Sunday, Dec 22, 2024

I follow the Mediterranean diet and spend $40 a week at Aldi. Here are my favorite things to buy for just myself.

I stock up on ingredients that fit into the Mediterranean diet at Aldi.
  • As someone who follows the Mediterranean diet, I love grabbing essential ingredients at Aldi.
  • I spend $40 weekly and purchase items like tilapia, vegetables, and Dakota's Pride beans.
  • I always buy Southern Grove mixed nuts and California raisins to make my own trail mix.

Each week, I make the 15-minute drive to my local Aldi in Cleveland to stock up on groceries.

I'm a single shopper on the Mediterranean diet, which my doctor recommended because I've inherited high cholesterol from my parents.

As a faithful pescatarian of about 10 years, I'm a huge fan of Aldi's fish and legume options.

Here are a few essentials I buy at Aldi each week.

I love the variety of fish I can choose from at Aldi.

Shelves of seafood including salmon and cod at Aldi
Aldi's shelves are usually stocked with plenty of fish, including salmon.

I love grabbing all sorts of fish from Aldi, including cod, salmon, and tilapia.

Out of the three, tilapia is my favorite. Each package contains two huge fillets, which I use for various dishes.

I'll usually make what I call tilapia tikka masala, which uses a myriad of Indian-inspired spices.

Alternatively, I'll sometimes coat the fish in olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper, and fry it in a pan on medium heat.

A package of tilapia is about $5 to $8 at my local store.

The Tanimura and Antle artisan lettuce is great in a simple salad.

Four clear plastic packages of Tanimura artisan lettuce on shelves at Aldi
The Tanimura and Antle artisan lettuce pairs well with onions and raisins.

I also love the Tanimura and Antle artisan lettuce. Each container comes with four small heads of leafy red lettuce.

When making a salad, I tear about half a head of lettuce into small pieces and toss it with red onion and raisins.

The lettuce pairs especially well with the Specially Selected Greek vinaigrette.

At my location, a container of Tanimura and Antle artisan lettuce costs about $2.

I grab several cans of Dakota's Pride beans each week.

Several blue and yellow cans of garbanzo beans in green cardboard boxes at Aldi
The Dakota's Pride beans are an essential for my cowboy caviar.

The Dakota's Pride beans from Aldi are a staple in my diet, and I usually buy six cans a week. I typically pick up the black, garbanzo, and Great-Nothern varieties.

I use them in my homemade cowboy caviar, which keeps in the fridge for about a week.

First, I drain the beans and combine them with chopped garlic, olive oil, vinegar, chopped onion, parsley, and halved grape tomatoes.

Sometimes, I squeeze lemon on top just before serving.

Cans of beans are between $0.70 and $0.90 each at Aldi.

Aldi has plenty of veggies to choose from.

Clear plastic containers of Simply Nature spinach in green cardboard box; Clear plastic containers of broccoli in cardboard box at Aldi
This week, I grabbed spinach and broccoli.

I often buy kale and Specially Selected baby spinach from Aldi.

Most times, I'll throw these veggies in the wok with olive oil and garlic powder for a quick dinner.

I also like to get green beans, asparagus, or broccoli to fry with olive oil for a simple side dish or meal.

If I get carrots, I'll slice them in half the long way and braise them with olive oil and sage over low heat.

The baby spinach is about $2, and broccoli is usually just under $2 per container at my local Aldi.

I buy nuts and raisins to make my own trail mix.

Clear container of mixed nuts with a black and purple label; Red container of California raisins with graphics of green grapes and raisins on the front
Southern Grove mixed nuts and California raisins complement each other in homemade trail mix.

When I need a pick-me-up, one of my favorite snacks is a cup of homemade trail mix, which I make with the Southern Grove deluxe mixed nuts with sea salt and California raisins.

The mixed nuts come with almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, and macadamia nuts.

I mix half a cup of each into a large mug or bowl for a healthy, easy snack.

A 30-ounce container of nuts costs $12.80, and raisins are $4.70 at my local Aldi store.

POM juice is great in a mocktail.

Red box of three clear bottles of deep-red POM juice
POM juice adds the perfect amount of sweetness to my mocktails.

Because I don't drink alcohol, the POM pomegranate juice is essential for my go-to mocktails.

I pour about a third of a cup of POM into a glass of sparkling water, which I also get from Aldi, for a refreshing drink.

A bottle of POM is about $2.30 at my Aldi.

Click to keep reading Aldi diaries like this one.

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By: [email protected] (Kristan Schiller)
Title: I follow the Mediterranean diet and spend $40 a week at Aldi. Here are my favorite things to buy for just myself.
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/what-to-buy-aldi-mediterranean-diet-on-a-budget-2024-1
Published Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2024 12:05:01 +0000

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