tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2515732297947014172024-02-08T03:11:31.259-08:00AldiMom: Aldi reviews, Aldi recipes, and more!Aldi mom has Aldi recipes, Aldi reviews, Products, Aldi comparisons, and much more from an online mom blogger in St.Louis.The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-59708579610140582022012-10-28T09:11:00.002-07:002012-10-28T09:11:26.489-07:00ALDI Ad for 10/28<br />
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Aldi Mom's Top Deals of the Week:<br /><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">This is the second week for Thanksgiving</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"> Deals!</span></h2>
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<span style="color: blue;">0.89</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">Chef's Cupboard Stuffing Mix</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">0.99</span> <b style="color: #38761d;">Canned Cresent Rolls</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">0.99</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">L'oven Fresh Brown and Serve Rolls </span><i style="color: #38761d;">(Stock up on these!)</i><br />
<span style="color: blue;">0.99</span> <span style="color: #0b5394;">Pineapple</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1.29</span> <span style="color: #0b5394;">Happy Farms Flavored Spreadable Cheese Wedges</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1.98</span><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><span style="color: #0b5394;">Red Grapes</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">2.99</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">Belmont Pumpkin Pie</span><i> (All the Belmont pies are amazing.)</i><br />
<em></em><span style="color: blue;">7.99</span> <b><span style="color: #38761d;">Kirkwood Boneless Turkey Breast</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><em>How do I select the best deals? It's simple. Shopping at ALDI, we already know the quality is great. Therefore, I choose the best deals based upon price matching at other stores. These are the items that will save you the most money this week in comparison with normal retail value of the national brands.</em></span></div>
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The rest of the Ad for the Week Starting 10/28 and 10/31</h3>
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<u>National deals begin 10/31. <b>Regional (In-Store) deals begin 10/28 and are bold.<br />However, some stores start their national deals the same day as the in-store.</b></u></div>
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<em>To benefit from both ads, go shopping the 31st- the 3rd.<br />In-Store savings may vary by region.</em></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Items to start hoarding for Thanksgiving are green. ;)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span><span style="color: #0b5394;">0.35 Avocados</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">0.39 Fit & Active Raspberry or Blackberry Nonfat Yogurt</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.59 Happy Harvest French Style Green Beans</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.89 Friendly Farms Extra Creamy Whipped Topping</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">0.89 Green Peppers 20oz. package</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.89 Chef's Cupboard Stuffing Mix</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>0.89 Sweet Harvest Cranberry Sauce</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.99 Baker's Corner Canned Pumpkin</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.99 Chef’s Cupboard Potatoes</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.99 <b>Canned Cresent Rolls</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.99 L'oven Fresh Brown and Serve Rolls <i>(Stock up on these!)</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.99 Happy Harvest Candied Sweet Potatoes</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">0.99 Pineapple</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">0.99 Vine Tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.29 Breakfast Best Buttermilk Waffles</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.29 Chef's Cupboard Family Size Cream of Mushroom Soup</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.29 Happy Farms Flavored Spreadable Cheese Wedges</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>1.29 Happy Harvest Cut Sweet Potatoes</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.39 Carlini Baking Spray</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.49 Bake House creations Reduced Fat or Butter Flavored Crescent Rolls</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.69 Little Salad Bar Hummus</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.79 Priano Caramelized Onion & Garlic Pasta Sauce</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.79 Priano Spicy Red Pepper Pasta Sauce</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.79 Season's Choice Frozen Roasted Potato Wedges</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.89 Butterball Fully Cooked Smoked Turkey per lb.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.98 Red Grapes</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.99 Baker's Corner Cookie Brownie Bars</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 Chef's Cupboard Bagged Stuffing</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 Chef's Cupboard Turkey Stock</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 Honeycrisp Apples 2 lb. bag</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>1.99 L’oven Fresh Rolls</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.99 Little Salad Bar Refrigerated Soup</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.99 Specially Selected Garlic Cheese Flatbread</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">2.19 Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Cheesesticks</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">2.29 L’oven Fresh Mini Cinnamon Roll Frosted Sugar Cookies</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">2.49 Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen Mega Pizza Snacks</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">2.49 Specially Selected Fire Roasted Vegetables</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">2.89 L’oven Fresh Pumpkin Pie</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">2.89 Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 Belmont Pumpkin Pie <i>(Phenomenal)</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 L’oven Fresh Sweet Potato Pie</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">2.99 Specially Selected Cranberry White Cheddar Cheese</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">2.99 Specially Selected Flavored Hand-Crafted Cheese</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">3.49 Collier’s Welsh Cheddar Cheese</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">3.49 Season's Choice Sweet Potato Casserole</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">3.99 Belmont Dutch Apple Crumb Pie</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">3.99 Casa Mamita Mini Tacos</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">3.99 L’oven Fresh Cinnamon Crumb Cake</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">3.99 Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen Chicken, Spinach & Garlic Pizza</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">4.99 L’oven Fresh Mini Pecan Tart Party Tray</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">5.89 Happy Farms Shredded Cheese</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">5.99 4 Quattro Rossi Italian Red Blend</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">7.99 Kirkwood Boneless Turkey Breast</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">8.99 Bremer Bake<i> (I've been wanting to try the lasagna. Let me know if you have!)</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">8.99 O'Donnell's Caramel Cream</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">12.99 Carlini Peanut Oil</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Also, local ads vary this week for special toy deals to get ready for Christmas!</u></span><br />
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The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-28439254464454242592012-10-25T06:31:00.001-07:002012-10-25T06:31:11.909-07:00ALDI Recipe: Wine Mix-Ups<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many people enjoy wine with their dinner, but what if you just can't handle the taste or what if you want to make something nice for a crowd, but you don't have much money? Good news: It doesn't hurt to mix that wine with something to make a fun sparkling beverage for a crowd! With the holidays coming up, try mixing things up now to see what you like. Here are a few ideas to get your brain going...<br />
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First, choose your wine...then match it with a sparkling juice. (ALDI's sparkling juices taste even better than National brand sparkling juices.) I would also like to mention ALDI wines taste great and are very cheap! They even have a sweet red, that actually says "Sweet Red" on the bottle, so it should be easy to find. ALDI has many nice tasting wines for 2.99 - 6.99 a bottle! Next, choose a fruit for garnish, or mint leaves.<br />
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1. <b>Sparkling Cider: </b>Mix your favorite white wine, with apple juice, Add cinnamon schnapps and a cinnamon stick for a holiday feel! (Festive!)<br />
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2. <b>Petite Pink: </b>Mix red wine with sparkling cranberry and lemon juice, and garnish with mint leaves.<br />(A favorite of mine.)<br />
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3. <b>French Blueberry:</b> Mix white wine, with sparkling white grape juice, juice from half a lemon, and add blueberries to make it pretty. (Yum!)<br />
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4. <b>Chamberry:</b> Champagne + Cranberry Juice + 1 tsp. sugar. Add cranberries.<br />
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You can even throw a shot of gin in these for an extra punch. Gin is usually the best hard alcohol to go with in fruity drinks because it tastes more fruity than other hard alcohols.<br />
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You can also make little fruit kabobs and stick them in the drinks! Just another idea to get you thinking outside the box. Your plain old glass of wine, doesn't have to be so plain and boring. Especially when entertaining. Mix things up a bit. Come up with your own combinations and have fun with it.<br />
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<b>Do you have a favorite combination? Leave your comment here!</b>The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-90185014565460484472012-10-23T10:31:00.002-07:002012-10-23T10:31:47.558-07:00ALDI Mom's New Shopper SurveyHi guys! I am curious about how new shoppers felt during their first shopping trip at ALDI. If your first trip was in 2012, and you would like to contribute to the blog by answering 12 questions about your first trip, shoot me a Facebook message or an email to <a href="mailto:TheAldiMom@yahoo.com">TheAldiMom@yahoo.com</a>. If you have a website or blog, I will link back to it. Also, you can optionally include a photo of you and your family.<br />
