food Archives - Page 7 of 14 - Feathers in Our Nest

6 Reasons Why I Shop at Aldi

November 9, 2013 by Aliesha

Many of you have asked how I manage to stay under budget when my grocery budget is so small ($50/week), and my #1 answer is… I shop at Aldi! I don’t go every week, since my nearest Aldi is 40 minutes away, but I make the drive usually twice a month. I definitely think it’s worth the drive, and while I’m there I stock up on favorite items!

If you’ve never shopped at Aldi, you should know a few things. You’ll need to bring shopping bags (you bag your own groceries), cash or a debit card (they do not accept checks or credit cards), and a quarter (you will “rent” your cart). The store is small – about the size of a drug store – and stocked with Aldi-labeled brands.

In my next post, I’ll share my favorite buys at Aldi, but for now I’ll start with my top reasons to shop at Aldi!

1. Prices are amazing!
Because of Aldi’s unconventional style (smaller store, all store-brands, fewer employees, etc.), they can keep prices waaaay lower than other national grocery store chains. Other grocery stores I shop at can’t even compete! The biggest compliment I can pay another grocery store is to remark of their sale price: “Wow! That price is Aldi good!” Aldi prices don’t fluctuate as much as other stores, which helps me know what to expect every time I go (and helps me stick with my cash budget!).

2. Food tastes as good as the national brand, or better!
We love the Aldi brands and have found them to be just as tasty or better than name brand products (not that we buy name brands often!). I haven’t tried everything in the store, of course, but almost everything that I have tried I like!

3. Employees are very helpful and friendly
Aldi treats their employees well, from what I understand, paying them 50% more than the average grocery store pays their clerks. They also offer good benefits, so maybe that’s why the employees are always so friendly!

4. Shopping takes less time since the store is smaller.
I can get “sucked into” big stores like Walmart, but shopping at Aldi is quick and more efficient! I can dash in and grab what I need quickly without having to deliberate about which brand to buy – there’s only one! If it’s your first time shopping at Aldi, you may find it takes a while to find things, but once you get used to your store’s layout, I guarantee it will be faster.

5. Aldi listens to its customers
Earlier in 2013 Aldi launched a “trial” line of organic products to see if there would be an interest. After many people purchased and raved about the new line, Aldi has decided to make the organic line permanent, even expanding it to produce and adding more dairy and meat! I’m really excited about this, since it will make organic food more attainable to my family and others like mine that are on a tight budget.

6. Weekly special buys are really fun!
Aldi offers select weekly buys that range from kitchen supplies to bath towels to toys to gardening supplies! I’ve found gifts and products I need for great prices! It’s always fun to be surprised with what they’re offering each week (though you can look online ahead of time too).

Do you have an Aldi near you? Do you shop there regularly?

Next up… my favorite things to buy at Aldi!

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How To Brew the Perfect Cup of French Press Coffee

November 1, 2013 by Aliesha

Enjoy today’s guest post by Tad! –Aliesha

You know the taste of that first pot of coffee made from a freshly opened can of grounds? It is always so delicious, but over time the flavor tends to get stale and old. In my pursuit of being able to make a cup of coffee that tasted as good as that first pot, I discovered the French press method, which is a method of making freshly ground coffee that tastes even better than that first pot. It can make a strong, smooth cup of coffee without any bitterness.

French press coffee is made using a coarser grind than a standard drip pot. Because of this, it is import to grind your coffee at home. Grinders can be purchased for around $20. We use a hand-cranked burr grinder instead of an electric blade grinder because it achieves a more even grind. Freshly ground coffee tastes significantly better than coffee that is ground and then stored for a length of time.

Here is how to brew the perfect cup of French press coffee.

When making French press coffee (or any method of brewing, for that matter), it is best to grind your coffee immediately before brewing.

Things you need:
whole bean coffee
coffee grinder
measuring spoon
measuring cup
pot or tea kettle
French press (we use the Bodum Brazil)
wooden or plastic spoon

How to:
Grind your coffee. You should use 2 Tbsp. of coarsely ground coffee for each cup of water. I usually make three cups of water and 6 Tbsp.

