Fish n Chips...well, not really

So in an effort to eat healthier, my husband and I decided we are going to try and eat fish at least once a week. We were a little bit anxious about buying fish from Aldi, but when talking to a family friend who manufactures coffee drinks for them, we found out that Aldi has incredibly high standards for the products they have in their store. So we figured we may as well give it a shot.

I found they had frozen flounder fillets for $3.99 a package (4-5 fillets). To go along with it, we also had some frozen asparagus ($2.19 for 4 servings) and decided to roast up some potatoes ($2.50 for a 10 lb bag).




I had the fish marinate in a combo of olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and seasoned salt.




I did a similar prep for the potatoes and asparagus. They were tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder and seasoned salt.



The veggies roasted for 30 minutes on 400 degrees. The fish was only 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Also, I always roast everything on a foil lined pan because it saves SO much time in cleaning up. Once they were done, we had a sauce made of mayo, mustard, relish, lemon juice and a little bit of Old Bay seasoning. The final meal was really satisfying and very healthy.



Total cost for the meal (minus seasonings and sauce):
Fish (1/2 of bag)-$2
Potatoes-approx $.50
Asparagus (we ate it all)-$2.19

So altogether, the entire meal cost us less than $5. Again, this doesn't include the olive oil, the seasoned salt, garlic, etc. So I'd say let's round it up to $6.

A few things to remember; Frozen fish has a lot of water content. Make sure that once it is defrosted that you make sure it is as dry as possible. I like to let it defrost on a paper towel lined plate. Also, the fish will sort of shrink when you cook it (due to the water drying out) so take that into consideration with serving size.

We have concluded we will continue trying frozen fish from Aldi. Hopefully it all turns out just as great.

I'd say that's pretty good...

Get your granola on...

So, who doesn't love granola bars? Kids love them...adults love them...athletes love them...hippies love them...

Really, everyone enjoys some granola every once in a while.

So thankfully, Aldi offers quite a few varieties. Here is a profile on the ones that are in our house.



The Millville Chewy Granola Variety pack. Includes:
-Chocolate chip
-Peanut butter chocolate chip
-Oatmeal raisin
-Lowfat s'more

Stats(per bar):
Calories-90 to 100
Total fat-1.5 to 3 grams
Carbs-18 to 20 grams
Fiber-1 gram
Protein-1 to 2 grams

They taste exactly like the name brand ones in the store and cost a fraction of the price. It's an easy grab and go snack or breakfast.


Next up on the menu are the Fit and Active Chocolatey Pretzel Cereal Bars.

These are to be compared to the Special K Cereal bars.

Stats:
Calories-90
Total fat-1.5 grams
Carbs-17 grams
Fiber-1 gram
Protein-1 gram

Although they are a little bit smaller than the granola bars, they are a little bit more decadent than the regular bars and are a nice low-cal treat.

Finally, the Millville Fiber Now Chewy Bars


These are just like the Fiber One bars you see at the store. They taste exactly like them, too.

Stats:
Calories-150
Total fat-4.5 grams
Carbs-29 grams
Fiber-9 grams (!!)
Protein-3 grams

Word of warning! They taste very good, but there is a good deal of fiber in them. Please eat with caution. If you don't normally eat a very high fiber diet, start off slowly with these. If your GI tract isn't used to it, well then it might freak out a little bit and you could be very uncomfortable. However, it is recommended that you have anywhere from 20-35 grams of fiber per day and these bars are a great way to obtain that.

I should note, Aldi also carries crunchy granola bars and additional flavors of these varieties. Also, I apologize for not having the prices, but I'm pretty sure they are under $2.50 each.

Enjoy!

Maiden Post!

Sooooo, like so many of us out there, we love blogs. We obsess over them, we check them daily, we try to start one (and give up) and we realize that it is an amazing way to learn new things. So why am I starting this here blog?


(because the above store is amazing)

Well, the truth is, I love food, nutrition, health and saving money. Seriously, all of these things make me super happy. Now I know there are some of you out there who think that Aldi is cheap and gross...well, I am making it a small mission of mine to prove you wrong. Not only will you see that Aldi is super affordable, but that you can make healthy, nutritious meals that will rock your socks off.

I also figure this will be a great way for me to archive some of my own experiments with food. We will find out what is good...what is bad...what is not worth trying a second time and what will be a part of my repertoire.

So step right up and join in the fun! And please, feel free to give some feedback and input...but let's keep it clean and as harmless as possible.

Enjoy!