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I would like to hear about some things you thought during your trip and will be posting everyone's responses in a future blog post. :)<br />
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Also, if you have any ideas for an interesting post, I would love to hear them! Thanks!The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-80307943011490931982012-10-22T07:07:00.003-07:002012-10-22T07:07:28.021-07:00Aldi Pumpkins and Pumkin Carving Kit Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-azeUK5Yic8o/UIVPikwqaYI/AAAAAAAAAwo/kg3S6aSrMHI/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-azeUK5Yic8o/UIVPikwqaYI/AAAAAAAAAwo/kg3S6aSrMHI/s320/photo+(2).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<b>Rating:</b> Just As Good<br />
<a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/aldi-mom-how-i-rate.html">How Do I Rate?</a><br />
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Over the weekend we carved our first pumpkin. We purchased our pumpkin for $2.29 at ALDI. There wasn't much of a selection left because due to the low price they go quick. There were two large boxes and only a few left at the bottom of each one. So, I simply chose the one with the best color. I noticed lots of reddish, and some light orange, some bright orange, etc. I received a Halloween gift from ALDI last week....<br />
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In my gift I had two frostings, paper plates, napkins, baking cups, a box of confetti cake mix, and also a pumpkin carving kit! (Which I planned to purchase and was glad I didn't have to.) So anyways, my husband Jason did the carving after we chose a design. Inside the ALDI pumpkin carving kit there were 12 designs. Each design had a 1-4 rating on difficulty, we chose one with a 4, which was the most difficult. It was so cute though, and my husband felt he could do it. The only thing I was a little uneasy about was that on the back of the ALDI pumpkin carving kit, there was an image of a pumpkin face and I had said that was the design we wanted, but after opening the kit that design wasn't in there.<br />
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So just so you know you will not find the spooky flames face inside the kit. You will find 12 other designs though. And again, we chose one with 3 pumpkin heads that was rated the most difficult to do. Jason spent about 30 minutes hollowing out the pumpkin, and an additiona1 1 or 1.5 hours working on the design. He said the tools all worked fine, nothing broke. The razor knife that you slide in and work around your shape to cut pieces out could have been longer he said, but it seemed to be the same size as in other kits we have seen. So inside of shoving the knife through the pumpkin and pulling out and being done, he would shove it through and have to work it around a little and occasionally shoving through from the inside as well because the knife would go about 90% of the way through the pumpkin. However, that was not a major problem or an issue that would cause us not to purchase this kit. All in all, the product works and nothing broke so the ALDI pumpkin carving kit received the rating of just as good because it is just as good as other kits. Here is a photo of our finished product...</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!</span></h3>
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The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-72953943729121009712012-10-21T06:47:00.001-07:002012-10-21T06:47:12.691-07:00ALDI AD: Deals for 10/21 and 10/24<br />
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Aldi Mom's Top Deals of the Week:<br /><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">This is the week for Thanksgiving</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"> Preparations!</span></h2>
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<span style="color: blue;">0.29</span> per lb. Bananas<br />
<span style="color: blue;">0.99</span> Pineapples<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">1.29</span> Pancake Mix<br />
<span style="color: blue;">1.68</span> per pack Grapes<br />
<span style="color: blue;">1.99</span> Millville Creamy Wheat Cereal <i>(New for my store!)</i><br />
<span style="color: blue;">2.49</span> Southern Grove Cashew Halves <i>(Cheap for cashews!)</i><br />
<span style="color: blue;">2.99</span> Belmont Pumpkin Pie<i> (All the Belmont pies are amazing.)</i><br />
<em></em><span style="color: blue;">2.99</span> Kitchen Living Metal Bakeware & Kitchen Living Silicone Bakeware<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><em>How do I select the best deals? It's simple. Shopping at ALDI, we already know the quality is great. Therefore, I choose the best deals based upon price matching at other stores. These are the items that will save you the most money this week in comparison with normal retail value of the national brands.</em></span></div>
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The rest of the Ad for the Week Starting 10/21 and 10/24</h3>
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<u>National deals begin 10/24. <b>Regional (In-Store) deals begin 10/21 and are bold.<br />However, some stores start their national deals the same day as the in-store.</b></u></div>
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<em>To benefit from both ads, go shopping the 24th- the 27th.<br />In-Store savings may vary by region.</em></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><u></u><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Items to start hoarding for Thanksgiving are green. ;)</span></div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span>0.29 PER LB. Bananas<br />
0.39 Fit & Active Raspberry or Blackberry Nonfat Yogurt<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">0.59 Chef’s Cupboard Condensed Soup</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.69 Baker’s Corner Fat Free Evaporated Milk</span><br />
0.69 Pomegranates<br />
0.99 28-OZ. PKG. Pears<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">0.99 Baker’s Corner Graham Cracker Pie Crust</span></b><br />
0.99 Breakfast Best Heat-n-Serve Maple Links<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.99 Chef's Cupboard Broth</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">0.99 Fit & Active Broth</span><br />
0.99 Fit & Active Neufchâtel<br />
0.99 Happy Farms Cream Cheese<br />
0.99 Pineapple<br />
<b>1.29 Aunt Maple’s Buttermilk Pancake Mix</b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">1.29 Baker’s Corner Baking Morsels</span></b><br />
<b>1.29 Chef’s Cupboard Chunky or Homestyle Soup</b><br />
1.29 Happy Farms Flavored Spreadable Cheese Wedges<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">1.39 Carlini Baking Spray</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.49 Baker’s Corner Cookie Mix</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">1.49 Season’s Choice Prince Edward Medley</span></b><br />
1.68 PER PACK Red Grapes<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.69 Stonemill Essentials Holiday Baking Spices</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.69 Stonemill Essentials Salt Free Seasoning</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.70 PER 3LB. BAG Apples</span><br />
1.79 Priano Caramelized Onion & Garlic Pasta Sauce<br />
1.79 Priano Spicy Red Pepper Pasta Sauce<br />
1.79 Season's Choice Frozen Roasted Potato Wedges<br />
1.89 LB. Butterball Fully Cooked Smoked Turkey<br />
1.99 Appetitos Mac & Cheese Bites<br />
1.99 Baker's Corner Cookie Brownie Bars<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 Baker’s Corner Bread in Tin Mixes</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 Countryside Creamery Butter Quarters</span><br />
<b>1.99 Happy Farms Deli Sliced Mozzarella or Sharp Cheddar</b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 Kitchen Living Wooden Baking Utensils</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 L’oven Fresh Rolls</span><br />
1.99 Little Salad Bar Refrigerated Soup<br />
1.99 Millville Creamy Wheat Cereal<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 Stonemill Essentials Assorted Food Colors</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">1.99 Stonemill Essentials Pure Extracts</span><br />
2.19 Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Cheesesticks<br />
2.29 L’oven Fresh Mini Cinnamon Roll Frosted Sugar Cookies<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">2.49 Baker’s Corner Light Corn Syrup</span><br />
2.49 Millville Steel Cut Oats<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">2.49 Southern Grove Cashew Halves</span></b><br />
<b>2.69 Nature’s Nectar 100% Cranberry Pomegranate Juice</b><br />
2.79 Lifeway Kefir<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 Belmont Pumpkin Pie</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 Kitchen Living Metal Bakeware</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 Kitchen Living Silicone Bakeware</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 L’oven Fresh Pumpkin Pie</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 L’oven Fresh Sweet Potato Pie</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">2.99 Nature’s Nectar Spiced Cherry Cider</span></b><br />
<b>2.99 Priano Spinach & Cheese or Portobello Mushroom Stuffed Rigatoni</b><br />
<b>3.29 Specially Selected Cheese Snack Sticks</b><br />
<b>3.49 Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Fire Baked Pepperoni Pizza</b><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">3.99 Belmont Dutch Apple Crumb Pie</span><br />
<b>3.99 Casa Mamita Mini Tacos</b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">3.99 Kitchen Living Baking/Pastry Utensils</span></b><br />
3.99 L’oven Fresh Cinnamon Crumb Cake<br />
3.99 Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Caprese Pizza<br />
3.99 Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Pulled Pork Pizza<br />
<b>3.99 Naked Mighty Mango Smoothie</b><br />
<b>4.49 Peanut Delight Peanut Butter</b><br />
<b>4.99 ActivEnergy AA or AAA Alkaline Batteries</b><br />
4.99 Kirkwood Chicken Chunks<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">4.99 L’oven Fresh Mini Pecan Tart Party Tray</span><br />
<b>4.99 Sealtite Party Carry-All Containers</b><br />
5.89 Happy Farms Shredded Cheese<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">5.89 Sealtite 6-Piece Durable Food Storage Set</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">6.99 Anchor Hocking 2-Quart Batter Bowl With Lid</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">6.99 Boulder 6-Roll Ultra You Choose Giant Towels</span></b><br />
<b>6.99 Kitchen Living Oven Liner</b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">6.99 St. Cloud Kitchen Towel, Pot Holder and Oven Mitt Set</span></b><br />
8.99 Bremer Bake<br />
<b>9.99 Kitchen Living Silicone Counter Mat</b><br />
<b>14.99 St. Cloud Chef’s Mat</b><br />
<b>29.99 Crofton Stand Mixer With Stainless Steel Bowl</b></div>
