Super Simple Heart Cinnamon Rolls

Need a heart-y breakfast idea for February?

I've got you covered!

Last weekend my middle guy wanted to help me make cinnamon rolls.  I could spend hours in the kitchen making homemade rolls, but honestly, my kids love the canned cinnamon rolls from Aldi just as much.  They're less than $2 a can and they're delicious.  I try to always keep them in the fridge.

We wanted to make them festive so we worked together to unroll them a bit and make them into hearts.

Let them bake and then drizzle on the icing after they've cooled for a few minutes.  Bonus if you have some sugar sprinkles to add on top!

The kids loved these and felt loved eating them.

Holidays don't have to be hard.  Or expensive.  Or extravagant.

Keep your tradition simple and your people will feel loved.

 

I also picked up these Love Noodles at Aldi this week for my kids.  They love pasta so I know they'll be excited for a Valentine's Day spaghetti night.  I'm also hoping to do a Valentine treat board for them like I've done in years past so I'm collecting things for that as a special dessert.

Do you have any fun valentine's day plans with your family?

September Aldi Haul

I am back on the Aldi train once or twice a month.  I loved hearing your Aldi feedback after my last post!  The most interesting thing was that Aldi prices vary a lot by region.  Aldi's in the South are pretty comparable to other stores and many of you said our Aldi prices in the Midwest are low.  I'm excited to share yummy finds and to give you honest reviews of things we've tried.  

My goal is to inspire you to find favorite items at Aldi to save money on your monthly grocery bills!

Grab everything you need for TACO NIGHT the next time you are at Aldi!  It's all yummy and it's all so much cheaper.  My kids love this mild salsa and the taco shells.  The chips, cheese and canned things are so much cheaper for me at Aldi.  I try to stock up when I go each month on taco night ingredients because we usually enjoy tacos for dinner once a week.

Tortilla chips $1.79!!  They're delicious & so much cheaper than Tostitos.

Black beans $0.71

Black Olives $1.55

Salsa jar $1.95

Taco cheese $2.99

Naan flatbreads.  They're so good as pizza crusts.  I pop them in the freezer and use them for pizza - regular or bbq or pesto and they're so good.

Mini Naan and Regular Naan $4.29

Shaved Beef Steak is delicious with teriyaki sauce, rice and broccoli.

It's just $6.18 and I like to add in a lot of sides to stretch the meal so that one package feels our whole family.  It freezes really well, too.

Milk $2.46

Ice cream $2.19 - it's at least double or triple that price at my regular stores.  My kids love chocolate milkshakes so I try to buy a couple of these containers when I get to Aldi.

Salty Snacks - perfect for charcuterie boards!

Pretzel slims $2.29

Pub Style Pretzels $1.99

Ritz Crackers $3.25

Butter $3.68

Fresco Cheese $2.45

Creamy Garic & Herb wedges - toddler approved! - $2.99 

Raisins - $1.19

Dried Blueberries $2.49

Pepitas - pumpkin seeds are great on salads - $2.19

Freeze Dried Apples - such a good snack for mom and kids! - $2.99

Organic Granola - SO GOOD!! Maybe the best granola I've ever had! - $2.49

Syrup - $2.09

Sweet potatoes - $2.79 - use up fast!  I bought two bags and was only able to use one because the 2nd bag rotted so fast.  Boo!

Stuffed Olives - $1.35 - much cheaper at Aldi!

Garbanzo beans - $0.73

Aldi always has great wine deals.  You know I look for a pretty bottle...They had cheaper options and more expensive options.  I look for a middle price range pretty bottle when I'm picking out wine.

Moscato - $4.95

HARIBO gummy bears - $0.99 - they are $1.99 at my local grocery store!

Gushers - $2.65

Pasta $0.92 - all of their pasta is under $1 and we love it.

Broccoli Florets frozen - $0.95

Soft taco shells - so soft and so good! - $1.79

Salami - great for charcuterie boards - $6.49

You know I don't buy a lot of produce at Aldi... but I was really happy with both of these & will buy them again.

Limes - $2.19

Sweet peppers - $2.89

I like to try new things so I grabbed this bag of Dark Chocolate Thins for a treat.  It was $2.99.  It had a toffee taste and was pretty good, but I probably wouldn't buy it again.  I was hoping for big pretzel chunks and the pretzel part was pretty pulverized.  I checked the ingredient list several times for toffee.  It doesn't list toffee, but I swear it tastes like it has toffee in it.

Iced coffee - $5.28 - not the best deal ever or my favorite, but it works in a pinch.

Do we have any of the same favorites??  What should I keep an eye out for on my next Aldi trip?

Amazing Aldi Deals

Hey friends!  I know that it's been a long time since I have put together an Aldi post for you.  I decided I'm going to start going once or twice a month to stock up on my favorite items to save us money in the grocery department.  The Aldi closest to my house isn't my favorite so for all of you that have told me you don't love shopping at your Aldi because it's old, run down or dingy - I get it.   

I'm going to encourage you to power through and get the deals!!  

Aldi prices are hard to beat on so many things.

I'll start with my favorite dairy and end with my favorite purchase of the day!

