I am all about finding ways to streamline my day-to-day routine and to welcome more simplicity into my life.
This is why I was thrilled when my favorite budget-friendly grocery store, ALDI, sent me and ALDI Delivered box. (Zoey was excited too. She hopes any delivery that we get is another bag of her “wiggle.”)
If you’re new to ALDI, I highly recommend reading my post, Learning the ALDI Secrets, to get up to speed on why I love ALDI so much!
My ALDI Delivered box contained four recipes from the ALDI test kitchen and Bon Appetit, a variety of non-perishable ALDI-exclusive ingredients to assist with making the meals and for snacking and pantry stocking, a reusable grocery tote, a quarter for my cart, gift certificates to buy the ingredients I needed to make the recipes, a shopping list of exactly what to buy in the store and info on their latest featured products.
I opened the box to find a mix of healthier selections as well as several products from their liveGfree line.
All the goods in my box.
The test kitchen and Bon Appetit recipes sounded incredible so I eagerly headed off to my local ALDI to do some shopping.
While I consulted my shopping list and got all the necessary ingredients to make my recipes, I also got a little side tracked.
For example, whole bean, single origin, fair trade coffee for just $4.79. Two bags went into my cart.
Also, $0.99 pineapple. They also had tons of beautiful Florida strawberries at a great price.
And I’m always happy every time I visit to see their selection of organic, natural and healthier foods expanding. As of the end of 2015, they had removed all certified synthetic colors, MSG and partially hydrogenated oils from their exclusive brand food products.
Okay, so I got back on track and got my shopping done.
The first dish I prepped was a Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower, a recipe created for ALDI by Bon Appetit.
One-pan dinners are the best!
The recipe called for chicken thighs which is one of my favorite cuts of chicken to cook. So juicy and flavorful, especially with the addition of a lemon and Italian seasoning rub under the prosciutto. I served it with a Walker Napa Valley Red Blend that I picked up for under $10 at ALDI. (I also got distracted by wine and chocolate.)
The second recipe I made was a warm superfood salad from the ALDI test kitchen that I’ve enjoyed for lunch all week after making it.
The ingredients list was super interesting and included kale, grapes, jalapeños, apples, ginger, almond butter, flax seed, Brussels sprouts and more.
The warm salad was dressed with a mix of almond butter, lemon juice and zest, water and ginger. It was so different but really good.
Second day leftovers were even better and really good with the leftover prosciutto chicken on top.
My final ALDI Test Kitchen recipe to share was a baking project! I was so excited to see this recipe card for gluten-free strawberry cupcakes. My favorite cake flavor! I used the ALDI liveGfree Yellow Cake Mix for the cupcakes but made homemade strawberry buttercream to top them.
The cupcakes turned out beautifully. The ALDI liveGfree gluten-free baking mix was awesome. Taste and texture were spot on and you’d never have known they were gluten-free or from a box mix.
I took the cupcakes to the studio for a special occasion and everyone raved about them (and asked me to start selling them in the restaurant…haha!).
So as you can see, I loved my ALDI Delivered box. I always appreciate recipe inspiration, trying new products and finding new ways to streamline meal prep.
Want to check out all that ALDI has to offer? Leave a comment below sharing one way that you streamline or simplify meal planning or prep for a chance to win $50 in ALDI gift certificates.
This post is sponsored by ALDI.
Make a freezer list! LIke a pantry list.. then shop for whats on sale only.. and create!
I live alone and work very long hours so i spend a couple hours n Sunday cooking a big batch of grains, veggies and baked goods for easy meals during the week!
I streamline meal planning by taking care of everything once a week – including planning, shopping, and prepping!
I like to cook up a whole chicken and a bunch of roasted vegetables on the weekend.
I really try and get it all done by Sunday night! makes the week so much easier.
I love the crockpot!! Everything in there on a Sunday and I have 5 meals for the week 🙂
I write my grocery list for the week on Friday and shop once a week on Saturday.
I prep my breakfast and lunch the night before so I’m not rushing around in the morning.
I plan our meals before I grocery shop. I also try to chop fruit and veggies so we can grab them quickly during the busy week.
I meal plan on the weekend and then shop while my oldest is in school on Mondays. Then during the week I do any prep work during the little ones nap time. Once dinner time rolls around, it’s super easy to throw everything together and spend time with my family.
