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Including an Aldi budget meal planner and Aldi shopping list

If you wonder around Aldi weekly and have no idea what recipes you could be making your family then this post is for you. We have 101 Aldi recipes that will help you fill up your meal planner for a whole week and still keep to your budget.

We all get stuck in a rut when it comes to food and feeding our family. Sticking to a budget weekly food shop isn’t easy, even if you shop at a discounter.

The same rules of shopping savvy should still apply and ignoring all those “special” offer tags can be hard when you know that it’s cheap.

Here’s our top 3 tips to staying on budget when you’re trying to do the family shop at a discounter:

1. Don’t go overboard. Stick to your shopping list and meal plan. You can use ours here by joining The Resource Vault or write a list by hand yourself. It’s easy to get distracted when everything is cheap!
2. Watch the packet sizes. Smaller sized items don’t always mean lower prices. Use your phone to do a quick search if you’re unsure. are you really getting good value for money?
3. Downshift. Start by buying the very bottom brand and work your way up. You’ll be surprised how nice the very basic item is! If you don’t like it then go up one.

Not knowing what to cook or add to your meal plan for next week can see you leaning toward a quick fix experience ready meal or even a take out.

The below 101 Aldi recipes are perfect if you’re looking for dinner ideas on a budget or just recipes to fill up your meal plan this week.

 Aldi shopping list

If you’re looking for weekly meal plans or saving money printables then come join The Resource Vault. It’s free to use and all the resources can be downloaded as many times as you need.

This also includes a range of Aldi budget meal planners and Aldi shopping lists for the whole family so you don’t even have to think about what to cook!

Come join us today by click here! (By entering your email address you agree to be added to our mailing list. You will never be spammed. You can unsubscribe at anytime and still receive your printables.)

Aldi meal plan

Before you even step foot in a grocery store make sure you do these 4 things first. all of these will help you save your family money!

1. Meal Plan Sheets – Depending on how comfortable you are, either find a spare pad or print out 8-10 copies of a weekly meal plan sheet.

You’ll need enough space to write down a simple menu for each day and a shopping list as you go.

You can make your own weekly meal plan or download my meal plans and shopping lists for free from the Resource Vault. Having several copies on hand will help inspire you to get started and keep up the meal plans for several weeks.

If you’ve never meal planned before then start here by reading how it can save you hundreds of pounds! 

2. Look at the below stores to see if you can save some money:

Get FREE FOOD with this app: checkoutsmart*

Muscle Food lean meat hamper – muscle food*

Get your groceries up to 70% off RRP – approved food*

Remember to come join our FREE Facebook Messenger Group for all the latest deals, freebies and quick family money saving tips!

3. Of course there are plenty of other ways to save money, and once you start seeking them out then you will be amazed at what you find.

Every time you buy online you could be getting cashback. Have a look at:

TopCashBack*

Quidco*

Swagbucks*

Go to these sites first before you buy anything online and see if you can get money back. Anything goes from hotel stays to toys and train tickets.

4. Use an app like Plum* to keep track of your spending and to help you save. Using Plum* can help you build up your savings, pay off dent quicker and invest to make your money work harder. It’s free to join!
5. Join our 6-week FREE money saving course that walks you through how you can save your family money. No filler. Just real tips and advice from us on how we save money daily.

Aldi Recipes

So here are our 101 Aldi recipes that will give you dinner ideas for tonight plus help you stick to your weekly food budget.

(We are assuming you have some of our budget cupboard staples already brought. If not, please see our full list of Staple Food Store Cupboard Essentials here.)

A lot of these are also perfect for leftovers. So if you make to much, freeze and use again at the end of the week or take for lunch!

Many of these can also be made for under £1 a head! 

Breakfast

Porridge with fruit

Overnight oats

Toast with banana

Scrambled eggs

Boiled eggs & soldiers

Fried Egg & tomato

Fruit smoothies

Sliced pear, honeydew melon, strawberries and fat free Greek style yogurt

2 frozen hash browns, baked beans and scrambled eggs

Sliced banana topped with yogurt

Fried breakfast: 6 eggs, 6 sausages, 6 bacon medallions, 8 cherry tomatoes, 6 mushrooms and 2 tins of baked beans

Breakfast muffins

Poached eggs and bacon with a syn free Hash Brown

Sweet baked potato, sliced ham, beetroot and a salad

Vegan pancakes

Eggy bread

Fruity french toast

Breakfast oat bars

Breakfast fruit split

Cheesy flapjack

Harvest Morn Wheaties

Harvest Morn bran flakes with Brooklea Fat Free Greek Style Lemon Yogurt

Benefit lighter granola with strawberries

Harvest Morn light benefit bars

Bruscetta toast

Lunch

Butternut penne

Pizza toast

Choice of sandwich filling

Spaghetti with dried herb to taste (we use chilli flakes and oregano)

Boiled egg & toast

Crackers ploughman

Grilled cheese sandwiches

Homemade sweet potato & carrot soup

Scotch pancakes

3 egg omelette with your choice of filling (Bacon, Ham, Spinach, Tomatoes, Mushroom, Onion)

Salad wrap with your choice or cheese or ham

Bean and broccoli pasta salad

Homemade sausage and bean soup

Leek and egg salad

Winter vegetable soup (chuck whatever you have leftover or vegetables from the freezer)

Mexican rice (mix frozen veg and some chilli spice for some taste.)