Favorite Dairy:

Gallon of milk $2.48

Blocks of cheese are $2 and then $3.89 for the fancier blocks

Bags of shredded cheese were $2.99 for 3 cups

String Cheese is $2.79

Favorite Snacks:

Apple cinnamon pouches $5.75

Gushers $2.68

Freeze dried apples $2.99

Pub style pretzels $1.99

Banana bunch $0.99

Favorite Meat:

We LOVE this beef shaved steak.  It's so good with some teriyaki sauce, roasted broccoli and rice.  We've also eaten it as fajita meat for tacos.

It's $6.13 a container.  I always stock up and freeze them.

Favorite Chips:

Tortilla chips $1.79!!  Tostitos have gotten so expensive at about $5 a bag sometimes.

Aldi wheat thins $1.05 - we love name brand wheat thins normally but these are good and a fraction of the price of name brand!

Favorite Dinner Staples:

Chicken broth $1.29

Black beans $0.71

Mini Naan Flatbreads $4.29 - great as a pizza crust!  They freezer perfectly so I stock up and freeze them.  Then thaw them on the day we need them.

Farfalle - $0.92 - My store was out of rotini and angel hair.  It's all a good deal so I just stocked up on Farfalle this time.

Tortilla shells $1.75

Favorite Baking Staples:

Brown sugar $1.69

40oz Jar of Creamy PB $3.39

Vegetable Oil $3.15

Other Favorites:

Green olives - $1.35

Premium Vodka Sauce - $3.99 - so good!!

I love their seasonal items!  They're great for charcuterie boards.

Artisan Crisp $3.59

A friend tipped me off to these cute lunch box notes!  They're perfect to add to your kids or your maybe even your spouse's lunch box.  You get 180 notes for just $4.99!  I got the girl and boy packs and can't wait to use them.  I found them near the cooler bags and lunch box stuff in the aisle of fun.

Did any of those prices surprise you??

What good deals did you see?  Each of these is at least $1 more per item than other stores near me so it's totally worth it for me to go and stock up at Aldi.

Go and check out an Aldi near you!

Save Money on Groceries by Stocking up at Aldi

I realized that it's been a while since I've done at Aldi post.  Unfortunately, I no longer live in a city with two nice, new Aldi stores that were really enjoyable to shop at each week.  The Aldi store closest to me is kind of dingy, chaotic and always crowded.   So instead of no longer shopping there, I try to make monthly trips to Aldi and really stock up on items that are much cheaper at Aldi.  It's one small way that I can keep our grocery budget in check right now.

I made two dinners recently where an Aldi staple item - Beef Shaved Steak - was the star of the show.  My family loved both!  I served the Beef Shaved Steak with Teriyaki sauce, roasted veggies and couscous and it was amazing.  Then I served the Beef Shaved Steak with taco seasoning and we had Steak Tacos.  Both were so good.  The meat feels fancy, is only about $6 a package and is a nice change of pace from our usual dinner meats.  I try to always keep a package of it in my freezer.

 

Now for lots of my Aldi favorites.  These are staple items that you will almost always find in my fridge/freezer or pantry.  And bonus, they are all super affordable.

Jams/Preserves $2.15

Cheese!  Shredded is $2.59 a bag and a block is $1.75.  I'm finding that prices are a little different every time I shop.  Is that true for you, too!?

Boxes of raisins $0.99 and fruit squeeze pouches are $1.75 for 6.  The peach is our favorite pouch flavor (even I love to grab them for a snack on the go) but these multi fruit ones are toddler approved.

$1.06 for Wheat Thins.  My boys claim to be Wheat Thin connoisseurs and they love these.  They are so much cheaper than the name brand ones.

$1.25 for a bag of tortilla chips.  They have several different varieties and these are our favorite.

$1.99 for Pub Style seasoned pretzels (SO GOOD!!) and $2.69 for cheese crackers.

$1.92 for a big box of microwave popcorn.  We love it for movie nights!

Aldi sauces, condiments and canned goods are almost always a great price.  We love these 4.

Their pasta is really affordable at $0.82 a box.  Aldi does not have a huge assortment of pasta shapes, but the basics are all available.

I love the Berry Hill dessert sauces.

I like their chocolate chips.  They're really affordable and great for the more unique chips like Butterscotch, white chocolate, dark chocolate or mini morsels.  I stick to Tollhouse for my regular chocolate chips.

All their baking items are a great deal!

And I love their Beef Shaved Steak $6.18, Mini Naan breads $3.99 for pizza crusts and frozen veggies.  My freezer is always stocked with these.  The frozen veggies are anywhere from $0.89 a bag to $1.25.

What do you love to buy at Aldi??

Aldi vs Walmart

I have a fun post for you today: Aldi vs Walmart.

I mentioned before that I'm focusing on lots of specific things this year and lowering our grocery bills is one of those.  I love Walmart grocery pick up for the convenience, but I know I could be saving more by shopping at Aldi.  Kroger, Meijer and a local grocery chain are the pricier shopping options in my city.  Walmart and Aldi are definitely more budget friendly.  We also have Sams.

