Top 6 Items to Purchase at ALDI

{This post is sponsored by ALDI. All opinions are my own.}

If you’ve been watching my Instastories over the last few weeks, you may or may not have noticed that I’ve been shopping a lot at ALDI. I simply can’t get enough of this grocery store! One of the most exciting things about shopping at ALDI is the sheer amount of high end products you can get for a fraction of the price you could pay at other grocery stores. Eating delicious and healthy food doesn’t have to break the bank!

Beyond staples such as bread, dairy and a variety of fresh produce, ALDI offers a growing organic selection, USDA Choice meats, the liveGfree gluten-free product line and better-for-you options, including the SimplyNature line of products free from over 125 artificial ingredients and preservatives and the Never Any! line of meats free from antibiotics, added hormones and animal by-products.

All ALDI exclusive brand food products are free of added MSG, certified synthetic colors and partially hydrogenated oils, and since more than 90 percent of the products available are under ALDI exclusive brands, customers can feel good about the food they buy at ALDI. Plus, ALDI ensures its exclusive brands meet or exceed the national brands on taste and quality by conducting rigorous testing on all products. ALDI stands behind this quality with a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer doesn’t like an ALDI exclusive brand food, ALDI will give them their money back and replace the product.

In addition, ALDI continues to provide ALDI Finds: premium food and household products that are only in stores for a limited time. ALDI Finds vary week to week and themes usually match the season. Information can be found on aldi.us and in weekly ALDI ads. There’s even an ALDI app!

ALDI saves customers money by cutting overhead costs through practices such as a cart rental system: ALDI shoppers insert a quarter to release a cart from the corral and receive the quarter back upon the cart’s return. Other cost-saving practices include a smaller store footprint, open carton displays and encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags. ALDI also saves you money by keeping stores open during prime shopping times. Healthy eating is possible on a budget! I’ve created a list of my Top 6 Favorite Things To Purchase at ALDI! Visit your local ALDI for gourmet quality groceries at unbeatable savings!

Here are my Top 6 Items to Purchase at ALDI:

1. Specialty Chocolate by Choceur (Premium Edel Marzipan)– ALDI offers many desserts and sweets, but Choceur Premium Edel Marzipan Bites is my favorite! It is the best marzipan I’ve been able to find in the United States. My best friend in high school was a foreign exchange student from Germany. She used to treat me to her favorite candy, marzipan for my birthday and on special holidays. Years later, while visiting Germany, I’d stock up on the marzipan sold there and bring it back to the states to enjoy. The Choceur brand at ALDI  is exactly like the kind sold in Germany because it is imported. It has a wonderfully rich dark chocolate coating and the marzipan is moist and chewy. The price for these delicious, European imported treats is only $2.49. You get the same great taste and quality of this luxurious treat at ALDI.

• SimplyNature Organic Quinoa

I’ve tried quinoa from various sources, and this is the only one that’s so clean I use it straight from the bag. After a certain point, washing it just started to feel redundant. The SimplyNature Organic Quinoa from ALDI does a terrific job of removing the bitter saponin from the seeds, as well as ensuring that there are virtually no stem pieces. Their processing is on a completely different level from other brands I’ve tried. The price for a one-pound bag at ALDI is only $2.99. The average market price, in my experience, is around $6.50 per pound—making ALDI’s SimplyNature brand a better buy. This quinoa is so much higher quality than the stuff in the bulk bin at my nearest natural foods store that I’ll never pay premium again.

• SimplyNature Organic Mediterranean Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This is a great all-around organic olive oil that has a great balance of flavor. I have used it as cooking oil, in salad dressings and in my favorite recipes and I really feel it has seriously increased the quality of the flavor in every dish. This organic olive oil has provided a deeper, richer flavor when I’ve used it in marinades and sauces. While using it to simply oil my pans, I’ve discovered a nice milder undertone of flavor. On top of all of that, the price is excellent at only $3.99.

• Produce

ALDI’s produce department is like visiting my local farmer’s market. Items rotate frequently and I’ve found vegetables to be seasonally fresh, crisp and delicious. The fruit is fresh and perfectly ripe and tend to last a little longer than produce bought at other grocers. I especially love the asparagus and cauliflower because of the vibrancy in their color and the thickness of each of the vegetables.

• SimplyNature Chia Seeds

We go through a lot of chia seeds in my house. I have purchased them in a lot of different places, but these are always the best quality and at the best price. The package is easy to open, and it has a re-sealable type closure at the top, very convenient. Good food, good price, a perfectly economical way to buy chia seeds, compared to local health food stores.

• Broken Clouds Pinot Noir- An Award Winning Premium Wine

Wine Enthusiast Magazine samplers taste nearly 20,000 wines per year, and of these, less than 10% are given a Best Buy designation. Broken Clouds Pinot Noir came in #22 on last year’s list of Top 100 Wines. It has luscious flavors of strawberries, raspberries, and allspice. It pairs well with our summer barbeque meals and with chocolate.