The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-76545878666738815072012-10-19T06:36:00.001-07:002012-10-19T06:36:44.381-07:00Aldi Review: Belmont Pumpkin Cheesecake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWpRz88Fp0k/UIFWlmvKAWI/AAAAAAAAAvw/Op0OJ3fjSTs/s1600/ppcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWpRz88Fp0k/UIFWlmvKAWI/AAAAAAAAAvw/Op0OJ3fjSTs/s320/ppcake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Rating:</b> Favorite!!<br />
<a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/aldi-mom-how-i-rate.html">How Do I Rate?</a><br />
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Holy smokes you guys. This is one of the best tasting foods ever to find my mouth!! With ALDI having so many pumpkin items for the season, we decided to pickup a few of them. Last night we got the cheesecake and the pumpkin spice cookie mix. We couldn't wait to try this. The first layer is really cream cheesy, in a good way, the next layer is where the pumpkin flavor takes hold. The crust stays together, it isn't crumbley, and it is moist and sticky and good. We ate our first slice when it wasn't completely thawed yet....don't judge me. It was great, but when we ate our second piece....I said don't judge me!! When we ate our second piece completely thawed later in the night, it was phenomenal. You definately can feel confident purchasing this Belmont Pumpkin Cheesecake from ALDI. Highest quality, highest taste, one of the ALDI Mom's favorite items.The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-34559912481565595702012-10-18T07:32:00.000-07:002012-10-18T09:53:12.442-07:00Aldi Mom's Make It Better: Macaroni and Cheese Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BcG5orJHwyQ/UIATB6ETqmI/AAAAAAAAAvY/IC8HrMrH5gw/s1600/iStock_000015766702XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BcG5orJHwyQ/UIATB6ETqmI/AAAAAAAAAvY/IC8HrMrH5gw/s320/iStock_000015766702XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is Aldi Mom's "Make It Better" Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon recipe. Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon is an appreciated dish at many events and holiday feasts. You may find people asking you for the recipe, or simply telling you that your Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon is the best Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon they've ever had! So let's begin with the ingredients you need for this recipe:<br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">1 32 oz. Box of Macaroni Noodles.<i> (Not macaroni and cheese, just the noodles.)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">1 Package of Bacon.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">1 Cup of Brown Sugar.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">1-16 oz. Block of Cheese. I use ALDI's version of <a href="http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr146/jfarkcom/velveeta.jpg" target="_blank">THIS</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">1/2 Stick of Butter.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">2 Cups of Plain Bread Crumbs.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Spray Butter, or Spray Olive Oil.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Note: This recipe is enough to feed a party of 20.</i></b></div>
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<div>
Now, you can substitute the bacon for ham pieces, the macaroni noodles for any other type of noodle, and the cheddar shredded cheese for any other type of cheese. That's what makes this recipe so fun! You can get creative with it yourself by swapping out some of the ingredients.</div>
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<div>
<ol>
<li>Cook the bacon in a skillet. Half the package at a time. During the first half, add in 1/2 a cup of brown sugar evenly across the bacon. Let it cook and repeat with the second half. Set the finished bacon aside.</li>
<li>Boil the macaroni noodles and strain. Put back into the boiling pan.</li>
<li>Combine the butter, block of cheese, and noodles in the boiling pan. Mix. It is helpful to pull the cheese apart in chunks and cover with the hot noodles a few minutes and then mix. This lets the cheese melt a little and it is easier to mix.</li>
<li>In a large aluminum disposable pan, empty out half the macaroni evenly across.</li>
<li>Tear the bacon into pieces no more than 1 inch long and evenly top the first layer with half the bacon.</li>
<li>Evenly top the first layer with shredded cheddar cheese.</li>
<li>Repeat with the rest of the mac, and finish by adding the rest of the bacon and shredded cheese.</li>
<li>Top with bread crumbs.</li>
<li>Spray with spray butter or olive oil just enough to barely wet the bread crumbs.<i> (This allows for the crumbs to get crunchy instead of powdery during baking.)</i></li>
<li>Bake at 350 and take out when the sides and bread crumbs start to brown.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Add salt and pepper to taste. You may top with chives, or another favorite herb, for looks. A good time to do this is before baking. Add the herbs to the top of the bread crumbs and then spray with the butter or oil.</div>
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I have received so many compliments on my Aldi Mom's "Make It Better" Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon that I almost always make this dish now when I bring a dish to an event. Let me know if you made it, if you alternated anything, added anything, etc. And what your family or friends thought. :)</div>
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The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-29197266543704334682012-10-18T07:05:00.002-07:002012-10-18T07:05:06.178-07:00Review: Aldi Bread Crumbs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i4BItGf2P94/UIAMaMXJNBI/AAAAAAAAAvA/gYSQb9NKnmk/s1600/photo+(33).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i4BItGf2P94/UIAMaMXJNBI/AAAAAAAAAvA/gYSQb9NKnmk/s320/photo+(33).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<b>Rating:</b> Just as Good<br />
<a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/aldi-mom-how-i-rate.html">How Do I Rate?</a><br />
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First I would like to say...I really think bread crumbs are like sugar...sugar is sugar and bread crumbs are bread crumbs. I have never tasted a significant difference between any brands. Have you? If you have, please comment I would love to hear it! We all have differences in our taste buds and senses. For this reason I am giving ALDI bread crumbs a rating of "Just As Good" because I cannot tell a difference between them and Shake N Bake, they cook just fine, and there is no significant difference. Now, why am I reviewing boring bread crumbs? Well, I've already mentioned I would like a review of all the ALDI products I can find. I plan on reviewing at least 4 products a week until I get to my goal of the full database. But also, I make a mean "Aldi Mom's Make It Better Macaroni and Cheese" and one of the ingredients is bread crumbs. You can check out the recipe here, and please note it includes bacon, so any man you feed it to will probably love it! Also, with the holidays coming up, I wanted you all to remember recipe ingredients like bread crumbs, spices, sugars, flour, etc. can be purchased at ALDI for such an incredibly low price without losing the quality.<br />
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<b>Do you have a recipe that includes bread crumbs, and all the other ingredients can be purchased at ALDI?</b> If so, I would love to hear about it. Feel free to comment your recipe here, or e-mail it to TheAldiMom@yahoo.com and please include your name and location!<br />
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The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-77421790747470365032012-10-17T07:03:00.003-07:002012-10-17T07:03:37.488-07:00Aldi: Live Better<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Why should you shop at ALDI?</h2>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HsvdkTo4jxM/UH612S79rwI/AAAAAAAAAug/Y8VwKJqt0II/s1600/photo+(48).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HsvdkTo4jxM/UH612S79rwI/AAAAAAAAAug/Y8VwKJqt0II/s320/photo+(48).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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There are many ways to answer that question, but first ask <b>yourself </b>a few questions...<br />
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<ol>
<li>Is it wise to pay 4.99 for an item, that you can get for 2.99?</li>
<li>If the ingredients are the <u>same</u>, is it really <b>that </b>much different?</li>
<li>Is it worth it to you, to <b>try</b> something just once, if it could save you thousands per year?</li>
<li>Would you rather give your money to a company that could careless about your opinion, or to a company that actually cares about the well being of their customers? They care so much, they take your ideas and comments into consideration, and they also provide a product guarantee?<b><span style="color: red;"> If you don't like their product for any reason at all, you can return it for a full refund.</span></b></li>
<li>If you drink milk from a cow, is the milk from another cow raised and fed the same way any different? What if you can get it for half price? Doesn't that make it better? What about for the fact that they also don't use growth hormones on their cows? And their milk contains no BGH!</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Need more convincing? I dare you to buy your family's groceries for the week at ALDI, just <u><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">one time</span></u>. If you don't like it, so be it. Isn't it worth a try?</span></h3>
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<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
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A family of four on <b>average</b>, spends around $500.00 a month at a National Brand grocery store.</div>
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This equals $6,000.00 per year on food alone, not including household and everyday items.</div>
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Switch & Save with ALDI and you could be saving $3,000.00 per year or more on just food.</div>
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ALDI also carries diapers, baby wipes, laundry soap, pet food, lotions, medicines, toothpaste, toilet paper, paper plates, trash bags, vitamins, seasonal items, and more. All their items are just as good as National Brands or better.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>How do I know that ALDI products are tested to be great products?</b></h3>
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<b>During a visit to ALDI headquarters, I visited the ALDI test kitchen. What is the test kitchen? ALDI products go through a significant amount of quality and taste testing to get their products tasting just as good, or better than the leading national brands. These aren't just poorly, quickly made products out to make a buck. ALDI genuinely tries to make an excellent product.</b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Lkjkzgcpb0/UH62DxYnacI/AAAAAAAAAuo/Wl-ehoMyD5k/s1600/550548_366045923477206_849953550_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Lkjkzgcpb0/UH62DxYnacI/AAAAAAAAAuo/Wl-ehoMyD5k/s320/550548_366045923477206_849953550_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Why is the cost of ALDI products so low?</h3>
<div>
