april's monthly menu guide and aldi shopping list

so, like i said in this post, i have a monthly grocery shopping trip planned for tomorrow night.  i plan on getting everything needed for dinners in the month of april along with a few household goods and snacks.


if you are interested,
here's my monthly menu guide for april.

and here's a few sample recipes for the more specific menu items.  if you missed the initial menu planning post, here's where you can find the updated   meals categories list.

(by the way, i'm new at this and if the links don't let you open and change them for your own purposes, email me and i can send them to you so you can use them effectively!) 

here's my aldi shopping list:

onions (yellow and red)
sour cream
parmesan cheese
pizza sauce
pepperoni
mozzarella shredded cheese (2)
cheddar cheese (3)
bacon (2)
powdered sugar (i'm just running low)
taco shells
salsa (2)
tortilla chips
tortillas
broccoli (2)
tomatoes
avocado (2)
grapes
milk (1 2% and 1 whole)
nuts (honey roasted peanuts)--they have great prices on nuts
frozen spinach
acorn squash (they may or may not have this)
wild rice
chicken stock (2)
salad--bagged (2)
applesauce
bell peppers (2) green and red
mushrooms
lettuce
lime (2)
mandarin oranges (a couple jars)
frozen peas
carrots
sweet potatoes (2-3)
apples (bag)
sponges-kitchen
toliet paper
paper towels
trash bags
snacks like (animal crackers, goldfish)
cereal
candy for Easter baskets!
wine (1)
apple juice (3)

anybody want to guess how much the total cost of all this will be?
leave a comment with your guess!

not everything is better at a discount store, like aldi.  these are a few things that i believe are either better quality, are cheaper at a regular grocery store, or just aren't sold there:

*cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
*sweet chili sauce
*english muffins
*flavored cream cheese
*basil
*hamburger buns (or any bread)
*fresh fish fillets
*frozen rolls
*garlic toast
*velveeta cheese
*flour (specifically if using it for baking--stick to the name brand)

hope this is helpful even if by nothing else, just giving ideas for healthy dinner meals for you and your family.   and if it's all just too overwhelming for you to think about......

"Do what you can...with what you have...where you are."

--Roosevelt