I spend $100 a week at my UK Aldi to feed my family of 3. Here are 13 items we buy and how we use them.

We buy a big container of the Brooklea Greek yogurt, a versatile ingredient. It pairs well with dry cereal like Weetabix and can take the kick out of a spicy curry or add extra thickness to sauces.

Florence Pugh also has a simple but super tasty recipe for a tzatziki dip with garlic, shredded cucumber, olive oil, and seasoning.

A container of Brooklea yogurt costs £1.55, or about $1.85.

I'll use Ashfields ground beef to make pasta and sauce or cottage pie.

But I recently watched "The Menu" so I'm hankering to make smash burgers inspired by that mouth-watering dinner scene.

A pack of 750 grams costs £4.29.

I rarely have the time to make a spice rub from scratch but the Maggi seasoning and cooking bags are packed with all the flavoring I need.

There's minimal mess and washing up, and if you're careful with the bag when your meat is cooking, you aren't left with a sticky, greasy oven tray.

These bags come in Mexican-style, paprika, and barbecue flavors, but our favorite is garlic.

One pack costs £0.59.

Our kid loves helping make food, so we sometimes get the boxed Fiesta fajita set. I just chop the peppers, onions, and meat into strips, brown them in a frying pan, and add the spice mix. 

Our daughter still needs a little assistance wrapping her fajita so she doesn't end up with seasoning all over her clothes. Even so, she enjoys grabbing a helping of cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa to go into her wrap.

This kit costs £1.85.

I'm not a big coffee drinker, but caffeine is a must while running after a 3-year-old. I try and stick to two cans of Coke Zero a day to avoid bouncing off the walls in the late hours.

When I need to let off some steam, it's also a perfect accompaniment to some Southern Comfort or amaretto.

A pack of 1o cans costs £4.69.

When I got COVID-19 last year and temporarily lost my sense of taste, I started subjecting my tongue to more chili sauces. But I won't go anywhere above medium-level heat (I still like to taste my food).

The Thai Dragon sriracha hot-chili sauce has a nice kick to it but doesn't linger past its welcome. It also has a sweetness that complements the heat.

This sauce can up the ante on so many everyday foods like scrambled eggs, hot dogs, rice dishes, and even avocado toast.

A bottle costs £1.99.

Though we prefer jasmine rice, the Worldwide Foods basmati variety is a decent substitute. It accompanies sauce-based dishes perfectly, and of course, is great for fried rice.

I also like to add a lot of water to make congee, or what my extended family calls "juk," a type of savory rice porridge. It's amazingly hearty, and you can add ginger, scallions, and cooked red meat for some extra depth.

A bag costs £1.75.

I usually get hungry late at night and The Deli classic frankfurters wrapped in bread make for an excellent snack. Depending on how hungry I am, I might add some sliced gherkins (pickles), cheese, and ketchup.

Our daughter also likes the frankfurters if she needs a quick dinner fix.

A pack of 10 frankfurters costs £1.79.

Instead of boiling vegetables, we fry them in a little oil and Grandessa honey to ensure there are no leftover greens on our kid's plate.

I particularly like using broccoli, baby sweetcorn, or green beans because they have a satisfyingly crunchy texture when fried.

A bottle costs £1.49.

Soups and stews take some prep and cooking time but the Knorr chicken stock pot can help them get underway. 

I'll throw a couple of stock pots, some root vegetables, and browned meat in our slow cooker at lunchtime. By dinnertime, I have a hearty, flavorful stew.

A pack of six pots costs £2.19.

We add some soy sauce and ginger to The Fishmonger salmon filets, wrap them in baking paper, and bake for 30 minutes in the oven.

Overall, it's a pretty healthy dish and the filets get tender and juicy. Just be aware that you may have to pick through the filet for occasional bones.

Two filets cost £3.59.

The Asia Specialities udon noodles need just a few minutes in a frying pan and they'll soak up tons of flavor to make a quick lunch or dinner.

You can mix them with leftovers to make a stir-fry, or put them in a broth if you want to be a little bit fancier. They're also great in an Asian hot pot, which involves cooking a load of raw ingredients in a broth over a hot plate. 

When our daughter was getting used to solid foods, we'd offer her some udon noodles. She could easily hold them and they're soft enough for a baby to chew.

The pack of udon noodles costs £0.85.

In the UK, the fun, whimsically designed Whirlz are a tasty treat. Gianni's Whirlz come in pineapple-strawberry or lemon-lime flavor swirls.

They're also very light, so they're a small treat that won't ruin appetites before dinner.

A box of Whirlz costs £1.69.

Click to keep reading Aldi diaries like this one.