There are many things ALDI does to make grocery shopping very efficient. Here I have outlined just some of those things...</div>
<div>
<br />
1. They don't have to pay a large group of employees because the cashier's take part in all jobs. Janitorial, Stocking, Receiving, Quality Control, etc.<br />
<i>They also are paid more and receive cheaper benefits than your average grocery store employee.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>2. Checkout is more efficient because produce is sold by the unit--nothing is weighed, which takes more time. The packaging is covered in bar codes, cashier's do not have to look for the code and keep trying to get it to beep through the machine.<br />
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3. There are no fancy shelving, everything is stacked in delivery boxes. However, you will notice the design of the boxes matches the design on the product packaging. Cute.<br />
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4. Restocking for the employee's is a cinch. They open the box, stack the box. Hundreds of new products are restocked in a minute. Other grocery stores can't do that as fast because they restock each individual item.<br />
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5. The crazy car system. :D Employees don't have to wonder around parking lots gathering carts, and you don't have to worry about your car getting hit with one! Pop in a quarter, get your cart, return it, get your quarter back. It's a pretty smart process if you ask me.<br />
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6. ALDI only carries 1400 of the most commonly purchased products. Yes, your cereal bars might not come in lemon, cranberry, vanilla, or chocolate...but they will come in the most popular flavors--strawberry, apple, and mixed berry. Having the most common types of products helps ALDI save money, which gives you lower prices.<br />
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7. ALDI makes all of their own products. This way, they don't have to pay suppliers and other distribution centers to stock products. They do everything themselves, and every ALDI has their own distribution center close by. If they are out of something, they call the center and get more.<br />
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If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me, or contact <a href="http://www.aldi.us/index_ENU_HTML.htm" target="_blank">ALDI</a> themselves. They have friendly customer service and are always around to <b>help you live better</b>.</div>
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<i>Disclaimer: Once again, I would like to note that I am not endorsed by ALDI to deliver my opinions to my readers. I am passionate about ALDI, and I truly believe this company can help us all live much better in this expensive economy.</i></div>
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The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-28109049085528898262012-10-16T07:24:00.001-07:002012-10-16T07:54:48.735-07:00Aldi Review: Boulder Trash Bags<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5CXqUSXxxuc/UH1tUbRi3LI/AAAAAAAAAuA/NOqPP5IiHOU/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5CXqUSXxxuc/UH1tUbRi3LI/AAAAAAAAAuA/NOqPP5IiHOU/s320/photo+(2).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<b></b><br />
<b>Rating:</b> Better Than The Rest<br />
<a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/aldi-mom-how-i-rate.html">How Do I Rate?</a><br />
<br />
This morning I took my trash out and it inspired me to do a review on ALDI's trash bags, the Boulder trash bags. I use the tall white kitchen ones. You would asume at a discount supermarket, the quality of the items would be less than at a national brand supermarket, but this is not true. My bag this morning was stuffed so full, as I pulled it out of the can I was thinking, "Oh gosh it's going to rip for sure." I carried it from my kitchen all the way outside, there was even some liquid in the bottom along with some boxes and trash that had rough edges. The bag held up! My ALDI charges 4.99 for a box of 80 bags. We usually change our trash every other day, so a box of 80 lasts a long time for our house. Keeping in mind, we also recycle so plastics and what not go in our seperate recycle can. The cheapest price I have found on Glad, for a box of 78, is 10.99. Therefore, my rating is better than the rest for this product of ALDI trash bags.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: My opinions are mine alone.</span></em></div>
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I would also like to point out one other thing. Notice the angle of the photo below...What do you notice about the box of bags?<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QZqw7rL8Fxo/UH1uU9Xk2FI/AAAAAAAAAuI/KdytJlCKB1I/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QZqw7rL8Fxo/UH1uU9Xk2FI/AAAAAAAAAuI/KdytJlCKB1I/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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From this angle you can see three bar codes. There is also one more on the other side. Why so many bar codes? This makes checkout quick and easy, allowing for our grocery shopping experience to be more efficient, in turn running along with the various other reasons their prices can be so low. Smart right? Next time you go to ALDI look at all the products packaging...they are covered in bar codes. Beep. Beep. Beep. Cashier's can get you in and out quickly. :)</div>
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The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-45461497578732749102012-10-15T07:57:00.005-07:002012-10-15T08:03:58.229-07:00ALDI Ad 10/14 and 10/17<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Aldi Mom's Top Deals of the Week:<br /><span style="color: red; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">This is the week for Italian savings!</span></h2>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XpBpILmhPfM/UHwl0GaC5ZI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/myL-0xk1iAE/s1600/spaget.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XpBpILmhPfM/UHwl0GaC5ZI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/myL-0xk1iAE/s1600/spaget.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">0.59</span> 3 lb. bag of Yellow Onions<strong> (National Deal Starts 10/17)</strong><br />
<span style="color: blue;">0.89</span> Reggio Pasta Entres <em>(Love the Parmesan)</em> <strong>10/17</strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">0.99</span> Pasta Sauce <strong>10/17</strong><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1.49</span> Priano Cut Pasta<em> (The fancy pasta in the bags! Lol!)</em> <strong>10/17</strong><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1.79</span> Canned Breadsticks<em> (Could this be the week for spagetti?)</em><br />
<span style="color: blue;">3.89</span> 12-Pack Diet Green Tea <em>(Wow, what a savings compared to Lipton at 6.99)</em> <strong>10/17</strong><br />
<span style="color: blue;">4.99</span> Frozen Tiramisu<em> (My favorite cake in the world.)</em><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><em>How do I select the best deals? It's simple. Shopping at ALDI, we already know the quality is great. Therefore, I choose the best deals based upon price matching at other stores. These are the items that will save you the most money this week in comparison with normal retail value of the national brands.</em></span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
The rest of the Ad for the Week Starting 10/14 and 10/17</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>National deals begin 10/17. <span style="color: #0b5394;">Regional (In-Store) deals begin 10/14 and are blue.</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="color: black;">To benefit from both ads, go shopping the 17th - the 20th. <br />In-Store savings may vary by region.</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">0.49 Tomato Soup <em>(Great with grilled cheese!)</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">0.59 3lb. Yellow Onions</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">0.59 Can Diced Tomatoes</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">0.59 Cream of Soups</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">0.69 8oz. Mushrooms</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">0.79 4-Pack Green Peppers</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">0.79 Pack of Roma Tomatoes</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">0.79 Little Salad Bar Bag</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">0.99 3-Pack Zuccini</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">0.99 Pasta Sauce</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">0.99 Various Pasta Entres</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">0.99 Boxed Pasta</span></div>
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1.29 Chicken Noodle Soup</div>
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1.49 Spagetti and Macaroni</div>
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1.49 Priano Bronze Cut Pasta</div>
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1.49 Risotto</div>
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1.69 6-Cups Instant Maruchen Cups</div>
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1.69 Priano Alfredo Sauce</div>
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1.79 Priano Vodka Pasta Sauce</div>
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1.89 Priano Roasted Pepper Sauce</div>
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1.89 Dark Chocolate <em>(There's 5 Individually Wrapped Smaller Bars in the box.)</em></div>
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1.99 Various Choceur Chocolate Candy Boxes <em>(These are sooo good.)</em></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.99 Kettlecorn Popcorn</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">1.99 Blueberry Shredded Wheat</span></div>
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1.99 Balsalmic Vinegar</div>
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1.99 Pesto <em>(Yay, so glad they carry pesto now. An Italian secret ingredient in many dishes!)</em></div>
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1.99 Assorted Tortellini</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">2.29 Smoked Turkey Wings or Drums</span></div>
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2.39 Container of Parmesan</div>
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2.49 Jarred Garlic</div>
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2.49 Jarred Portebella Mushrooms</div>
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2.69 Fresh Mozarella</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">2.99 Extra Light Olive Oil</span></div>
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2.99 Toasted Ravioli</div>
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2.99 Individually Wrapped Chocolates</div>
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3.29 Regular Olive Oil</div>
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3.49 Italian Cheese Wedges</div>
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3.89 12-Pack Diet Green Tea</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">3.99 Four Cheese Ravioli</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">3.99 Fit N' Active Protein Meal Bars</span></div>
