Budget Aldi Haul Challenge: Feed Your Family For a Week For $65

My Aldi shopping trip

Let's head in and see how much we can get for our AUD100 (USD68) Aldi challenge.

First up, I see apples, and I'm going to grab them because I'm thinking of dessert. I grabbed a massive bag of potatoes, a bag of carrots, a sweet potato, and a pumpkin because they're a great veggie base for us.

I will grab some pizza crust and shredded cheese; I found a massive pack of chicken nuggets and some French fries.

I found some roasts, and I can get two, if not three, meals out of the roast. 

We have some sweet and sour sauce and honey mustard for the chicken. We've got a couple of jars of tomatoes, some lasagna sheets, and some rice.

I'm getting pineapple chunks because, at this point, it's for pizza. I will grab some milk because I'll need that for the base of a white sauce for lasagna, and I will pick up a pack of frozen veggies.

I also grabbed some cream for our dessert and beef rissoles, so we're going to go well over a whole week's worth of meals. 

I think it's worth it because I was under the budget of AUD100 (USD68).

1. Honey mustard chicken

The first meal we're having is a honey mustard chicken. I cut up all the chicken because I'm meal prepping simultaneously and ensuring we have enough to stretch out, so this will make three meals: honey mustard chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and chicken pizza.

We're cooking tonight's chicken chunks by browning the chicken, and then we'll just add the jar of sauce. Mix it all around. I cooked rice while the chicken was cooking.  

2. Sweet and sour chicken

The next meal that we had was sweet and sour chicken. I browned the chicken and added the sauce. It's a super simple meal.

3. Barbecue chicken pizza

For the chicken breast, I prepped it by boiling it in a little bit of water. I put it into the Mixmaster, turn it on, and it is a quick and easy shredded chicken. We do a barbecue chicken pizza with pineapple and shredded cheese as well. We had garlic bread on the side for this meal.

4. Beef stew

The next meal we have is using some of the roast. We've cut it up into three different sections for three different meals. One will be the roast meat, there will be a spare roast for another week, and then I will chop up the final portion for a stew.

To roast the potatoes, I cut them up and put them in a dish with a little cling film on top of them in the microwave for five minutes. To soften them up, I spray them with some oil, and then pop them into the oven for about an hour to crisp up. I do the same with the roasted veggies. 

For the beef stew, I am just browning that. I add in a quart of water to help soften up that meat a little bit, and then here are all the leftover veggies I chopped up: carrots, sweet potato, and pumpkin. I've thrown all of that in with the meat.

I put another quart of water in there, boil it for another half an hour, add a can of crushed tomatoes, cook it for another half an hour, and serve it with a side of mashed potatoes. I also added some garlic bread.

5. Beef rissoles and chicken nuggets 

The next night we have a mixture of meals. We have those beef rissoles, some triangles for those that don't want that, and chicken nuggets. I just cooked all the patties, triangles, and nuggets in the oven, made the mashed potatoes, and cooked the veggies.

6. Savory mincemeat

The next meal we're having is savory mincemeat. Just brown the mince; I added a dash of soy sauce and barbecue sauce. We've cooked the rice separately, and I throw in two cups along with veggies and mix it all together.

7. Lasagna

Next up is our lasagna. We used half of the mincemeat for the savory mince and the other half for this meal. I've got the leftover veggies. 

I brown the mincemeat, add the veggies, and then add the tomatoes and let them boil there for a bit. I make my white sauce using two tablespoons of flour and two tablespoons of butter, then I add in the two cups of milk and whisk it all up.

Then it's layer upon layer upon layer, and I build it up. I cook it, and it makes three massive servings, or you could make some smaller servings which I did. I also made fries on the side. 

8. Fried rice

I used veggies that I softened on the stove a little bit, and then I just threw them into the rice cooker and stirred them all around. I don't add any extra sauces, meat, or egg.

9. Apple crumble

I've chopped up all the apples and put them into a container. I sprinkle a little bit of white sugar and cinnamon sugar over it, then cover it with plastic wrap. I put it in the microwave for five minutes to soften it up.

In a separate bowl, I mixed a quarter of a cup of plain flour and a quarter of white sugar with a tablespoon of butter for the topping. Mix it until you get the fine crumbs, then sprinkle it all over the apples.

Then I put it in the oven to cook for half an hour, and it comes out and is delicious. Don't forget the cream we got earlier to go along with it.

Aldi haul

That is a week of meals from my Aldi haul, which I used for the Aldi challenge. For under AUD100 (USD68), we have lots of leftovers as well. What has been your best Aldi haul? Share your meals and hauls in the comments below.