Butternut squash risotto (we use frozen butternut squash already but with frozen onions etc)

Jacket potato and beans

Cheese on toast

Homemade scones

Cheesy muffins

Turkey carcass soup

Lamb kebabs in pitta

Burritos

Chicken Pesto Panini

Crushed potatoes with tuna and sweetcorn

Creamy Tomato Courgetti (We use this one to make our own.*)

Risotto with Ham & Peas

Triple decker crackers

Sweet baked potato, sliced ham, beetroot and a salad

French Onion Soup

Falafel

Dinner

Red Cabbage, Bacon and Potato Hash

Homemade Four Seasons Pizza (half of cheese, quarter of chicken & tomato, quarter Pineapple & Ham)

Sweet potato curry

Fish cakes, mash & beans

Gammon (or ham), eggs & homemade chips

Gammon roast

Cheese & ham(or any leftover meat) pasta bake

Vegetable Fajitas

Vegetable Lasagne

Jacket potato with a choice of toppings

Egg fried Stir fry with Rices

Egg noodle stir fry

Hidden vegetable Pasta and sauce (could add tuna etc)

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice

Sweet Potato & Meat Curry

Tomato and garlic pasta

Frozen butternut squash lasagna

Slimming World Creamy tomato sauce from Iceland mixed with cooked pasta

Sausage and potato casserole

Vegetarian chickpea curry

Mushroom sauce mixed with cooked pasta

Cottage pie

Spaghetti carbonara

Bean burger

Turkey egg fried rice stir fry

Carcass soup

Baked (enter meat here) pesto alfredo

Casserole

Korma

Meat smothered sweet potato

Hunters chicken and homemade chips

Spaghetti Bolognese

Pasta bake

Stir fry with brown rice

Homemade chicken strips with homemade chips

Pasta Alfredo

Sausage and cheese bake

Penne pasta arrabbiata

Chilli potato cakes with fish fingers

One pot chicken pepper bake

Homemade chicken nuggets and chips

Peri-peri chicken

Tomato-baked chicken

Butternut squash lasagna

Sausage Hot Pot

Related Posts: 

• £1 a Head Family Meals: Recipes That Will Keep Your Food Bill in Check
• A Budget Weekly Menu: Here’s How To Feed a Family for Just £18
• One Month of Cheap Aldi Slow Cooked Dinners Plus a Free Month Meal Plan

Dinner ideas for tonight

Still lacking inspiration and unsure what to do? Then Budget My Meals is for you. We give you plan templates that take all the thinking away. We can create your budget weekly menus, shopping lists and send you the recipes every week so you don’t even have to think about it.

No coupons. No yellow stickers, just easy family-friendly recipes.

Implementing a weekly meal plan really does save you money and time. It stops you going for the takeaway menu when the family go nuclear and means you don’t have to face a cupboard full of food with no clue or inspiration on what to cook.

It also means that you are building up your recipe bank so when you no longer need us, you have all our recipes to fullback on.

Enter your email address here and we’ll update you when we are live.

If you’re struggling to meal plan and want to try by yourself then start by:

1. Reading our Budget Meal Planning: How to meal plan so it saves you time and money post here. This will help you to get the basics of meal planning.
2. Check all your cupboards. Have you got these budget pantry staples? These are going to be your cupboard essentials and will help you bring your shopping bill down.
3. Grab a piece of paper or use your phone and write down every time you or your family finish something from the cupboards or fridge etc. This gives you a good list to start from when you are trying to meal prep in a hurry.
4. Pick your meals from the below but remember to check your calendar first. There’s no point deciding to cook a full on family meal if everyone!
5. Have fun and be flexible! Just because you  meal plan doesn’t mean that your food is set in stone. Change it around if you want and add or take away a meal. Just remember to add it to next weeks meal plan and freeze it if needed.

If you have a few fussy eaters at home, don’t worry, you can still shop on a budget. Here’s the recipes we use when our kids don’t want to try new food. 

Laura x

If you enjoyed this post and would like some more family friendly budget recipes or meal plan ideas, then head over to the budget food section here on Savings 4 Savvy Mums where you’ll find over 30 cheap posts dedicated to helping you cook and shop wiser for less. There’s enough tips to help you save over £300 a month! You could also pop over and follow my family food Pinterest boards for lots more ideas on how to eat well and spend less; Family Meal Plans on a Budget, Budget Family Meals & Budget Slimming World Recipes for Families.

Love this post? Then why not save it to Pinterest so you can easily find it later.

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