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4.99 Kitchen Grater</div>
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4.99 Pinot Grigio and Santa Bachelli Wines</div>
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4.99 1 lb. Chicken Parmesan Ready Made Cutlets</div>
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6.99 Lambrusco <em>(Heard this was a good Lambrusco.)</em></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">6.99 Breaded Veal Patties</span></div>
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8.99 A Whole Frozen Lasagna</div>
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9.99 3-Piece Kitchen Stone Set</div>
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9.99 Chianti Wine</div>
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19.99 5-Quart Pasta Pot</div>
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The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-46313644998485018402012-10-13T12:15:00.001-07:002012-10-13T12:32:53.470-07:00My Trip to ALDI HQThe first week of October I received an e-mail from Lauren at ALDI Hq, inviting me to attend the Aldi Test Kitchen event along with 8 other bloggers. We were to come visit ALDI Headquarters courtesy of Weber Shandwick and ALDI! I accepted...and had an amazing time.<br />
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I learned so much about ALDI and I am here to report all of my information to my readers. If you have been curious to know how ALDI can give us cheap food without cutting the quality (they really don't cut quality) then you need to read this post because it contains all the secrets of ALDI.<br />
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Thursday, October 11th was my first plane ride in my life...did I mention ALDI paid for my flight and my fancy room at The Herrington Inn & Spa? :) Anyways, my flight left out Thursday morning...and the Aldi Test Kitchen event awaited me...<br />
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Weeeeee....<br />
It was the funnest ride I've ever been on. If you haven't flown, try it once. Especially if you like carnival rides!<br />
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When I landed in Chicago, I met Nicole from <a href="http://www.nicolesnickels.com/" target="_blank">Nicole's Nickels</a>, and together we rode in our Music Express town car to our hotel, The Herrington Inn & Spa!<br />
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An hour or so later we arrived at our hotel and checked in. All the bloggers were there but I only met Nicole so far...and she is amazing!! Love her!! Our schedule said to meet in the lobby at 3:40, so I had a couple hours to kill before heading to the Aldi test kitchen and Aldi headquarters...what did I do for a couple hours?</div>
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At 3:40 I went down to the lobby and almost had a heart attack when I saw bloggers whose blogs I have been reading for years now!!! Like Kim from <a href="http://mommysavers.com/">MommySavers.com</a>!! Ahhh!! I felt so honored to be around so many other successful blogging women. It was amazing for me. I was so excited. Here are the moms that attended the Aldi Test Kitchen Event with me:</div>
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<li>Nicole from <a href="http://www.nicolesnickels.com/" target="_blank">Nicole's Nickels</a></li>
<li>Kim from <a href="http://www.mommysavers.com/" target="_blank">Mommy Savers</a></li>
<li>Margie from <a href="http://www.myspringfieldmommy.com/" target="_blank">My Springfield Mommy</a></li>
<li>Michelle from <a href="http://www.mydallasmommy.com/" target="_blank">My Dallas Mommy</a></li>
<li>Rachel from <a href="http://www.mashupmom.com/" target="_blank">Mashup Mom</a></li>
<li>Melissa's Mom from <a href="http://www.consumerqueen.com/" target="_blank">Consumer Queen</a></li>
<li>Jenny from <a href="http://www.momminitup.com/" target="_blank">Mommin' It Up</a></li>
<li>Caroline from <a href="http://www.smartypantsmama.com/" target="_blank">Smarty Pants Mama</a></li>
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Please visit their wonderful blogs if you have not done so before!</div>
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Anyways, after the honor of meeting all of these amazing women, we all rode with Lauren Acosta and Brookes May to the ALDI HQ!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! :D</div>
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First we visited the Test Kitchen and tasted ALDI products compared with National Brands. I preferred ALDI brands 8 out of 10 times without knowing which brand was which! And the 2 times I preferred the National Brand, the two tasted very similar. Definitely similar enough for me to buy ALDI and save up to 50% off my grocery bill! It's just SMART!</div>
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(Me and Rachel from <a href="http://www.mashupmom.com/" target="_blank">Mashup Mom</a>!)</div>
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After testing we went into the next room for our holiday feast. Before that though, we met Janice Stahl, a food stylist who has worked with companies such as Butterball and Kraft, whom I was very impressed with! She taught us money saving secrets and decorating ideas to save time, money, and energy when we entertain our friends! Read my full post on everything we learned <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/2012/10/janice-stahl-entertaining-on-budget.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span>.<br />
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Finally, the test kitchen chefs came in and we got to EAT!!!!!! Ham, Turkey, Sauces, Treats, Stuffing Balls, Green Bean Casserole, and much more! We were soooo full and sleepy after dinner! You can find the recipes of my top picks from everything I ate during my trip <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/2012/10/aldi-test-kitchen-recipes.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span>.<br />
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Upon returning to my room, the fireplace was turned on, I had a chocolate bar and the Christmas ad from Aldi on my desk. I also had ice cold milk and a chocolate chip cookie from the hotel. I enjoyed a hot whirlpool bath and fell asleep quickly afterwards in my amazingly soft bed....zzzzzzzzzz...can I go back now?</div>
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The next morning I met the other bloggers downstairs for a yummy breakfast! Have I mentioned that I stayed full from the moment I got there until I left? Lol! I should have known coming to the Aldi Test Kitchen event that I would be well fed. The first thing we did was met the Vice President at the Aldi store for a tour and an explanation of how Aldi cuts prices, without cutting quality. IT'S TRUE!!</div>
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So How Do They Do It?</h2>
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<li><b>They have the minimum amount of staffing needed. The cashiers do the stocking, etc.</b><br />You would think that this is hard on the staff, but it is not. Why not? If you notice there is no shelving in ALDI stores except for the wines. This allows for the stocking to be done in minutes. The boxes are opened and stacked on top of each other and in less than a minute over 100 new items can be "re-shelved". Get it so far? You would also be amazed to know that their part-time cashiers recieve low cost benefits, and they are paid over $12 per hour. Also, have you noticed that the boxes the items are in, match the design on the item packages? I bet you didn't notice one other thing about the packaging...</li>
<li><b>The packages have more than one bar code on them!</b><br />Why? This allows for the cashier to ring up our items quicker and more efficiently. Have you ever been in a long line at ALDI and within minutes you are putting your stuff on the line? That's why! And another reason why is...</li>
<li><b>They don't weigh products.</b><br />This also takes time when a cashier has to weigh products, pay attention next time, produce is sold by the unit, not the weight. This allows the cashier's more efficiency in their job as well!</li>
<li><b>They don't use fancy shelves.</b><br />As I mentioned before and as you probably know, the shelves are the boxes the product comes in. The carts for the milk and eggs are the carts that come off the distribution truck. They are not transferred to other shelves and carts. This allows for quick exchanging.</li>
<li><b>They make their own products and do not have to pay other suppliers.</b><br />Many grocery stores have to their suppliers, Kraft, Kellog's, Miller, etc. brand names. Aldi makes their own products with many times, the same ingredients, and many times from the same places other brands get their ingredients from. This is what the purpose of the test kitchen is. They test each new product to ensure the taste and quality is as good as national brands, or better, before they package and approve it to be sold in ALDI stores. Kudos to you ALDI's!!</li>
<li><b>No one has to collect the grocery carts, or bag the groceries.</b><br />They don't need to pay extra staff to do this because of their quarter cart, and bag your own groceries systems that are in place. It's worth cutting your bill in half, to bag your own groceries. Plus, you only need to buy the bags once, because you can reuse them. Feel free to bring in any type of bagging you need to your ALDI store. It doesn't have to be ALDI brand bagging.</li>
<li><b>They use re-usable labels for their price tags.</b><br />The price tags on the merchandise in the stores are an instantly changeable tag, notice in the photo to the right above. With a few adjustments to the tag, you can change the price instantly. No expensive printing or purchasing of tags of all prices possible is needed.</li>
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There are also various other reason to shop at ALDI. Their milk is always the lowest in your area. Challenge yourself to find cheaper milk without the use of coupons, at general retail price. You won't. In Chicago the milk was 1.88 a gallon, and here in St.Louis it is also around 2 bucks for me. Their milk also contains no growth hormones, and no BGH. Their produce goes through quality checks at the distribution center, and then again by ALDI employees while they are stocking. Also, <b><span style="color: red;"><u>If you don't like your product, return it for a full refund---no questions asked!!</u></span></b></div>
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<i>So now do you realize that ALDI isn't some low quality product store, selling products to only low income families? </i><span style="font-weight: normal;">I don't care how wealthy you are, why would you want to throw your money away? You need to get out and at least try </span>one <span style="font-weight: normal;">grocery trip with ALDI. Then tell your friends!! Send them here, to my post, so they can read this for themselves. Aldi is genuine, honest, and sincere in their process to bring you the ...........................</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: #e69138; color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Aldi Truth #10: Impressively high quality at impossibly low prices!!</span></h3>