Heat water on a stove in either a pot or a kettle. The water should not be boiling, but instead should be between 195 and 205 degrees. Typically it is around the right temperature the first moment a tea kettle makes a peep (before it is “shrieking”). Alternately, you can use an instant read thermometer after water has been brought to a boil. Track the time it takes to drop to 205 degrees after is has been removed from the heat so you don’t have to use the thermometer every time.

Place the ground coffee in the bottom of the French press and the water poured on top. Stir the coffee. Place the lid on the press, leaving the filter above the surface of the coffee.

Brew the coffee for about 5 minutes, and then press the plunger straight down. If you don’t push it straight, you may get grounds in your coffee.

Even after being pressed the coffee may continue to brew, so pour your coffee into a mug to enjoy immediately.

Enjoy!

Aliesha Caldwell is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Eating Real Food While Traveling

March 25, 2013 by Aliesha

Tad and I had the privilege of going to a church ministry conference last week (which was amazingly refreshing), and while we were there we attempted to eat all of our meals out of our hotel room (without a fridge or a microwave)! I know I spent a lot of time preparing a shopping list and menu plan so that this would be doable, so I thought some of my readers that also enjoy real food, traveling, and frugality might enjoy hearing how this worked for us!

We packed our lunch for the first day: pulled pork BBQ, roasted veggies, kale, and clementines

I packed some food items and brought them in a cooler (stored in GlassLock containers):
-bacon, cooked
-homemade pork sausage patties, cooked
-hard-boiled eggs
-roasted veggies (broccoli and cauliflower)
-sauteed peppers and onions

I brought a few other food items that didn’t need refrigeration:
-Real salt and rainbow peppercorns (I’m a little spoiled about my salt & pepper)
-homemade oil/vinegar salad dressing
-avocados
-bananas
-clementines
-cereal for Tad
-whole wheat orange cranberry bread
-pumpkin cranberry scones
-tea bags

Here are the “kitchen items” I packed:
-coolers (one medium-sized Playmate and one small lunch cooler)
-ice packs
-knife
-paper plates
-silverware
-napkins
-zip lock bags (large for ice, and small for “leftovers”)
-dish towel

We stopped at Trader Joe’s when we arrived in town and bought these items:
-2 trays of sushi (great price at TJ’s)
-2 wraps
-milk
-bananas
-hummus
-whole wheat crackers
-organic blue corn tortilla chips
-2 small Greek yogurts
-mixed salad greens
-2 Pink Lady apples
-a mixed veggie tray (jicama, carrots, tomatoes, and snap peas)
-white cheddar cheese
-dark chocolate
-a Lara bar

This is what our “kitchen” looked like in our hotel room

The cold packs kept our coolers cold for the first 24 hours, and after that we relied on Ziplock bags filled with ice from the hotel ice machine to keep our food cold.

Our first dinner was sushi (we got two kinds and split them so we each had 4 pieces of each kind – California rolls and brown rice tempura).

My breakfast was the same both days – a hard boiled egg, two strips of bacon, half an avocado with salt & pepper, and a banana. I think one morning I drank milk. Tad ate cereal (packed) with milk, as well as two strips of bacon. We both drank coffee (provided by the hotel room).

Lunch the second day was the wraps we picked out at Trader Joe’s. We ate those alongside fresh veggies, tortilla chips, hummus, white cheddar cheese, and Greek yogurt.

For dinner that evening we ate sausage patties, salad greens with oil/vinegar dressing, crackers, hummus, roasted veggies (broccoli/cauliflower), sauteed peppers/onions, and a Pink Lady apple.

Our final lunch (packed) was comprised of “leftovers” – salad greens, oil/vinegar dressing, veggies (carrots, snap peas, tomatoes, sauteed peppers/onions), bacon, whole wheat crackers, hummus, and a Pink Lady apple.

Tad and I both were grateful that we could eat this way for three reasons:
1) It was a LOT cheaper than eating out every meal! (We spent $40 at TJ’s, plus brought some food from home, and brought some extra food home with us. Seven meals out would have been at least $75, and that’s for the cheapest of the cheap restaurants.)
2) We got to spend time together eating meals together rather than waiting in long lines at busy restaurants.
3) We felt much better than if we had eaten 7 meals at a fast-food restaurant! We weren’t tired or inattentive during the sessions (19!) and we could focus fully on what God wanted to teach us.

What are your favorite foods to pack while traveling?