[Disclosure: ALDI compensated me to write this post. Opinions and thoughts are my own – but it’s no secret that I’m an ALDI shopper!]
It’s prime time cookout, barbecue and pool party season and with the Fourth of July right around the corner, I’ve been stocking up at my local ALDI and I want to share all of my finds with you.
I’ve professed my love for ALDI often on the blog (Why You Should Buy Fish at ALDI) ever since they’ve sprouted up in the Philly suburbs and when I got to visit their HQ in Illinois a few years back.
I recently did a segment on WPHL-TV about BBQ bash essentials and here’s my extended list on affordable and better-for-you ALDI finds for your next cookout – with some recipe ideas, too.
#sponsored 5 Reasons to Shop at @ALDIUS for Your Next Cookout (+ recipes and my fav purchases!) @tspbasil Click To Tweet1) Quality Meats For Less
Every Wednesday, ALDI offers incredible “Weekly Fresh Meats Specials” featuring extra-low prices on some of their very best cuts of meat. Check out the ALDI Insider circular each week for the special at your store.
And, I love love their line of ALDI Never Any! which includes meats that are free from antibiotics, added hormones and animal by-products. (I just stocked up on their Lunch Mate Never Any! Honey Ham for my daughter’s camp lunches).
I made this Top Sirloin with Balsamic Avocado Salsa with their Black Angus Top Sirloin Steak. Admittedly, I’m not much of a meat eater but this was really delish!
2) Yummy Meatless Options (that are parent approved!)
For meatless options at your next cookout, look for ALDI Earth Grown products – a vegan/vegetarian product line featuring foods like veggie burgers that you can throw on the grill. Their Black Bean Chipotle Burgers and Veggie Burgers were awarded the 2017 Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA) Seal of Approval.
I’ve been totally digging those Black Bean Burgers for their spicy kick and am planning on bringing them to the beach for the vegetarians (and omnivores!) in my extended family.
3) Affordable Fresh Produce
The first time I shopped at ADLI, I couldn’t believe the low prices for produce – even their organic line, which they continue to expand. (Click here to learn more on how ALDI can charge less for high-quality fruits and veggies).
I’ve been stocking on up on lettuce, tomato and avocado for burger toppings, watermelon and cantaloupe for summer sides (like this yummy recipe for Mix and Match Watermelon Salads) and carrots, cucumbers and berries for my daughter’s packed lunches for camp.
4) ALDI Finds
Admittedly, my guilty pleasure when shopping at ALDI is going down the aisle with the ALDI Finds, which are seasonable products offered for a limited time.
On my most recent trip, I grabbed some fun Fourth of July paper napkins; red, white and blue serving bowls, a beautiful Crofton wooden serving board (for that Sirloin with Avocado Salsa), and old-fashioned glass milk bottles with straws and covers (to keep those bugs out of your outdoor drinks.) Best of all, these are premium items without that premium price tag – which means I really don’t have to think of this as a guilty pleasure.
Side note: one of my best ALDI Finds ever was a pizza stone for only $9.99 – keep your eyes out as I still see it available from time to time.
5) Award Winning Wines
For now, I have to live vicariously through all you lucky dogs that live in a state where your ALDI can carry wine. My home state (Pennsylvania) has finally made it legal for some supermarkets to sell wine and beer, so I’m hoping that my ALDI will soon be doing so, too. I’ve been able to taste their wines both at their headquarters and at our Blog Brulee conference a few years ago when ALDI was a supporting and wine sponsor and couldn’t believe the quality for the prices.
What’s super cool, is not only are ALDI wine offerings are significantly less expensive than the national average but several are award-winning, too. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll soon be purchasing them locally, too.
Do you shop at ALDI? What’s your current favorite item(s) to buy there in the summer? Tell me one of your ALDI Finds!