Where do you do the bulk of your grocery shopping?

I ran into Aldi yesterday to do a quick restock of all of our favorite fresh produce.

I was interested to know how my Aldi bill of $46.47 would compare to Walmart.

I came home and plugged all of my items into a Walmart pick up order to see what the total would be.  My Walmart order totaled out to $60.22.  That's a savings of about $14 by going to Aldi instead of Walmart.  Yay!!  I know $14 isn't TONS, but if it's $14+ every week for a year, that would add up to a savings of $728+!!!  Yay!  And the savings would have been even more drastic if I'd been purchasing a full week's worth of groceries.

The side by side comparison of items and prices is really motivating for me to continue making Aldi part of my regular shopping routine again.

Where could you cut down your grocery budget each week?

Leo & Mom shopping for the family.  I try to do quick grocery runs and errands when the big kids are at school.  And yes, this is Leo's face anytime I am wearing a mask.  He hates them.  Won't smile or interact with anyone with a mask on.  Poor baby.  I can't wait until masks are just a distant memory.

 

Grocery Haul: Mostly produce.  The restaurant style tortilla chips are just $0.79 at my store right now!!  They're almost $4 a bag for Tostitos.  Ziploc bags are also so much cheaper at Aldi.  This box of 50 quart size bags was just $1.89.  That big bag of pears was marked down to $2.69

I tried these as a Lara Bar comparable option.  They are disgusting.  So dry.  Such an odd flavor.  Do not buy if you're hoping for them to taste anything like a delicious, chewy Lara Bar.  I'm returning these.

Another big money saver is baking items - flour, sugar, brown sugar, etc.  I really like the Aldi versions and stock up when I'm running low.  I made Kevin cinnamon rolls yesterday :)

And if you're new to Aldi, you can save big on cheese, produce, canned goods, pastas, meats, pouches of fruit, snacks, etc.  Yay for saving money!

Aldi Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  Hope you've had a nice week.  

I did something I haven't done since February... I went to Aldi this week!  We are still be careful about taking the kids in stores to shop since Leo is so little and that makes shopping tricky.  Before all of this COVID business, I took the kids everywhere with me.  Now I've got to time my errands and grocery runs when Kevin can be home with the kids.  Otherwise, it's Walmart grocery pick up for the win.

I'd been missing some of our favorite Aldi products so Wednesday evening I headed to our Aldi after dinner.  It felt good to be back in the store.  I shopped quickly because the store was not crowded at that hour and then I snapped pictures of our very favorite Aldi items.  I waited to bag my items when I got back out to my car.  It worked well to keep my shopping trip short.  

We would highly recommend all of these.

$1.75 Apple Peach Pouches - they're delish.  The perfect on the go snack.  My kids think they're okay, but I love them!  I love to keep one with me for an easy snack on the go.

$2.29 Mini Sandwich Crackers.  Kids love them.

$2.49 Twisted Fruit Ropes - we all love these.

$2.65 - Aged White Cheddar.  Our #1 favorite cheese.  It's SO good.

$1.19 Canned Cinnamon Rolls.  These are the best cinnamon rolls in a can ever.  You just cannot beat that price and they taste amazing.

$3.19 Kale & Quinoa Frozen Mix.  This is so good as a side with dinner, topped with feta, or served with grilled chicken on top.  I love it.

$0.75 Rotini - can't beat their pasta prices.

$2.19 Granola.  I've tried a lot of granola and this is the best.  It's something kids and adults would love.

$3.99 Bite sized Salami - thicker and so good.  Any of the Appleton Farms meat we've tried is yummy.

$3.45 Sea Salt Caramels.  These are amazing.  They also make the perfect little gift to surprise someone with.  I picked these up to save for a friend or teacher gift.

I love Aldi baking supplies.

$1.15 Flour, $1.97 Sugar & $1.29 Brown sugar

$2.76 Mini cans of Sprite.  Not something I buy regularly so I figured the mini cans would be good for us.

So many good chip and cracker options!

$2.89 Ritz chips, $1.99 Gluten free chips and $1.99 Pretzel slims

$3.99 Play-Doh Builder Sets

I love all the random stuff you can find in the "aisles of shame" haha.  I picked up two of these igloo builder sets to save for winter.  I know it'll be cold and snowing before we know it and my kids will be thrilled to have this fun surprise on a snow day at home.

$1.69 Butter Popcorn - we have tried a lot of microwave popcorn and this is the best.  It's buttery without being super greasy.  It definitely feels like a treat and has lots of yellow pieces (the sign of a really good bowl of popcorn according to my kids :)

That's a wrap!  Do we have any of the same Aldi favorites?  What products am I missing out on?  Please share your Aldi favorites with me in the comments.

Aldi favorite posts from the PDP archives:

*I noticed that nearly all products had gone up in price in 2020.  Bummer!  But there are TONS of favorite finds and products in these posts.

Kids Love Aldi, Too!

Our Aldi Favorites

First Trip to Aldi - Will I Ever Go Back?

Aldi Haul & Aldi Tips

Unexpected Aldi Haul

Aldi Haul & Latest Faves

Aldi Favorites & Fun Finds 

 

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