Aldi Eats: Pad Thai Style Pasta

Last week I made this Pad Thai Style Pasta recipe straight from Aldi's website. I really liked how it turned out! My husband, who is a Thai food fan, enjoyed it too. We had no left overs, which is also a good sign. Technically this post should be titled "almost" Aldi Eats, since I didn't use all of their ingredients. I needed to use up what I had on hand in the pantry and fridge. Honestly, the dish probably would have been BETTER using their shrimp, as I had small, pre-cooked frozen shrimp. The recipe calls for their medium easy peel raw shrimp--which I've used before from Aldi and they are delicious! I still wanted to share this recipe, though, because it was a winner in my book and since it's on their website you should have no problem finding the ingredients. One other quick note, I'm learning that the earlier in the day you shop at Aldi the better! By the time I stopped by the store they had sold out of their green onions. Lesson learned.

I didn't have to buy much for this recipe since I already had the following on hand: shrimp, cabbage, soy sauce, chili sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, lime juice, sriracha sauce, eggs, and red pepper. Here's what I picked up for just over $9. If I had needed the shrimp, it would have cost an additional $6.

 The meal came together in 30 minutes...

Go Aldi's Test Kitchen!  We approve! :)

Aldi Eats: Turkey Tenderloin with Roasted Red Potatoes and Asparagus

This was an easy meal to whip up on a weeknight. I used Aldi's Turkey Tenderloins, with roasted red potatoes and asparagus. Here's what I bought to make it happen (I didn't use the garlic... I had butter and the seasoning on hand.):

Total spent about $12.

I baked the turkey and red potatoes in separate pans at the same time  in a 325 degree oven for about 50 minutes.  After the turkey was done, I turned the oven up to 425 and cooked the potatoes and asparagus for about 10-15 minutes.  For the red potatoes, I quartered them and added a couple quartered onions, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper.  

The longer you cook these babies the better!  They taste great!  For the asparagus I just trim them down and drizzle them with olive oil and salt and pepper.  

The final product- a good, hearty, weeknight meal for my family of five with leftovers, for $12!

Aldi Eats: Chicken Chili

Feeding a family of five adds up quickly.  That's why I love shopping at Aldi.  I can't get over the low prices and money I save! Maybe you've tried Aldi, but don't shop there consistently because of the limited selection.  That's where I hope the Aldi Eats series will help.  It features recipes I've tried using ingredients I purchased at Aldi. 

My parents and a good friend joined our family for a weeknight dinner last week. I served one my favorite go to meals for a crowd- a hearty soup/chili and salad. I used this recipe for Chicken chili as a starting point and made it my own. I set out to Aldi with my shopping list and improvised with frozen chicken tenderloins when they didn't have bone in chicken breasts. Here's what I bought for this meal:

Tortilla Chips
Guacamole (I've never been a fan of pre-made guacamole, but I -really- like Aldi's guac!)
Fresh cilantro (SO happy to see this at Aldi nowadays!)
Shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans diced tomatoes (I ended up using one)
Two packs of red, yellow, and red peppers
Frozen chicken tenderloins
Two bags of Ceasar Salad (Aldi's Ceasar salad is by far my FAVORITE salad kit out there!  The dressing is delicious!  I could eat it everyday, and it's only $1.99 a bag.)
(I had the seasoning, garlic, onions, sour cream, chicken bullion, and olive oil on hand)

All of this cost about $26.  Not too shabby to feed a small crowd!
 

To make this Chicken chili recipe by Ina Garten my own, I baked the frozen tenderloins drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with taco seasoning. While the chicken was baking, I cooked the chopped onions and minced garlic in olive oil and a little bit of butter in the pot for about 8-10 minutes. Then I added all 6 of the chopped peppers (that's a lot of veggie goodness!) for several more minutes. After the peppers were soft,  I added the seasoning, 1 can of tomatoes, along with about 4-5 cups of chicken broth. Next, I cut up the cooked chicken, added it to the pot along with a handful of chopped cilantro (I did not use basil as the original recipe calls for) and simmered. At that point, I season to taste. A splash of lime juice and hot sauce are also great additions to this chili! Top it with sour cream, guac, cilantro, crushed chips, and shredded cheddar cheese.  Mmmm... Now I'm hungry!

Here's the dinner spread:

The end result is colorful, tasty, and didn't break the bank.  Score!

Aldi Eats: Maple Salmon with Couscous and Broccoli

Feeding a family of five adds up quickly. That's why I love shopping at Aldi. I can't get over the low prices and money I save! Maybe you've tried Aldi, but don't shop there consistently because of the limited selection. That's where I hope the Aldi Eats series will help. It features recipes I've tried, using ingredients I purchased at Aldi.

To me, this dinner is the ultimate 'fast food'. I used this Maple Salmon recipe and paired it with couscous and broccoli. Besides the time it takes to marinade the salmon, this meal can be made in less than a half hour. And, it's packed with great tasting, nutrient-rich food for my family. Heck, I was feeling a little crazy, so I threw in some French bread and white wine that was under $3 (it's good, too!). Forget the drive-thru, people, this is the way to go!

Okay, here's a look at what I bought at Aldi to make this meal happen (I had the soy sauce, minced garlic, and seasoning on hand.): Two boxes of garlic flavored couscous, a 2 lb bag of frozen Salmon fillets, a good sized bottle of pure maple syrup, broccoli, a French baguette, and a bottle of Pinot Grigio all for about $24.00. The salmon is individually packaged so I only used what I needed for our family that night. I also have lots of maple syrup left for pancakes this week!

Here's a look at the final product with a disclaimer that I'm not a food stylist:

For a busy weeknight dinner, I'll take it! It felt like a real treat!

Aldi Eats: Pasta Carbonara

Feeding a family of five adds up quickly.  That's why I love shopping at Aldi.  I can't get over the low prices and money I save! Maybe you've tried Aldi, but don't shop there consistently because of the limited selection.  That's where I hope the Aldi Eats series will help.  It features recipes I've tried using ingredients I purchased at Aldi. 

Tonight I made our family The Pioneer Woman's Pasta Carbonara recipe.   (I have yet to try a Pioneer Woman's recipe that I don't like.)  Here's what I purchased at Aldi to make it happen:  ( I had the eggs and minced garlic on hand) It all cost about $17...  I can't feed my family of five drive thru McDonalds cheaper than $20!   Not to mention I have half of the yummy thick cut bacon, and plenty of the Parmesan cheese (grated and shredded), onions (I bought a bag) and heavy whipping cream left for other meals.  And, we had enough left overs for two adult lunch servings.  I'm happy with that! :)

The result:  Amazing!  My hubby made more than one comment about how much he enjoyed it and all three kiddos really like it, too.  I would have been happy if I ordered it at a restaurant. Winner, winner Pasta Carbonara dinner!

Here's a link to the recipe:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/pasta-carbonara/

Enjoy!