Recently I’ve started handwriting my grocery shopping list instead of using an app on my phone. For some reason if I used the app I would just add a ton of stuff I didn’t really need. Handwriting made me realize just how long the list was getting and made me think before just clicking on stuff I thought I needed.
meal plan and prep is key to streamlining!
I like to prep my breakfast and lunch the night before so I know I will have healthy meals while at my job.
I portion out snacks for the week on my one free day of the week
I plan a dinner and breakfast menu before I go to the store so I can stick to it better and (try to) save money.
I try to chop and prep as many things and I can so it’s easier to put things together later and hopefully make a healthier choice.
I’ve found that planning out my meals for the week and heading to the store armed with a specific list helps keep me focused and not AS likely to get distracted by non-essentials. I’m reducing my food waste and my expenses – win win!
I simplify meal prep by doing as much as possible in advance. I also use my slow cooker a lot so that really helps save time. Thank you so much for offering such a great giveaway!
I like to make up a crust less breakfast quiche to get us through the week. That way we can just grab a piece and go in the mornings.
Every Sunday, I do a bunch of prepping for the week. Chopping veggies, cooking meat, hard boiled eggs, etc. Makes week day meals easy!
I love to make taco meat and use it for burrito bowls , taco salads and quesadillas!!
I prep all of my lunches for the week on Sunday so I can just grab them and go throughout the week. I also make Mason Jar salads a lot, minimizes salad dressing spilling everywhere!
I streamline meal planning by laying everything out on Sunday & making a once a week grocery haul on Monday.
I meal plan and prep to make life easier!
I always try to grocery shop on Saturdays without kids and try to food prep for the week on Sunday’s when my husband is home to help with the kids!
Like most meal plan and then shop. But the one thing I noticed is by showing at Aldi’s in itself has streamlined everything for me. What used to be at least a 2 hour grocery trip is now less than hour and I buy more real food all thanks to the Aldi way.
I have a little notebook that I carry in my purse to plan out meals for the week and my shopping list. That way I can try to avoid getting sidetracked because I forgot my list.
I’m a consultant and travel alot for work so when I am home for the week I try to prep a bunch on Sunday and then use ingredients in multiple recipes through out the week so I don’t waste any food.
I roast all my veggies on Sunday.
wash and cut up fruit and veggies when I get them! That way none go to waste and they are always available for my family and I!
I love Aldi! Every Sunday, I prep my lunches for the week: grilling or baking chicken, portioning beans, chopping veggies, etc. Then each weekday, I just assemble my meal in a few minutes.
I cut up all of my fruits and veggies in advance. I love Aldi for affordable and delicious groceries!
I’m trying to get better at meal prep and planning. I really love meal prep pics on Pinterest and Instagram! I hard boil eggs and freeze bananas for smoothies, I get frozen veggies and fruit for yogurt and smoothies. I also like making protein peanut butter balls for snacks. I have turned into a super Aldi fan and would like to know how those coffees taste, I haven’t tried them yet. Also, If you can get their canned chipotle peppers there they make great chili, but be careful because they are hot!
I try to prep by cutting up veggies at the beginning of each week.
I like to make a list and not stray from it!
Love, love, love Aldi so much! 🙂 I’m just beginning with meal planning but I like making a huge batch of rice or quinoa to last the week (we eat a lot of it). Another thing that has helped tremendously is using Google Calendar. I am excited to find many more ways to streamline during my meal planning journey. Thank you for the chance! 🙂
I like to make a bunch of chicken and quinoa or brown rice to have in salads for lunch during the week!
This is really cool! I haven’t tried Aldi yet, but would love to. I love that they’re committed to improving their products to be more natural.
My favorite way to streamline shopping/meal prep is to not plan any intricate menus – I’ll pick up grass-fed ground beef and organic chicken in bulk + vegetables, and keep pantry staples on hand to make different things, whether it’s meatballs, meatloaf, almond flour for paleo chicken tenders, etc. With two babies in my cart, I usually do not have time for complicated!! 🙂
I meal plan and cook on Sunday what I need for lunches during the week.
Whenever I run out of a grocery item or am getting low on that item I immediately write it down so that when I go shopping I don’t forget anything!
writing lists is key for me to meal planning (and life)!
I clean out any remaining leftovers from the fridge on Saturday, take stock of what we have/need to use & then meal plan and make a grocery list. I usually shop for all week in one trip and meal prep on Sundays. It’s a lot of work, but since we eat most meals from home every day, it’s totally worth it! 🙂
We have an Aldi opening near us soon and I’m super excited to shop there after reading all of your posts about how great their store is!
