Wednesday, January 27, 2016

What does a Trim Healthy Mama buy at ALDI?

One of the objections I hear about Trim Healthy Mama™ is that "I've never spent more on groceries!". That may be true.

Unfortunately, real, whole foods are often more expensive than junky, fake, cheap carb-loaded ones.

One of the ways I keep my grocery budget under control is by doing the bulk of my shopping at ALDI.


What does a Trim Healthy Mama buy at ALDI? 


I'm so glad you asked!

I'll lead you through a virtual tour of my local ALDI store, aisle by aisle, and list what I purchase there that is "on plan".

Note: I do buy more than these items at ALDI each week, because my family isn't strictly on plan as I am, and my (seven) growing kids need lots of crossovers.

Your ALDI store may be laid out a bit differently, but you'll get the general idea.

Aisle One

  • 85% dark chocolate - may as well start with the most important things! Ooh la la la...
  • Organic salsa - chips aren't on plan, but you can enjoy salsa with many other things. One of my favorite ways to eat it is inside an avocado (remove the seed, fill with salsa), or on top of fried eggs. 
  • Spices - ALDI has wonderful prices on herbs and spices. They've ruined me! 
  • Extracts - ditto
  • Cocoa powder
  • Chia seeds and flax seeds (these are seasonal)
  • Nuts - all on plan, in moderation. Buy regular old nuts without any sugary coatings. 
  • Mustard and mayo - Duke's mayo is on plan, and we love the Dijon mustard
  • Coconut oil and coconut oil spray - coconut oil, that metabolism boosting super oil! 
  • Natural peanut butter - no sugar added, bien sur. 
  • Steel cut oats and old-fashioned oats 
  • Pickles - a pickle wrapped in lean meat is an on plan Fuel Pull snack. 
  • Olives
  • "Tabasco" style hot sauce
  • Artichoke hearts
  • Sweet Additions Stevia packets! - I keep these in my purse for convenience. The large bagged stevia "baking blend" is NOT on plan, but these packets ARE. 
Aisle Two
  • Organic canned tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, Mexi-style tomatoes
  • Tomato sauce and tomato paste 
  • Mexi-style corn - ok in small amounts
  • Diced green chilies - available seasonally, stock up! 
  • Broth: chicken, vegetable, beef - the Simply Nature line have no added MSG
  • Beans, dried and canned - you need these healthy carbs for your "E" meals
  • Chickpeas and lentils - ditto
  • Corn tortillas - ok in small, infrequent amounts
  • Canned tuna (packed in water) and salmon 
  • Brown rice - (Brown Basmati is my favorite, so fragrant and flavorful)
  • Spaghetti sauce - a few varieties are sugar free
  • Quinoa and other ancient grains 
  • Plain seltzer water and La Croix flavored seltzer water 
  • Unsweetened applesauce 
Aisle Three
  • Sprouted whole grain bread (available seasonally)
  • Paper products - haha, you don't eat these, but the prices on paper towels and toilet tissue are low. 
Refrigerated Items

  • Sour cream 
  • Butter 
  • Eggs and jarred egg whites
  • Shredded parmesan / colby / mozza 
  • Cheese: block / sliced / cubed 
  • Happy Farms light cheese (spreadable cheese similar to Laughing Cow)
  • Bacon, sausage, turkey bacon
  • Spinach / bagged salad 
  • 0% Greek yogurt
  • 1% cottage cheese 
  • Unsweetened almond milk
  • Neufchatel (low fat) cream cheese
  • Artisan cheeses that would meet the approval of une fille francais: take a look as they are "special buys" and seasonal. 
  • "Never Any!" lunch meats (free of preservatives and additives)
  • Grass-fed ground beef
  • Meats - nearly all if they're unprocessed and have no frills - ground turkey, whole chicken, chicken breasts and tenderloins, pork tenderloin, stew beef, chorizo, beef roast, etc
Frozen

  • Frozen fish fillets and wild-caught salmon, scallops, shrimp, clams 
  • Frozen vegetables including broccoli, peas, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, California mix, and more
  • Frozen berries
Produce 

  • Nearly all (except white potatoes) - what I buy most regularly at ALDI is cauliflower, sweet potatoes, organic tomatoes, cucumbers, organic apples and bananas, berries, avocados, lettuces, cabbage, lemons, limes, asparagus, onions, radishes, zucchini, celery, bell peppers, garlic 
And there you have it. A shopping list fit for a Trim Healthy Mama! 






14 comments:

  1. This is a very comprehensive list, thank you!

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  2. Do you know if their canned tomato products have a liner in them? If so, is it bpa free? I wont eat acidic items from a plain can, but i also dont want it just coated in cheap plastic. Know what imean?

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  3. Hi Nicole. I don't happen to know that information but it would certainly be worth an email to their customer service. I'm sure there's a link on the ALDI website, or try asking them on Twitter.

    Let me know what you discover!

    I do understand your concern, I was interviewed once by CNN a few years ago over the bpa debacle, unfortunately tomatoes in glass are around $7 a pop, making them unacceptably expensive for my large family.

    Interestingly, I read recently that the risk of bpa in cans is far less of a concern than something we probably all touch every - cash register receipts. Yikes!

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  4. What a great list!! I have a question about the baking blend, which is in their THM cookbook. I am looking for a substitute that I could blend at home, but the Oat fiber is challenging to find except online. Any ideas or thoughts?

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    Replies
    1. Hmm. I've never seen oat fiber in stores either, but then again I've never looked so there may be some in health food stores.

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  5. The Sweet Additions big bag of Stevia is NOT on plan?! Is it the one that specifically says baking blend? I have been using a big green bag the whole time. What makes it not on plan?

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    Replies
    1. Also, mine is a green bag and does not say baking blend, though it does say "great for baking" off to the side.

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    2. It contains maltodextrin, which isn't on plan, although it seems that quite a few people use it with no problems, so perhaps it isn't a big deal. Thank you for your comments!

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    3. Unless you are talking about a different product I am unfamiliar with :-)

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  6. Thank you! Printing this now and heading to Aldi today.

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