How mum made healthy dinners with unprocessed foods and her budget tips for saving on groceries

How Smart Mom Made Eight Healthy Meals From A $110 Shop At Aldi — Here’s How She Did It And Her Top Tips For Saving At The Grocery Store

  • Mom spent $111.65 on groceries at Aldi
  • She made eight meals with ‘unprocessed’ foods
  • The woman also shared her top budget tips

A money-saving mom showed how she made eight healthy dinners for her family from an impressive grocery list from Aldi that only cost her just over $110.

The mom had “challenged” herself to see how many meals she could make with “unprocessed” foods from Aldi and while she admitted she wasn’t trying to be frugal, she only spent $111.65.

She managed to make eight “reasonably healthy” dinners with some left over for lunch with her grocery store of fresh veggies and meats from Aldi.

The woman, from New South Wales, prepared delicious dishes, including wraps with halloumi and bacon, cups of lettuce with minced Thai chicken, pasta with creamy chicken and bacon and cottage pies with vegetables and beef.

She also shared her top tips for spending less at the grocery store, from selecting cheaper cuts of meat to growing her own herbs and vegetables and even swapping ingredients with friends.

A frugal mom has shared how she made eight healthy meals after buying just over $110 worth of groceries from Aldi after challenging herself to cook with ‘unprocessed’ foods

The mother prepared delicious dishes, including wraps with halloumi and bacon, cups of lettuce with minced Thai chicken (pictured), vegetable and sweet potato patties and cottage pies

Smart mom’s tips to save on groceries

  • Check the fridge, freezer and pantry before you go shopping
  • Always have a plan
  • Buy meat in bulk
  • Shop around for prices
  • Buy cheap cuts of meat
  • Grow your own herbs and vegetables
  • Halve or swap ingredients with friends
  • Get eggs from friends and family with chickens
  • Check store availability and locations
  • Buy ingredients that you can use multiple times
  • Prepare, separate and freeze meat for later

‘Two weeks ago I did a bit of a challenge to see what meals I could make with mostly unprocessed food from the Aldi. I spent $111.65,” the mother explained in a message to Aldi moms.

“It wasn’t about making the most frugal meals or I could have just cooked noodles and toast.” I came up with eight reasonably healthy meals and had some left over for lunches and other meals.’

She said each meal had four to six servings, but was often stretched to six and loaded with loads of veggies.

The mom shared her tips for saving on her grocery bill, saying she could have cut back on her shopping by checking the fridge, freezer, and pantry to see what she already has before shopping and planning meals.

She also said that she should always have a plan before shopping, buy meat in bulk, and grow herbs and vegetables.

The mother said buying cheap cuts of meat can save money and recommended taking half and swapping ingredients with friends.

She gets eggs from friends and family with hens and shops for cheaper prices by checking out what items are available in different stores.

“I often combine other ingredients and make spice mixes ahead of time to make meals easier,” she added.

Using items from her shopping list and ingredients she already had in the pantry, the home cook created an array of delicious meals, starting with halloumi and bacon wraps with homemade chips.

She also made Thai-style cups of lettuce and salad with minced chicken, pasta with creamy chicken and bacon, and vegetable and beef cottage pies with grilled vegetables and pita chips.

She shared the recipes for all eight meals she made throughout the week, including pasta with creamy chicken and bacon (pictured), as well as her top tips for cutting down grocery bills.

Other meals included stuffed peppers, vegetable and sweet potato patties, chicken and vegetable curry, and vegetable fried rice.

The woman shared the recipes for all eight of her dinners so others could try them for themselves.

Group members were impressed by the mom’s efforts and thanked her for posting her easy-to-make healthy recipes.

‘Wow wow wow!! You are amazeballs! Thanks for the recipes! Astonishing!’ replied a mother.

Thanks for posting such an informative post with recipes. Well done, you are so organised,” said another to which a third agreed: “This is impressive!”

RECIPE: Creamy chicken pasta with bacon

Ingredients

  • 500 grams chicken thigh
  • Pasta
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 leek
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • Bacon
  • 1 zucchini
  • 2 tsp chicken stock powder
  • 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 600 ml thick cream
  • Parsley

Method

  1. Fry the chicken thigh and set aside
  2. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, making sure to save a cup of pasta water for the sauce
  3. In a pan, add a drizzle of olive oil, butter, sliced ​​leeks and crushed garlic
  4. Fry for a few minutes and add chopped bacon, chopped zucchini and plenty of cracked black pepper
  5. Add chicken stock powder and the white wine and let the liquid reduce
  6. Add the pasta water and chicken and reduce again and then mix in some parmesan.
  7. Pour in the cream and add the cooked pasta and chopped parsley to the mix and stir to combine.

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