My favorite meal prep is making big batches of overnight oats and then pre-portioning them so I can just grab and go in the morning. I have a lot more patience for meal prepping at dinner time, but in the morning I need grab and go!
How do I sign up for the meal cards from ALDI? I love shopping there now since they have added organic meat!
I love to save time by not having to wash salad greens. So I stock up on Trader Joes bagged salads!
I always do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Aldi then go to a second store to pick up ant specialty items I couldn’t get at Aldi. I prep lunches for the week as soon as I get home grin grocery shopping.
Making my breakfasts ahead of time (usually on Sunday) and ensuring that our dinners create leftovers for lunches makes a world of difference during the week for me!
I went to Aldis for the very first time a few weeks ago! I was pleasantly surprised at the selection. I streamline cooking by using my crockpot to prepare dinner 3x per week!
Meal prep means taking the time and actually writing everything out and shopping all at once. I feel organized and I don’t forget anything
We eat a lot of vegetables throughout the week, so I chop them all on Sunday so they are ready to go! Hardboiled eggs are also a go-to for quick snacks or breakfasts, so I let those cook while I’m chopping the veggies.
And don’t you just love Aldi’s?! Especially now that they have made so many healthy updates!
I meal plan, grocery shop, and prep ingredients on Sundays!
I make lasagna on the weekend and freeze it to heat up during the week.
I love Aldi! I streamline by meal planning for the week and sticking to my list!
Meal plan and prep on the weekend makes busy week days much easier!
Making a more detailed grocery list, and discussing the list with my husband. I find if we discuss his plans for the week, I am better prepared for prepping lunches and dinners, and he’s happier with the choices 🙂
I try to do a larger grocery trip on the weekend and then boil some eggs to have with breakfast for the week, as well as cook some type of grain (quinoa, rice, pasta) to pack with my lunch. I also make sure to prep my lunches and breakfasts the night before, so that everything is ready to go when I’m rushing around in the morning.
I browse recipes during the work week on lunch breaks, email them to myself and set aside time on the weekend to review them and make a grocery list. Planning is definitely key to successful meals for me!
My husband and I do as much food prep as possible on the weekends, it makes our weeks so much easier.
I love ALDI! They always have such great produce. One way I streamline my meal planning is to prep some crockpot chicken at the beginning of the week to use in different meals.
I prep as much as I can on the weekends so that I have a healthy lunch for the work week. So many of my meals freeze well so that saves me a lot of time.
I try to simplify our meal prep by having my kids help! They usually comply and the food prep gets done in half the time… usually.
I streamline meal prep by rotating through the same 5-10 recipes for dinner!
I would love to try Aldi. Each week I plan our dinners to keep us on track. My two year old has really been into helping in the kitchen so it is fun to get her involved.
I save time (and money) by meal planning on Saturday for the upcoming week and go to the grocery store that day to get all I need.
ALDI just opened in Southern California and I am so excited! I always make a bunch of food on Sundays to have for the week.
I am a super big fan of Aldi! My cousin works at one and told me a lot of their products are just brand name products re-branded. Fun to try and guess what’s what! I also like to roast veggies in the oven for dinner so I took one of your tips and started adding Aldi’s chicken sausages to the pan for a quick dinner and everyone at my house loved it! Another thing we do at my house is cook different kinds of chicken on the weekend and cut up veggies for salads so when we get home from our workouts we can build our own salads. Super simple, healthy and delicious!
P.S. If you are a fan of Menage a Trois wine, Aldi’s Interwine wine is the same for like half the price!
Thanks for all your cooking & workout tips!
I streamline by food prepping on Sunday’s. It’s worth spending a couple hours in the kitchen to have everything ready for the week.
I usually cook everything on the weekends and make variations during the week.
Loved this post!
I devote one day per week to do most (but not all) of my food prep, mainly for lunches. It usually involves baking chicken and roasting a bunch of veggies.
I streamline by entering all of my grocery needs into an Excel spreadsheet, which is organized by aisle/grocery department. This helps me stay focused and leaves less room for forgetfulness (aka realizing you forgot the main ingredients as soon as you start prepping dinner- THE WORST!) This process also helps me get home faster so that I can catch up on whatever I DVR’d during the week 🙂
I try to plan meals with similar ingredients so I can buy less….like broths and such.
