Well, 4 years ago a new ALDI opened in the town next to me (Rockwall, TX) and I was beyond excited to be shopping at ALDI again!!!! Since the bulk of my shopping is done at their store, I was very happy when ALDI reached out and offered to send me an ALDI Delivered Box filled with samples to try.
I also received a variety of non-perishable ALDI brand products and a shopping list of the remaining ingredients to assist me in making each of the recipes. Before I dive into which of the holiday recipes I made, I want to share some helpful information about ALDI.
They carry fresh meat, pantry staples, dairy, produce, household, baby and seasonal items. You won't find many brand names at ALDI because about 90% of ALDI products are private label brands. They do have a few national brands mixed in, but for the most part ALDI stocks their own high quality exclusive brands to save shoppers money.
To use the shopping carts you will need to deposit a quarter into the cart slot to release the cart. No worries because once you're done shopping, simply return the grocery cart back with the others and you'll get your quarter back. I always keep a quarter in my reuseable shopping bags so I have one on hand.
Sometimes I return my cart and just leave the quarter in the slot for the next shopper. I myself have been stuck a time or two without a quarter and a nice "quarter fairy" has left one in the cart for my benefit, so I try to pay it forward from time to time.
You will also need to bring your own grocery bags or you can purchase bags at checkout. I usually just leave my reuseable bags in the trunk of my car because I never know when I'm going to pop in for a visit.
Once I had my shopping cart and grocery bags I was ready to shop for all my ingredients. I have to admit I did get a bit side tracked as I always do when I grocery shop, so I definitely came home with way more than I planned on getting.
When you first walk in to an ALDI store you will notice a few things right off the bat. The store has a smaller layout, wide aisles and each row is packed with bargains. You'll find the current weekly ad flyer at the entrance of the door and when you leave you can pick up an ALDI ad flyer for the following weeks sales.
ALDI also doesn't have any fancy shelving and keeps products right in their display boxes. This frees up workers from having to constantly stock the shelves, saving time and money. Pricing is always clearly visible above or below the available products. ALDI also has smart packaging to get you in and out the door in no time. Each of their products have multiple bar codes so scanning is super fast at checkout.
A few of my favorites are, in season berries and strawberries ($o.99 for 16 oz package), whole pineapples for $0 .99 each, asparagus, broccoli, squash, and sweet mini peppers. Their produce signage and prices are clearly listed above each of the produce bins, so I never have an issue finding a price for any of their produce.
You will also find great deals on various baking products like, Simple Nature All Purpose Organic Flour, Bakers Corner Granulated Sugar, Simple Nature Cane Sugar, Simple Nature Cake Mixes, Bakers Corner Chocolate Morsels, Stonemill Extracts, Bakers Corner 100% pure canned pumpkin and more. Their Baker's Corner brand is one of my favorite baking brands and one I used on a regular basis.
ALDI carries a variety of nuts, but their Southern Grove Pecans are one of my favorite finds!!! Each 10 oz package is priced at $3.99 per bag and definitely the cheapest in town. Other retailers offer the same item for $2-$3 more for the same size bag. I always grab at least two packages on any given grocery trip.
Stonemill Spices are also a great steal starting at $0.99 for your basic spices and a bit more for specialty spices. Still lower than other retailers.
ALDI carries a variety of wine at great pieces. Just look at all the choices. They have seasonal wines, red, white, sparkling, specialty wines and even wines of the month. Check with your local ALDI because not all stores carry alcohol.
ALDI offers a good variety of lean cuts of beef, chicken, pork and sausage at very affordable prices.
They also offer SimplyNature 100% Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef in convenient vacuum sealed packages. The SimplyNature Grass Fed Ground Beef has no added antibiotics, no growth hormones, no artificial ingredients and it's minimally processed.
If you're looking for Organic products ALDI offers their SimplyNature line. Besides the many organic products they carry a full line of gluten free products in the liveGfree line. I have just started to dabble into organic products, so I was pleasantly surprised at the various organic products and how affordable they were. A few of my favorites are, SimpleNature Organic All Purpose Flour, Simple Nature Organic Cake and Fudge Brownie Mix and SimpleNature Organic Cane and Brown Sugars.
They have Friendly Farms Organic Whole and 2% Milk offered for $2.95 and also carry a variety of lactose free, soy and almond milk varieties.
Friendly Farms Italian Sweet Cream Creamer is my absolute favorite, so I usually grab at least two bottles on any given grocery trip. All of their creamers are delicious and affordably priced at $2.19 for a 32 oz bottle. The same creamers are $3.99 at other retailers, so the ALDI creamers are a steal and they freeze well, so stock up.
If you have a baby you seriously need to be shopping at ALDI, because they offers a wide variety of affordable Little Journey baby products. They have diapers, wipes, formulas, bath products, organic foods and snacks at the lowest prices. My kids are older, but I sure would have loved an ALDI near me when my kids were babies. ALDI prices on baby products are so low that you can easily stock up on several items.
Now onto the holiday recipes I chose to make. First on the list are these Snickerdoodle Crispy Treats made with Millville Cinnamon Crunch Squares, Bakers Corner Marshmallows, Countryside Creamer Butter and Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract. I added holiday sprinkles to give them more of a festive look.
Snickerdoodle Crispy Treats
4 - cups Milliville Cinnamon Crunch Cereal
1 - 10 ounce package Bakers Corner Marshmallows
4 - tablespoons Countryside Creamery butter
1/2 - teaspoon Stonemill Vanilla Extract
Holiday sprinkles
Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted.
Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Stir in one cup of cereal and mix until thoroughly coated. Add more cereal and stir until all of the cereal is coated with marshmallow.
Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Stir in one cup of cereal and mix until thoroughly coated. Add more cereal and stir until all of the cereal is coated with marshmallow.
Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch square pan. Add holiday sprinkles over the top and cool completely before cutting into shapes or bars.
recipe yields: approx 9 bars
recipe credit: Eat at Home
10 - slices Specially Selected All Natural Artisan French Baguette
You can also stay up-to- date on ALDI's latest offers and weekly ad with their Mobile App. The ALDI App is available for iPhone or Android. Download the ALDI Mobile App here.
Do you shop at ALDI? If not make your next grocery trip an ALDI Experience!!
As part of my partnership with ALDI, I received an ALDI Delivered box as a fun way to sample and review products and recipes. This is not a new delivery service.
EmoticonEmoticon