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After all of that, even more exciting things happened!! We were told we would be going back to the test kitchen to take on a recipe challenge....DUN DUN DUN!! It was announced that it would be Guacamole and we had a list of ingredients back at the kitchen provided for us. It was our challenge to get creative and come up with one secret ingredient to add to our recipe. It felt like Top Chef! We ran through the store and picked 1 ingredient. I chose one of my favorite ALDI items, the Feta Cheese crumbles.</div>
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We returned back at the kitchen and created our recipes for the challenge. There were two awards, one for most creative, and one for Best Over-All! <u>I WON THE BEST OVER ALL!! YAY!!</u> Read the full recipe for Aldi Mom's "Make It Better" Guacamole <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/2012/10/aldi-moms-guacamole-recipe.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span>. Melissa's Mom from Consumer Queen won most creative for her Pumpkin Guacamole...and I must say I did vote for hers...hey, it was the only orange Guacamole, plus she had decorated it so well. Here's our winning photo:</div>
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Have I mentioned how wonderful this women is? I enjoyed sharing my trip with her! Very funny and lovely!</div>
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We enjoyed a taco bar for lunch provided by ALDI, and said our goodbyes...*sniffle* I really felt like the trip was one of the most honorable moments in my life to meet the ALDI HQ staff, test kitchen chefs, and some of the most intelligent, independent and amazing women I have ever met in my life!! Whom all were very friendly towards me, welcoming, and caring....considering I was the most amateur blogger out of the bunch in all honesty!! Thanks ladies for not picking on me, and instead befriending me and giving me tips for how to better my own blog here at AldiMom.com. Every tip you all gave me will help me in the future.</div>
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I would also like to thank Lauren Acosta with ALDI, without her I would have been completely lost on this trip. My first time flying, my first time going on a trip alone, and my first time meeting other bloggers like myself. Every question I had she responded quickly and helped me not lose my head during the trip.</div>
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I would like to thank Weber Shandwick and ALDI for giving us all this opportunity to visit the Aldi test kitchen and Aldi headquarters. You all did an amazing job planning everything, and thank you for the gifts and everything else!! :) How could I love ALDI even more than I already did??? But, I DO!!</div>
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And last but not least....I received this amazing name tag to wear on my adventure. Thank you name tag for making me feel so special! I heart you! :D</div>
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The End.....or is it?</div>
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<br />The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-55127542415166534552012-10-13T12:14:00.002-07:002012-10-13T12:14:40.230-07:00Aldi Mom's Guacamole Recipe<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Aldi Mom's Make It Better Guacamole Recipe</b></h2>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">"Best Overall" Guacamole Recipe Winner at The Aldi Test Kitchen Event 2012.</span></i></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you don't like Feta cheese, you probably won't like this guacamole recipe. Just a warning.</span></div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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3 Diced Avocados</div>
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1/2 Tomato Finely Diced</div>
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1/4 Red Onion Finely Diced (Reds produce sweeter flavors, so make sure you use red.)</div>
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1/2 Jalepeno Pepper Finely Diced</div>
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1 Tbs. Minced Garlic</div>
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1/2 Lime (The Juice)</div>
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1 5 oz. container of Crumbled Feta Cheese</div>
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Directions: Start with the avocados. Don't finely dice them at first because they will mash up during the mixing of the rest of the ingredients. Combine all ingredients and mash them all together in a bowl. Don't worry about everything being perfectly creamy because you will want some chunks of feta and avocado left in the mixture for texture. Squeeze the half of the lime and mix in the juice. Add salt and pepper to taste to finish up this perfectly tasty guacamole recipe.</div>
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The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-19125035837963464402012-10-13T12:02:00.005-07:002012-10-13T12:02:54.873-07:00Aldi Test Kitchen RecipesDuring my trip to the Aldi Test Kitchen I had the honor of taste testing several ALDI products, as well as eating foods prepared by the Aldi Test Kitchen chefs! Here are my favorite recipes of the foods that were served. I'm a tough food critic...so if the recipe is here...it must be very tasty!<br />
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And this is a photo of the Pecan Tarts. They were my favorite. (There's chocolate on the bottom!)</div>
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<br />The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-37981260917627885402012-10-13T11:48:00.001-07:002012-10-13T11:48:24.665-07:00Janice Stahl: Entertaining on a BudgetDuring my Aldi Test Kitchen 2012 Event trip, I enjoyed a presentation by Janice Stahl on food styling and entertaining on a budget. Here you will discover the top tips I learned during that presentation.<br />
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Who Is Janice Stahl?</h2>
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Janice Stahl is a food stylist based out of Chicago, Illinois. Over the last eight years she has worked with brands such as Kraft, Sara Lee, Kenmore, and Butterball. Her work has been featured on Oprah and Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Janice is an ALDI shopper. She has said, "Many years ago I figured out that shopping there was not only really inexpensive, but the food was great! I use a lot of their foods on my styling jobs." Take it from a pro, ALDI is wonderful and great for families that come from any walk of life!</div>
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Styling on a Budget</h2>
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Here are the top tips that I learned from my presentation.</div>
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<li><i>Keep it Simple</i>. If you over think your decor, things will end up looking tacky. Keep it simple.</li>
<li><i>Use only white or clear dishes, and white tablecloths</i>. Don't worry about your fancy holiday trays. By keeping everything white you can use other decor items to decorate your tables along with the holiday or theme. Then, you can also save money and time by purchasing only white or clear dishes for entertaining and the same dishes can be re-used time and time again, event to event. To my understanding, a solid colored table cloth would look OK as well, as long as it is a nice solid color.</li>
<li><i>Use other decor items, instead of decorative dishes</i>.<br />For example, you have all your food out in their white and clear dishes, and you have your white tablecloths out. For decorating at Christmas, throw a few ornaments on the table, and mistletoe. For Easter, decorative eggs or pastel flowers. For valentines day, red rose petals. This makes decorating extremely easy and efficient for years to come.</li>
<li><i>Don't put all the alcohol in one room</i>.<br />This will cause crowds to form where the alcohol is. Separate the types of alcohol throughout the area or home. For example, wines with cheese and grapes can be in the corner of the living room, while the beer and peanuts can be in the kitchen. You can also do this with finger foods. This will force your crowd to mingle around the party.</li>
<li><i>Decorate with fruit and vegetables</i>.<br />Purchase clear vases that can be used over and over. (There are small ones at Dollar Tree, and I have found affordable ones at Michael's.) Use the fruit or vegetable of the season and put it inside the vase. You can place it in the vase alone, or with water as shown in the photo above. You might also discover another item that isn't food related that you can put inside the vases. ALDI fruits and vegetables are so cheap, decorating won't hurt your checkbook.<br /><br /><b>What if someone's brings something in an ugly dish or on a tacky tray?</b> Let them know ahead of time you have plenty of dishes for the food, and tell them to bring their food in Tupperware and you will convert it to your matching dish set!</li>
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Feel free to leave a comment if you have your own budget or time saving tip.</h3>
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<br />The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-23298747916825810122012-10-10T08:11:00.001-07:002012-10-10T08:25:44.004-07:00Departure: ALDI HQHi guys! Tomorrow is the big day! I am departing St.Louis for Chicago in the morning to visit ALDI Headquarters. ALDI was generous enough to invite me to their Test Kitchen Event. They are paying for my flight (I've never flown! Meep!) as well as my stay at a very nice hotel for the night. They have many things planned for me for Thursday, as well as Friday. I will learn a lot of information about ALDI and their products that I will be able to report back to you all upon my return!!<br />
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Wish me safety on my travels and I am anxious to report everything upon my return. I will also take photos!!<br />
Here is my schedule...<br />
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Music Express Limousine Service will be my travel accommodation provided by ALDI! Check out their website here, <a href="https://www.musicexpress.com/" target="_blank">Music Express</a>.<br />
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<li>Car service picks me up at 8:30 am to take me to the Lambert Airport.</li>
<li>My plane leaves at 9:50 and arrives at 10:55 in Chicago. (AHHHHHH!)</li>
<li>I will arrive at my hotel around Noon.</li>
<li>Free time in Geneva for a couple hours. (Wee!!)</li>
<li>3:40 PM travel to ALDI HQ!</li>
<li>4:00 PM Welcome Reception (Wines, Cheeses, and Appetizers.)</li>
<li>5:00 Demonstration by Janice Stahl (Food Styling and Tablescaping)</li>
<li>6:00 Holiday Dinner by the Test Kitchen Chefs</li>
<li>8:00 Depart back to hotel.</li>
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Friday Schedule:</div>
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<li>Breakfast at the Inn & Spa</li>
<li>9:30 Depart for ALDI Store.</li>
<li>10:00 Behind the Scenes tour of Chicagoland Aldi</li>
<li>10:50 Depart for ALDI HQ!</li>
<li>11:00 Test Kitchen Challenge</li>
<li>11:40 Lunch featuring Exclusive Aldi Products and Recipes</li>
