Groceries! (and Aldi recipes)

My friends and I have a joke that whenever we get together with any group of ladies, at some point the conversation turns to grocery shopping. Favorite stores, recipes, deals we've found . . . somehow it always comes up. So I guess it was inevitable that it would come up at some point on this blog. I'm sorry. If you're already bored, just come back tomorrow or whenever I write something new.

We have this great, cheap grocery store around here (and most places around the country, it seems) called Aldi. I sometimes hate Aldi, and I sometimes love it. I remember going there with my  mom when I was little and getting some gross cheese and not liking the smell. Aldi has come a long way since then. I find they have more and more things every time I go (like last time I went after a long break from going there, they had almond milk. Hooray!). Anyway, when I'm on one of my anti-Aldi strikes, I wish someone would give me a week's worth of menus and a shopping list to get me back in the habit of going there. So here I am to give you just that. And I have some more menu ideas, so I may come back with another one next week. (I bet you can't wait!)

Grocery list (not including milk, eggs, flour, etc.--and one recipe calls for wheat germ, which you can make do without, but it also keeps for a long time in the freezer, so you could buy some to have on hand)

Tortilla chips

Potato chips, or a healthier side dish if you prefer

Bbq sauce

Italian Bread crumbs

Ranch dressing

1 box jif cornbread mix (or make your own from scratch)

Tomato juice

1 can tuna

1 box macaroni noodles

1 can black beans

Taco seasoning

1 jar of applesauce or desired fruit side dish

4 cups Shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for a topping on the taco soup

Cottage cheese

Sour cream if desired

Salad ingredients

Potatoes or cauliflower

Green onions

yellow onions

Sandwich buns

1 lb ground beef (or buy 2lbs, cook it all up, and freeze half for next week)

Frozen chicken breasts

2 cans cream of mushroom or celery soup

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach (occasionally they have this) or frozen broccoli or fresh spinach

1 pkg frozen mixed veggies

1 pkg frozen peas

Ingredients for muffins or sweet bread, or a mix

Menus 

Breaded chicken/mashed potatoes or cauliflower/salad

Taco soup with toppings/cornbread

Overnight Tuna Casserole/salad

Bbq chicken/chips/applesauce

Crustless Quiche/sweet bread

Recipes
1) Breaded Chicken: dip chicken in ranch dressing, then bread crumbs. Bake in greased 9x13 pan at 350 until done (30 minutes probably). Serve with potatoes or cauliflower and a salad.

Mashed cauliflower: cook cauliflower on stove in chicken broth or chicken bouillon and minced garlic, drain and mix or blend with butter, milk, and/or sour cream.

2) Taco Soup: Brown 1 lb. ground beef with chopped onion. Throw in crock pot with 1 can tomato juice, 1 pkg. frozen veggies, 1/2 pkg. taco seasoning, and 1 can undrained black beans. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream. And cornbread.

3) Overnight Tuna Casserole: in a bowl, mix 2 cans cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup and 2 cups of milk. Add 1 can tuna, 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles, 1 cup frozen peas (if desired), 1/2 c green onions, and 1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese. Pour into greased casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cook at 350 for 35 minutes covered, uncover and top with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and bake 5-10 minutes more. Serve with a salad.

4) BBQ Chicken: Toss frozen chicken breasts and 1 jar of bbq sauce in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours or until done. Shred chicken. Serve on buns with chips and applesauce.

5) Crustless Quiche: Beat together 4 eggs and 6 Tbsp flour. Add 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, drained, or other veggies and 2 c cottage cheese and 2 c grated cheddar cheese and 1/2 tsp salt. Pour into well-greaesd 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with wheat germ to make a crust. Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with muffins or a quick bread.

That is the original recipe; however, it is never enough for our large family. So I use 12 eggs and extra veggies and keep everything else the same and it works fine.

So there you have it: five super easy dinners that you can get all the ingredients for in one trip to Aldi. Add in a couple of frozen pizzas (or make your own) and you've got the week pretty well covered. Do you want another week's worth of recipes next week, or is this too boring? Let me know.