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Hi, friends! If you like shopping for nutritious foods while saving money, then this post is for you. 

I spend alot of time thinking about food (obviously). With that, comes planning my groceries. To plan my meals, however, I first have to make a grocery list so I don’t veer off course.

I try and make my grocery trips as efficient and timely as possible, which is why I do most of my shopping at Aldi! 

I’ve written about the wonders and greatness of ALDI before, and as I’ve explained, I do the majority of my grocery shopping there.

Not only do they always offer fresh produce and foods at amazingly low prices, but they also have weekly specials with extra extra deals too!

this Post!

If you’re not familiar with ALDI, they are a German grocery chain but they are now present in 32 states, and they have more expansion plans in the works! They are a low cost grocery store with a very efficient business model. I say efficient because to use a grocery cart, you donate a quarter (which you get back when you return it), you bring your own grocery bags, and rather than put their products out on shelves, they stay out in boxes in aisles.

And until recently, they didn’t take credit cards. All of this saves them money on the back end and paying staff so they can offer customers the LOWEST prices.

Price checks have even found that ALDI products are 30% cheaper than Walmart!

I also have so much respect for ALDI because they hire dietitians, have a RD advisory council and really look to RD’s for recipe development, nutrition advice and product offerings.  

So, YOU can feel good about the nutrition of the groceries you’re buying!            

When the opportunity arose to partner with ALDI for a post on what a Registered Dietitian shops for at the grocery store, I was very excited.

Obviously, I’m a huge supporter of ALDI, and I’m very enthusiastic about their product offerings.

While I’m not gluten-free, I appreciate that they offer many gluten-free products (live Gfree brand), and their Fit & Active store brand matches up with many name brand alternatives (rice, cereals, dressings, granola bars, etc), but just costs much less.

You can learn more about their store brands here.

And what’s better? They’re expanding their lines of organic and gluten free products, and plan to offer cage-free eggs by the end of 2016.

And they are already working to remove synthetic colors, added MSG and partially hydrogenated oils, which is all the more impressive considering they mostly sell their own brands.

They are even initiating Healthier Check out lanes, where there will be HEALTHY snack options like trail mix, nuts, and dried friut, rather than candy bars and other sugar and fat-laden options.

My first tip of advice when navigating the grocery store would be to always have a list.

When I go grocery shopping, I like to plan out what recipes I want to make that week, check what ingredients I already have and base what I need off of that – otherwise, it’s a free for all in my grocery cart, and I’ll have foods that I may not use.

Food waste is a big no no in our house. If you’re buying it, buy with a purpose and plan to use it!

Here’s my list, and what I purchased this week. 

Produce:
Apples
Canned artichokes (for salad toppers)
Bananas
Strawberries
Frozen blueberries, mango and strawberries (post workout smoothies)
Spinach
Greens – I tried this new “Greens Trio” with collards, mustard and turnip greens, and TONS of Vitamins A and C!
Beets (for this Sweet Potato Smoothie)
Mushrooms
Avocado
Sweet Potatoes (for sweet potato mac and cheese)
Onions (good for immunity!)
Baby Carrots
Frozen broccoli (for easy microwavable sides)

Other typical produce items I might buy are grape tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers, but we already had some on hand! And I’ll usually just bake or saute them all together to have for sides and throw on salads throughout the week. 

Grains + snacks:
Whole grain flatbread wraps (love these for breakfast or as a pizza base!)
Sandwich flatbreads
Oats (for my daily overnight oats)
Gnocci (for this one-pan gnocci dish)
Quinoa
Chocolate granola
Garlic and hummus tortilla chips and my favorite peach salsa!
Multiseed crackers
Peanuts
Graham crackers (for ice cream/smoothie toppings)
Rosemary Olive Oil Thin Wheat Crackers

I go through rice cakes like crazy. They are the best vehicle for really anything you want!

Meat/Proteins:
Ground Turkey (for turkey sweet potato burgers)
Wild caught salmon (I make this recipe all the time; it’s hard to mess up!)
Chicken sausage (for stuffed sweet potatoes and for flatbread pizzas!)
Tuna (for tuna sliders and tuna salad)
Black beans
Garbanzo beans (lemon basil hummusl!) 

Dairy and other Refrigerated items:
Almond milk
1/2 Gallon of Milk 
Plain Greek Yogurt
Plain Cottage Cheese (for these pancakes)
2 cartons of Eggs ($1.00 for a dozen!)
String cheese (a favorite on-the-go snack)
Shredded cheese
Honey Goat Cheese, my FAVORITE cheese ever! And I also use it for my stuffed sweet potatoes recipe. 
Hummus (Black Bean and Edamame hummus!) – I put hummus on my salads, thin it out for dressings, use it on sandwiches, and as a snack with chips and vegetables. We go through alot of hummus!

It is also common for us to buy ice cream – yes, ice cream! Lately, though, I’ve been blending frozen bananas with plain greek yogurt, and adding peanut butter, cinnamon, and chocolate chips for a homemade frozen yogurt concoction. It’s delicious!

Other:
Parsley
Pure maple syrup (for these and these)
Minced garlic – I use this ALL the time for cooking when I’m lazy

The total for all of this was just under $100.00, and many of these staples will last us a while!

Now, here’s the fun part! ALDI is offering one lucky BLT reader a $50 gift certificate, so you guys can experience ALDI’s greatness! The winner will be randomly chosen in 1 week. Good luck! Make sure to check out ALDI on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by ALDI. I was compensated for my grocery shopping for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own.

What are the must have’s on your grocery list?

How long do your groceries last?