<li>1:00 Winner Announced</li>
<li>1:30 Depart for Airport.</li>
<li>5:15 PM Flight leaves for home. (Apparently I have time to kill/shop at the airport.)</li>
<li>6:20 Arrive in St.Louis.</li>
<li>Car service returns me to my residence.</li>
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See you when I get back!!! :)<br />
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- KristalThe Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-26978094546813992312012-10-02T12:04:00.000-07:002012-10-02T12:04:16.647-07:00Holiday Grocery ShoppingI just wanted to remind everyone that as we know the holidays are right around the corner, don't forget that by holiday grocery shopping at ALDI you can save half your bill and the quality of the food is just as good.<br />
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I am going to list some of ALDI's products that we will be using for the upcoming holidays that I have used before that <b>tasted great</b>, along with some tips for cooking these items after your holiday grocery shopping purchases....<br />
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<li><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Baker's Choice Cookie and Cake Mixes</span></b><br />(I have used them and they are just as good as name brand mixes. I add a little vanilla to the cookie mix to make the cookies even more flavorful, and I pick up a 4 serving size box of instant pudding and mix it with my cake mix and it makes the cakes turn out a little more dense.)</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Chef's Cupboard Stuffing Mix</span></b><br />(This is really good stuff, probably even tastier than Stovetop. Add some fresh chopped celery, broccoli, or another vegetable to give it an extra home-style taste and feel! You can even put bread crumbs and spray with butter across the top for a nice crisp, I also do this with the Mac N Cheese.)</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Reggano Noodles</span></b><br />(The noodles are extremely cheap and you get a large quantity in the box. I have used their Penne, Macaroni, and Spaghetti All have a strong texture, so no worries about these being cheap and breaking easily. As I said with the stuffing, try putting bread crumbs on the top. Aldi sells a large canister of bread crumbs for less than 2 bucks and it makes everything much more amazing. You can even sprinkle shredded cheese over the finished macaroni, with bread crumbs on top, spray butter, pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes and it's great!)</li>
<li><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Belmont Apple Pies</b></span><br />(Yum! Read my full review on these <a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/2012/06/aldi-product-review-belmont-apple-pie.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and my "Make It Better" recipe for them <a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/2012/06/aldi-recipe-warm-apple-pie.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br /><br /><br />And as always their produce is always perfect!! I have only noticed that you need to be picky and choosy with your apples, because some may be softer than others, but if you use the apples to bake with then choosing the softer ones actually work out.</li>
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Stay tuned for wonderful holiday recipes for the upcoming holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and more tips for your holiday grocery shopping.</div>
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What holiday products have you tried from ALDI and love using with your recipes? Post here and let us know!! And I am also collecting ALDI product holiday recipes so please email them to TheAldiMom@yahoo.com along with your name and location so you can receive credit!</div>
The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-3019698189981571642012-09-21T07:15:00.000-07:002012-09-21T07:17:17.385-07:00ALDI $25.00 CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello readers! I am giving one of you lucky readers a <b>$25.00 ALDI Gift Certificate!!</b> Here's what you have to do. Check out my review below of Aldi's brand baby wipes, Lullabies, and leave a comment on OUR <b>FACEBOOK PAGE POST</b> that linked you here! In your comment please state if you have used these wipes, what you thought of them, and let us know other things you use baby wipes for around the house, besides baby bottoms. ;) And besides your own bottom. :P Everyone's name will go in a random generator and whoever's name pops out will win! You have all day today and Saturday to comment up until Saturday night at 11:59 pm central time. The winner will be chosen some time on Sunday.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Lullabies Baby Wipes</span></b>: These wipes won the Parent Tested Parent Approved Winner's Seal of Approval, which is determined by North America's largest volunteer parent testing community! You can pick up a package of 72 wipes for under 2 dollars.
Aldi sent me a full size package to review. Upon receiving the wipes I noticed the sturdy plastic opening. I opened it and closed it a few times to see if it would easily break (like some Dollar store wipe lids have done in the past) and the lid didn't break. So I approve of the packaging first and foremost. I also appreciated the design and name idea of the wipes, "Lullabies" and the two L's are music notes. :) Cute. The actual wipe itself has no strong fragrance and is hypoallergenic. There are some cute animal designs on the print and guess what is the best of all? These wipes are STRONG and decently damp. Many cheaper wipes I have purchased were dried out a little too much for me, or weren't strong. I can tug these wipes and they don't rip. They actually seem stronger than Huggies brand. I give these wipes a rating of: <b><span style="color: red;"><u>better than the rest</u></span></b> and Aldi mom approved!!<br />
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We can thank ALDI for this opportunity and for sending me the gift certificate and a sample of their baby wipes!! We love our favorite grocery store and thank them for giving back to the fans!!<br />
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Now, go back to the Facebook page and comment for your chance to win!! Remember, <i>"Please state if you have used these wipes, what you thought of them, and let us know other things you use baby wipes for around the house, besides baby bottoms." (Comments on the blog are also welcome but not entered into the drawing. Thanks.)</i>The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-41202196422701661042012-07-31T07:15:00.003-07:002012-10-13T14:59:31.341-07:00Testimonials<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Would you like to submit a testimonial, review, recipe, interesting fact, or something else that you think our group would enjoy here on the blog? Feel free to e-mail your idea to </span><a href="mailto:thealdimom@yahoo.com" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">TheAldiMom@yahoo.com</a> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">with the subject "Contribute". Be sure to include a link back to you, such as a website, blog, facebook, twitter, public profile, etc. if you have one. If not, that's okay! Also include your first name and where you are from. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Contributors will always receive credit!</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
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We just tried the Fit and Active Yogurt Smoothie bars. They are absolutely wonderful - so creamy and full of flavor! We also love the Belmont Fruit Bars, Fit and Active All Natural Fruit Strips, Vitality Cereal Bars, and Protein Bars. The only product that we have not liked (and we have tried many)is the V-8 type fruit and vegetable juice. We could not finish the bottle. The 100% Nature's Nectar juice products are great, though, as are the frozen orange juice and lemonade. It's great to have a store like Aldi where we can find great products at great prices every day. We're lucky to have several in our area, and I've been to all of them! One thing I have noticed is that some products are only available in some of the stores. We love the frozen chicken breast tenderloins, but they no longer are available at the store I usually shop at. Other stores have them, so I stock up when I find them. Thank you for starting this group! <b><i>- Anonymous</i></b><br />
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My favorite Aldi product, the one I can NOT live without, is their coffee. Just the basic coffee (although I do enjoy their specialty coffees as well). I tell everyone that I'm a coffee snob, an Aldi coffee snob, because nothing compares. I don't want Starbucks, I don't want Folgers, I want ALDI brand! In fact, when I moved from Ohio to Florida, the first thing I checked before I decided, was if there was an Aldi nearby.<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">- Stepheny</i><br /><i><b>http://www.Jewels_of_Eden.Artfire.com<br />New Port Richey, Florida</b></i><br />
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My name is Linda and I live in Plano, Texas. I know I could have brought the juice back to get a refund, but I love all the other products so much that I just didn't. Maybe they need to know, though, so they can make some changes. I would love to be part of any consumer group/product raters or anything that involves Aldi shoppers! I tell others about the stores all the time, but most are skeptical. I hope they give it a try. It's great not to have to spend time couponing every week. I just clip a few for the products that I really love and can only buy at other stores. I forgot to mention that their Crofton and Kitchen Living products are excellent! The non-stick pans are the best I've ever used. The two-year warranty gave me the confidence to try them for the first time. I even went back and bought two more pans to save for when the ones I have wear out; they don't look like that will happen any time soon, though, and I use them every day. Keep up the good work!<br />
<i><b>- Linda<br />Plano, TX</b></i><br />
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So many of the house brands taste exactly like the name brands. but my favorite at aldi is the clancys sea salt and cracked pepper kettle style potato chips. TO DIE FOR!<br />
<i><b>- Julie<br />Plano, TX</b></i><br />
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So hard to choose but right now my latest "wow, I can't believe I got this for less than half what they charge at the other stores" is the artisan lettuces. $1.99 for double the lettuce that comes in one of the bags you pay $3 or more elsewhere.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>- Mary, Milwaukee Wisconsin</i></span><br />
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Many products are actually name brands packaged for Aldi :)<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>- Lynn, St. Louis, MO</i></span>The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-86395614425084812652012-07-30T11:19:00.003-07:002012-10-16T07:49:37.102-07:00Aldi Review: Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-REhYQguGKm0/UBbQaQxQiAI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/iGuMgIUXQFI/s1600/photo%2B%252822%2529.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5771029122118617090" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-REhYQguGKm0/UBbQaQxQiAI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/iGuMgIUXQFI/s400/photo%2B%252822%2529.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 299px;" /></a><br />