Can you share the warm salad recipe?!?! That looks SO delicious!!!!
I try to plan out my meals and grocery shop on Sundays and pack up lunches for the week!
I try to cook larger quantities for leftovers. My husband is often out of the house most nights of the week so I don’t have to cook dinner that often. However, I do pack him a “hot” lunch each day. I will cook on Sunday and Monday nights and those meals will serve as his leftovers for the week. I try to have 2 different meat options and then a few grains and veggies so he has a little variety each day. The nights he is home we keep it simple with sandwiches, salads and baked potatoes. I love to cook but following this same plan each week keeps us fed and saves us money.
To simplify my meals, on Sunday I plan out my dinners for the week and get all the groceries. This saves me a lot of time and money. If I have time, I try to prep some ingredients on Sunday too.
What a great giveaway! I streamline my meals by doing tomorrow’s meal prep while tonight’s dinner cooks. I also cook enough in the evenings to have lunch for tomorrow too because I love a hot lunch. I do need to work on more organized trips to the grocery store because I tend to get carried away.
I have a google meal plan calendar and set the meals to repeat yearly. This helped me build an automatic meal plan that is also seasonally appropriate.
I try to streamline meal planning, but making a larger batch/pot of a recipe to keep my husband fed for a few days before I have to cook again! I also love when Aldi will have a packaged “meal kit”, like this spicy pasta kit I made last night for my husband. He couldn’t believe I got it at Aldi and it should feed him for 3 days (at least)!
I love Aldi’s! Are we able to access these recipes?? I too am a fan of chicken thighs.
I streamline by planning and shopping on Saturday and then doing all the cooking for the week on Sunday. My breakfasts and lunches are pretty much the same (which I’m ok with) so we just make sure we prepare enough variety for dinner to keep us from straying to Postmates 😉
i streamline prep by trying to pre-cut veggies in advance and also always make sure i have leftovers for one particular night of the week when we do not get home until 8 PM. i even try to make sure the leftovers for that night area already in easy to micro containers.
Cook lots of chicken and make it plain…thanks
I try to prep all my veggies on the weekend so they are easy to incorporate into my meals and I have no excuse to not eat veggies during the week!
I need to be better at meal planning but when I do I always try to do the ‘make once, eat twice’ thing so that I can just cook something like chicken one time but use it throughout the week for a couple of different meals. I’ve only just recently started shopping at Aldi and kick myself for not starting sooner – they have such awesome prices and the food is still great.
My husband and I have a 9 month old, so I do my best to do dinner prep during nap time – while I’m putting the baby to sleep, my hubs is in charge of putting the finishing touches on dinner! Also, blue apron has been life changing for us! We can divide and conquer and make a great meal in 30 minutes.
I make my grocery list and meal plan a week in advance & edit as needed!
I’m an accountant so I’m a little nerdy by nature. 🙂 I keep a spreadsheet of all of our favorite meals & the dates I made each one last so I can quickly scan the list for what I haven’t made in awhile. Then I have a tab for each recipe listing the ingredients (w/ a link to the recipe online, if available) so I can quickly make a grocery list & run out over lunch to pick up what I need for that night’s (or week’s) meal(s).
I like to do most of my shopping on Saturdays I make a list ahead of time with items needed and potential dinners for the week. We live a busy life. Both work full time and when I get home its straight to bringing kids to practice. I try and prep as much as I can for an easy week but am I the only one who always forgets 2-6 items needed for dinner that week. It never fails ?
I make a list and try to get all my shopping done on Sundays so I don’t need to run to the store during the week!
I keep frozen vegetables in my freezer and utilize leftovers
We repeat a lot of meals with little tweaks, which simplifies meal prep and saves time because we always know which ingredients to grab and because we can cook most of the recipes without instructions. To keep from getting too bored, we’ll repeat a category of food (Tuesday fish + veggies) but switch up the specific ingredients and spices to keep it from getting too boring – so one week it’s salmon, the other it’s swai, etc.
This is absolutely wonderful and would be perfect for my busy lifestyle.. and I know everyone elses! I usually meal plan for each day at the beginning of the week so this would just add to the wonderful idea by making it even easier!
I streamline my weeks worth of eating by meal planning and stocking up on staples at all times.
I’m all about one-pot meals, and I make at least one crockpot meal every week, because leftovers are so easy!
