Organics at ALDI! Eating healthy on the cheap…with some cheating.
Is it possible to shop for healthy organic food without going broke?
Ha ha ha ha.
Nope!
None of this stuff is cheap, but anyone that has chosen to seek out organic and healthy food options already knows this. I’m not here to convince you otherwise. I just wanted to give folks a chance to see what organic food costs when purchased at one of the cheapest sources for organic food.
ALDI.
I and the wife ( @morodiene ) just came back from our weekly shopping at ALDI. Here in central Wisconsin (USA), we have plenty of other grocery stores around us. And even though the cancerous blob that is Walmart is always available and temptingly cheap, we find ALDI to still have the best prices and selection of almost any type of food you’re looking for.
Even organic. Especially organic.
In fact, the best variety of organics is at ALDI, in particular things that are ‘manufactured’ rather than fresh. Your own garden or farmer’s market is still the place to find fresh, clean, cheap produce, but it’s hard to find pasta in your garden or lentil soup at a farmer’s market.
So, let’s see what our weekly trip netted us, and what we spent:
Highlights:
Tropical Mango Granola: Granola in general isn't actually all that healthy; most mainstream granola is full of fat and sugar. However, I can feel a little better about it when it's organic, and this stuff is really tasty.
Pizza: Just to be clear, this is super duper not organic. Don’t judge me for my pizza, ok? I like to pick up a few ‘emergency’ eating items for when my wife is too busy to cook a real dinner. Pizza works for that purpose, and at $2.79 for a big rising crust pizza, which I always top with at least a few of my own fresh ingredients, it’s a ton cheaper than any delivery pizza and pretty darn tasty.
Sourdough bread: The ALDI sourdough bread is easily the best sourdough we’ve found, and we’ve tried many. It’s a great choice for those with some gluten digestion trouble, and has a nice sour tang you don’t find in most of the mainstream sourdoughs.
Cod: The sole Undetermined item is wild caught cod fillets from Iceland. One assumes the little cod fishies are eating healthy in the sea, but you never know. I don’t know that I’ve ever SEEN any packaged fish labeled ‘organic’, so maybe it’s not a thing. Iceland fish is good, and this ALDI package is fresh and never frozen. And that means we don’t have to eat China-packaged fish.
Eggs: Not shown in the pic because they are sitting in the fridge, organic eggs are not cheap. A dozen regular (normal) eggs at ALDI is 49 cents. A dozen organic eggs...$3.49. Yes, a massive difference in price. Although the organic eggs are definitely better, the taste difference is not so massive, but at least you don't have to worry about the back strain from carrying around a fat wallet loaded with cash all the time (or a fat purse, if that's how you roll).
There's always a price to be paid, but at least at ALDI you don't get bled completely dry. We spent $52 and change for a pile of mostly organic food.
What do you think? Do you have better choices and options where you live? How do your prices compare to mine?
Good picks when actually going organic in some cases, especially with strawberries :)
The regular strawberries have usually very high content in pesticides etc. and washing won't get it all off, so picking organic will taste better and be better for you.
Absolutely true. Strawberries are like sponges, and suck up all the poisons they spray on them. One of the worst fruits you can buy non-organic.
I have a 3yo child and it's both strawberries and grapes.. I won't give him any unless they are organic.
If you don't know what's on it and you can't peel it, you shouldn't eat it.
Eating healthy is one of those things that most people say,"Ya, I eat healthy." but what does that really mean? The more you try to eat healthy, the more you find out about all the crap that you're really eating. It's amazing we can even function!
I agree. I remember reading the label on cranberry juice and realizing it was just a blend of different stuff and feeling cheated and thinking lies, all the lies!
I know, you feel like a fool for believing the writing on the label - even healthy stuff. I bought some organic bread, and it said "Sprouted Amarinth Sourdough" so I thought it would be good to try. I should have read the ingredients, though, because it had enriched wheat flour in it. Doh!
I used to think eggs were expensive if they cost more than a couple dollars per dozen, but when you think about it, they're pretty cheap eating regardless of price. They're high in protein, no carbs, right? Now if you were to have eggs for a meal, like say a three egg omelette, you could get four of those meals out of a dozen eggs at $3.49/doz. for less than a dollar per serving. If you compare that to, say, organic ground beef or chuck, wouldn't even organic eggs be reasonable at that price?
That pizza looks incredibly organic. I am unsure how it was able to be kept fresh, pest-free, and sustainable and still only cost $2.79. Truly remarkable times to be alive.