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<b>Rating:</b> Better Than The Rest<br />
<a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/aldi-mom-how-i-rate.html">How Do I Rate?</a><br />
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Yum-O! We did our bi-weekly Aldi trip yesterday and spent about $200.00. These yummy treats made their way into our cart! I had recently been to Schnuck's to get some sodas for a get together and when I walked through the frozen department I noticed greek yogurt bars, but they were over $6.00 for a box of 4!! Crud! I have recently become a big fan of greek yogurt and I really wanted to try these but they were way too expensive! So, yesterday when we saw these at ALDI for $2.99 a box I was stoked! We got them, tried them, loved them. The flavor is great...it does have that noticable stronger yogurt flavor since it is made with Greek yogurt and not ordinary yogurt, and the texture was creamy...and good. They didn't taste "cheap" at all!<br />
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<b>Have you tried these yet?</b>The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-43087953777532414862012-07-16T07:25:00.002-07:002012-10-16T07:50:50.573-07:00Aldi Review: Feta Cheese<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zyUSBRdKtE0/UAQkcpS3JKI/AAAAAAAAAk0/dx9rP3CrbkY/s1600/feta.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5765773497480979618" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zyUSBRdKtE0/UAQkcpS3JKI/AAAAAAAAAk0/dx9rP3CrbkY/s400/feta.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 265px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<b>Rating:</b> Just As Good<br />
<a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/aldi-mom-how-i-rate.html">How Do I Rate?</a><br />
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Today I am doing a feta cheese review. I absolutely love this feta cheese, and I never have a salad without some. I found it sitting in Aldi one day and decided to give it a try on my salads...I was very happy that I did. It's moist, and has a strong, testy flavor. Last time I was at Aldi they even had two new versions: Mediterranean and Tomato Basil. We tried the Med and loved it as well. I still prefer the original. The only thing that would bump this up to better than the rest is if the container had more in it. I can only get about 3 salads from one container, but National Brand containers are also small so if my only complaint is that I want more, I guess that's not a complaint. Hehe.<br />
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<img src="http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o631/TheAldiMom/strawfeta.jpg" /><br />
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I simply add the Feta to my normal salad: Chopped romaine, tomato, cucumber, bacon bits.<br />
Sometimes I add a boiled egg, with light ranch. Or, you can add it to the sweeter salads like Romaine, mandarin oranges, almonds, and raisins. Or, try this new salad idea...Romaine, strawberries, and almonds! When I make salads with sweeter ingredients, such as fruit, I always use one of my sweet salad dressings: Raspberry poppy-seed, or Sweet Italian. Sweet salad dressings don't taste as good with other cheeses, in my opinion!<br />
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<b>What is your favorite way to make a salad?</b>The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-77262701462160809422012-07-11T07:55:00.003-07:002012-10-16T07:51:18.115-07:00Aldi Review: Rice Crispy Treats<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V7Sm9zs8RSo/T_2UNArBfkI/AAAAAAAAAkk/c6yP8FSHki0/s1600/DSC_8501.JPG"><strong><span style="color: black;"></span></strong><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5763926049343766082" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V7Sm9zs8RSo/T_2UNArBfkI/AAAAAAAAAkk/c6yP8FSHki0/s400/DSC_8501.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 265px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<b>Rating:</b> Better Than The Rest<br />
<a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/aldi-mom-how-i-rate.html">How Do I Rate?</a><br />
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My Aldi review today is Aldi rice crispy treats. These are very yummy. They have a high quality flavor. They aren't stale, cheap tasting, etc. They taste just like name brand, and are a decent size. The best thing about them is they are really low in calories and in sugar, which makes them a good snack if you are dieting or for your kids! Here are some photos of creative things you can do with Aldi rice crispy treats. :)<br />
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Dip them in almond bark....(add sprinkles, candy, etc.) or cover them in icing!<br />
<img src="http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o631/TheAldiMom/2.jpg" /> <img src="http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o631/TheAldiMom/6.jpg" /><br />
<img src="http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o631/TheAldiMom/3.jpg" /> <img src="http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o631/TheAldiMom/5.jpg" />The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-13135551105282443082012-07-09T10:41:00.003-07:002012-10-16T07:52:51.465-07:00Aldi Review: Banana Chocolate Chip Monkey Bread<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T2VUSTm2kbk/T_sa0lrHSNI/AAAAAAAAAkU/aYCC-0z8ISs/s1600/photo%2B%252817%2529.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5763229638919145682" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T2VUSTm2kbk/T_sa0lrHSNI/AAAAAAAAAkU/aYCC-0z8ISs/s400/photo%2B%252817%2529.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 299px;" /></a><br />
<b>Rating:</b> Just As Good<br />
<a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/aldi-mom-how-i-rate.html">How Do I Rate?</a><br />
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We found a box of this at Aldi last week and yesterday we had some friends over for a True Blood gathering. (True Blood, the HBO series). Anyways, I decided to make these for the snack and it was a great value because we paid $2.89 for the box of banana chocolate chip monkey bread and it produced 24 decent sized ball snacks. I would say no more than 2 would equal a serving. So it could feed up to 12 people if everyone had 2 balls.<br />
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Here is an image of before I put them in the oven. Afterwards, chocolate is drizzled on the top.<br />
<img src="http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o631/TheAldiMom/photo18.jpg" /><br />
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Anyways, I simply followed the instructions on the back. Part of the instructions says to drizzle melted butter across the top of them, but I simply did 1 spray on each ball of spray butter! Much easier. They turned out really good. I took mine from the oven at 25 minutes and they were slightly over cooked, so I would recommend checking yours at 20 minutes. They taste better the next day, in my opinion, and are softer. Store them in a zip-lock bag at room temperature.<br />
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<b>Idea</b>: Instead of drizzling chocolate on the top, put a chocolate hershey kiss in the center of the ball and wrap the dough around it for a chocolate, gooey center.The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-57435556537283365922012-07-06T12:20:00.007-07:002012-07-06T12:25:49.719-07:00Michelle's Favorites<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QSghhWNIL78/T_c7X0dkvCI/AAAAAAAAAkE/wKJLzzloI6k/s1600/aldi-milk.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 159px; height: 137px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QSghhWNIL78/T_c7X0dkvCI/AAAAAAAAAkE/wKJLzzloI6k/s400/aldi-milk.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5762139528649554978" /></a><br /><br />One of our group members has a few things she would like to shout out to the public about some of her favorite Aldi items!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Aldi's Chicken Noodle Soup</span><br />We have been using aldi's condensed and cream soups for 4 yrs now and they are by far superior in quality to even the leading brand, they have more chicken pieces and noodles per can and without the chicken skin you see in some brands. Also the flavor top's all other store brands and my children prefer it over the leading brand and request the aldi's brand because of the heartiness. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Aldi's Milk</span><br />Aldi's brand is hormone free which I prefer as a parent.<br />there milk taste fresh and has a long shelf life. Being big milk drinkers we go through a gallon a day and my husband and children all prefer the taste of Aldi's milk to any other brand, we have tried the whole, 2%, skim, chocolate and butter milk for baking all are wonderful. <span style="font-style:italic;">We actually make a hour drive weekly to aldi's for the milk and refuse to buy milk anywhere else.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Aldi's Long Grain Rice</span><br />They offer a clean long grain rice that is comparable to top brands at a fraction of the price. Unlike a lot of store brands the bag is not full of remminets and broken grains. It cooks well and is flavorful without getting sticky!<br /><br />Thanks Michelle!<br />If you want to contribute, <a href="http://aldimom.blogspot.com/p/contribute.html">click here</a>!The Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251573229794701417.post-75633329239342933322012-07-06T12:12:00.002-07:002012-07-06T12:18:16.019-07:00Aldi Recipes: Puppy Pops Recipe<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mlSTjEfcWVs/T_c5yn7uhJI/AAAAAAAAAjs/LWqjYxOC4WI/s1600/puppop1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mlSTjEfcWVs/T_c5yn7uhJI/AAAAAAAAAjs/LWqjYxOC4WI/s400/puppop1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5762137790119576722" /></a><br />I have a member contributed puppy pop recipe for our Aldi recipes. This one is something cool and refreshing for a nice summer treat for your pups to enjoy. :) Thank you Megan for contributing this puppy pops recipe!<br /><br />It has been a record hot year for us in the Midwest, and we have three four-legged friends, 2 who reside outside. Today, we decided to make "puppy pops" as my 22-month old referred to them. We used one container of Fit & Active plain yogurt (32 oz), 4 bananas peeled, 1/2 c. Creamy Delight creamy peanut butter, and 1 Tablespoon of honey. Threw the above ingredients in the blender, then poured into Dixie Cups (sorry, not from Aldi's, but I had them on hand) and stuck a Shep Dog Biscuit in the center (think the stick of a popsicle). We froze them, ripped off the Dixie cup, then served to our hot dogs. They had to lick them for a little bit (which we hoped for to let the cold linger), then devoured them. I won't lie, we sampled a little as it came out the the blender and liked it too! - MeganThe Aldi Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15104359619303456244noreply@blogger.com2