I try to make more than we need for a meal so we have leftovers for later in the week.
I try hard to stick to my list, do as much prep work as I can and fix a few days of lunches at once.
Love Aldi! Making Egg muffin cups on Sundays are my feeble attempt to save some time in the weekday mornings! I recently did our weekly grocery shop at Aldi and was so impressed at everything they had to offer 🙂
I make big pots of rice and pasta and store the min my fridge for quick stir fries and pasta dishes. Frozen veggies are also helpful for me when I’m in a pinch!
I would love to make that warm superfood salad! I simplify my life by meal prepping on the weekends, but need to be better about making lists and going once to the store, instead of 3-4 times…
I need to get better at meal planning and prepping. My recent method has been to go to the store once a week and load up on meats and veggies and make sure the pantry and freezer are stocked. I’ll send my boyfriend to the store for any last minute items!
I like to streamline by pre portioning out my snacks at the beginning of the week.
I love soup and make it often. I usually double the recipe and freeze some for days I don’t have time to cook. I also cook a bunch of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and use them over the week in different salads.
I plan our families’ meals for the week and we stick to our grocery list. I try new recipes and love these since we do all of our grocery shopping at Aldi’s 🙂 thanks!
I make double batches of meals and freeze the extra batch.
The crockpot, hands down, is the best way to streamline cooking!
With two little kids and a full time job, the best way I know to simplify things is to do as much prepping as possible on the weekends!
i love meal prepping on sundays before the week starts! and doing the grocery shopping saturday so i have more time on sunday too
I make and freeze meals to save time later in the week.
In my area the grocery ads come out on Wednesday, so we spend Wednesday night doing coupon match-ups and then buy our weeks groceries on Thursday morning
I get the cooking light magazine and each Sunday I pick the meals for the next week. We then can grocery shopping once on Sunday, and every day when I get home I know exactly what I’m cooking that night.
I always make a list of meals for the week and a list of exactly what I need at the store. I let myself get sidetracked and buy chocolate or flowers, but mostly I stick to my list! I like to prep ahead on the weekends and stick my freezer with leftover meals & baked goods. Keeps me sane while in college full time!
I always shoot for a one pan meal to bake and while that’s baking I’ll fill another pan with veggies to bake at the same time, we always buy a rotisserie at Sprouts to start our week, and we always have sweet potatoes on hand to bake 🙂
It’s all about the lists! And within the lists I create the meals (by putting the needed ingredients for each one) that way when I shop I don’t forget anything.
Two lists – one for pantry restock and weekly dinner
I go to the grocery store during my lunch hour and stock up on healthy snacks and meals for the week at work and bring them directly to the office, so even if I can’t get out for lunch one day that week I still have something healthy and handy to eat.
I hope this isn’t over, I would love to win this. I try to streamline meal prep by buying prepared salad mix and cleaned and ready-to-eat veggies.
I’ve found that meal delivery 3 times a week helps cut so much time out of my busy schedule. I have been using Blue Apron for about a month now and really like it.
overnight oats for breakfast!
Freezer Meals are the best way to save time for my meal planning. I also love that I can be in and out of Aldi in less than 30 mins and have shopped the whole store.
Make and freeze pancakes for the microwave
With two kids under two, I have to meal plan and then go shop. Otherwise I’d be in such trouble because I can’t remember anything!
My one thing that has worked for us, is look through my blogs I love to find the recipes I want to make for the week. Look at what days I can actually cook ( life is unpredictable) and then make a list of what I don’t have and head to usually 2 grocery stores. Because I can never get it all at one! But this way I make new fun recipes and break out of my cooking ruts!
I simplify meal planning by washing and prepping veggies and fruits for the week in advance that I will use for meals.
We make a lot of meals at once and then freeze them in separate containers for meals throughout the week
A few years ago I created a meal planning system for our family that allows me to select slips that have meals on the front and ingredients on the back. I can then know what I’m cooking that week and can make my shopping list out fast!
to be honest, we have never found one to stick with. we have tried making big batches of stuff and freezing but somethings just dont freeze well, I just cook as we need which is 2-3 times a day. haha
Every time I prep veggies I chop more than I need and stash them in baggies in the fridge to grab for a quick omelet or soup!
How do I get an Aldi delivered box delivered to my home? How did you get one? Thanks?
I make double batches and freeze the leftovers.