideas.
I have started making a list of 7 dishes and posting it on the fridge so the HH knows what to expect this week. Then I save the lists in a folder and look through it when I am trying to come up with ideas. Here is last week’s list:
1. Breaded flounder sanwiches
2. Quesadillas (chicken)
3. Stir Fry (shrimp)
4. Crock pot pork loin and sauerkraut served with mashed potatoes
5. Homemade cheeseburgers with homemade fries
6. Homemade pizza
7. Pasta primavera with store-bought fresh pasta, homemade sauce, and lots of fresh vegetables
I struggled for a long time with finding the perfect homemade pizza crust. Then I found this recipe, and it is the only one I use now: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2013/04/how-to-make-great-homemade-pizza/
Since the recipe makes two large pizzas, I make just one and freeze the rest of the dough for another time. When I want to use the frozen dough, I let it thaw overnight in the fridge, and then let it rest on the counter (covered with floured plastic wrap) while I preheat the pizza stone. It comes out perfect every.single.time.
Lolly says
Lol, “funky bratwurst”….those are the real deal! They look spot on, German-style. American brats are not at all like the German brats….the German brats are pale, American ones are darker. There is a big taste difference, too! Just like trying to find real schnitzel state-side….sigh….14 yrs and still searching…..
Marcia says
I miss no knead bread. Can’t eat wheat anymore. Stopped tolerating it a year ago, at 46. It’s a real bummer.
My 2 big meals last week were beans & rice and chicken soup with an Italian twist. Much to my children’s dismay, we alternated them for 6 nights. They got free leftover pizza from a work lunch (that I couldn’t eat) for dinner on Friday.
This weekend I made pesto potato salad and chicken apple salad for the neighborhood potluck. And…leftovers! I actually did not prep anything for dinner this week. Have lots of little bits of leftovers in the freezer.
Lynda Kling says
You’ve got to find a local butcher shop…I get all of our meats there. Fresh AND safe…NO RECALLS!!!! And you support a local business…..!
Brianna says
I watched a video somewhere an Aldi and it explained a relationship between Aldi and Trader Joe’s. They are connected and Trader Joe’s is more Americanized in setup and products than Aldi. I can’t find the video and I thought it was Amazon (I watch too many documentaries of many platforms), but I did find a history: http://www.mashed.com/79564/untold-truth-aldi/
I wish there was one where I live because I hate huge grocery stores and endless selections of the same items like granola bars.
Gina says
Our meals were very similar! I approve! And now I’m hungry.
Holly says
I cirisscross two pieces of parchment paper, put it in a bowl about the same size as my Dutch oven, sprinkle with coarse flour and gently place the dough on it. Follow the rest of the directions. Cut the two pieces of parchment long enough to have handles to put the dough in the hot pot and to lift the bread out once it’s cooked.
Rebecca in MD says
Great tip to avoid burns – – – thank you!
Heather says
Did you ever go back to hot tea with milk? I wondered if the hot water and lemon stuck for your daily ritual. I have certain drinks in places we visit. At home it’s usually water.
Mavis Butterfield says
Back on the tea wagon again…. It tastes like tea again. 🙂
Mel says
I made our favorite biscuits (2 ingredients) and sausage gravy, homemade graham crackers and Ritz crackers, breakfast sandwiches, apple muffins, miscellaneous veggies, and spinach salad with oranges and almonds.
I’m also using up the last of our freezer meals, so I also used up pulled pork (in sandwiches and posole), sweet potato and black bean burritos with cilantro lime rice, crockpot sesame chicken, shrimp and broccoli Alfredo, and vegetable turkey meatloaf.
Mavis Butterfield says
My husband would love it if I made biscuits and gravy! Great idea Mel.
Laura Z says
Glad you found that cracker sampler. We love it. A lot of processed crackers have TBHQ, which makes my husband throw up, but he can eat every cracker in that box and be fine. Their cheese and cured meats are so affordable that we end up having frequent picky dinners, too I chop up a little crudite and dinner is done. 🙂
We like most of their German sausages, too. In October, they always have extra German products for Octoberfest. We stock up on jarred sauerkraut and red cabbage, as well as the stone ground and Bavarian mustard. I love to get the seasonal items at ALDI once they are clearanced at the end of the season. I am usually a from scratch cook but it’s hard not to buy a box of pumpkin bread mix when it’s 49 cents!!
Have you tried their chocolate yet? Pretty good, esp. for the price point. My daughter likes their penguin crackers better than goldfish. They are crunchier and cheesier, both.
Rebecca in MD says
Aldi German sauerkraut is the best! Sooooo good with pork loin, hot dogs, bratwurst.
Carrie says
I tried their dark chocolate and sea salt bar this week. OMG best I’ve ever had and only $1.99! The sleeve says made in Germany too! I have to limit myself to one treat from their candy section once a week. I love everything I’ve tried. Peanut butter cups, chocolate covered almonds and caramels are great too.
Rebecca in MD says
I know what you mean. One of my favorites is the chocolate covered marshmallow pinwheel cookies. So much less expensive at Aldi.
Kathy G says
I had an investment cooking day today. Roasted a turkey breast I got free from an Easter promotion. Stripped the carcass, made turkey blts for lunch. I then proceeded to make turkey noodle soup, turkey divan, and turkey pot pie. Next I mixed chopped meat and ground turkey with breadcrumbs and eggs. That mixture was split in 2 bowls with ingredients for meatloaf added to one, meatballs to the other. I baked them at the same time. End result. 4 meatloaves stuffed with mashed potatoes(leftover potatoes also), 3 dozen meatballs, pot of turkey soup, large and small turkey divan and turkey pot pie, dinners and lunch for upcoming meals. In between I played in a mud kitchen with my 2 year old granddaughter. A win win day for sure.
Kathy G says
PS
My kids say I only shop Alda for the Novelty(seasonal) items. It’s always an adventure. I do stock up on favorites though as they sell out or rotate out quickly.
CarolynK says
WE LOVE no-knead bread!! I have been making it for about 4 years, 5-7 times a week!
We buy 50 lb. bags of bread flour from Costco.
I also use parchment paper, it alleviates any chance of burning my hands (I’m a klutz) and is non-stick.