I'm a mom of 4 who follows the Mediterranean diet and shops at Aldi. Here are 12 things I love to buy.

• I'm a mom of four in London who loves saving money on groceries at Aldi.

• I buy Mediterranean-diet staples like fruit, veggies, beans, and nuts for myself.

• For my kids, I'll pick up snacks and ingredients for easy meals  I know they'll love.

As the mom of a teen, a tween, and two younger kids, I'm always looking for easy ways to save time and money on groceries.

Aldi has a good selection of generic and branded products, so it's ideal for topping up any missing cupboard or fridge items.

The budget grocery chain started in Germany and has expanded to 10 countries since opening in 1913. There are over 1,000 locations in the UK (where I live), and it's currently the fastest-expanding grocer in the US.

From Mediterranean-diet staples for me to simple dinner options for my whole family, here are 12 of my favorite things to buy at Aldi.

Cucumbers are probably the most popular food in my household at the moment.

Everyone in my family is loving cucumbers right now — especially my 13-year-old, who chomps them whole instead of waiting for me to cut them up.

My kids are into homemade guacamole, so I pick up avocados, tomatoes, and limes.

My kids love to "cook" easy dishes on weekends. Last Sunday, they made guacamole, so I grabbed all the essentials in case they wanted to do it again.

If not, I'll throw together a tomato and mozzarella salad, or my husband will do avocado with toast and eggs for breakfast.

I've also recently started adding limes to my water so it tastes more interesting (I never drink enough otherwise).

Fruit is a daily essential.

I used to buy three or four packs of berries at a time. But the more we had, the quicker they disappeared — it was an expensive habit with four kids.

Now, I buy six to 12 apples and a couple of packs of blueberries, hoping they last us longer than the week before.

But really, I'll be buying these again in a few days, I'm sure of it.

I buy free-range chicken for Sunday roasts.

As an American living in London, it took me a long time to understand the appeal of Sunday roasts (a big dinner, typically consisting of oven-cooked meat with potatoes and veg).

But now I totally get it.

I buy a whole chicken for our Sunday dinner, and then the leftovers will go into the kids' sandwiches and quesadillas for lunch. My husband also likes to add some to soups and salads for an additional protein boost throughout the week.

Microwaveable rice is such a time-saver.

Midweek meals are so much faster now that I don't bother boiling rice for 25 minutes.

I always choose whole-grain rice because it has a slightly higher nutritional value, and the kids don't complain about the difference in taste.

Yogurt is my go-to for breakfast.

I pretty much always start my day with Greek yogurt and berries.

But I'll also use it as a snack or as a creamy topping for savory dishes.

Nuts are the ideal snack when I’m working from home.

I can't pack nuts in my kids' lunches because of their school's allergy policy, but I always have some on hand when I'm working at my computer.

I pick up oat milk for one of my kids.

My 11-year-old can't drink cow's milk, and oat milk is her favorite alternative she's tried over the years.

I like it, too, especially in smoothies.

Tinned goods are fantastic value at Aldi.

You know you've been a parent for a while when you get excited to stock up on tins of beans and tomatoes. But Aldi offers such a great price, it's hard not to get excited.

I usually add chickpeas and other beans to stews or salads, but I want to make them into soup for the kids this week.

Tinned tomatoes go in chili, pasta sauce, and curries — all of which I can make and freeze for later on.

I break up easy meal kits so they’ll last longer.

Shortcuts are a busy mom's friend. I like to break up Aldi's Mexican-inspired meal kits so it lasts several days or more.

For example, I'll use half the tortillas to make chili taco bowls. Later in the week, I'll make wraps with various fillings (like tuna), and we'll have the chips and salsa as a snack one night.

I always stop by the cereal aisle.

I try to shake up my kids' breakfasts so it's not always sugary cereal, but I was too tempted not to buy the multipack of minis at Aldi.

If we wait to have them until midweek, it feels like a celebratory treat.

I buy so many snacks every time I come.

Fun snacks aren't just for my kids — my husband is also always rooting around the pantry.

Crepes are all the rage in my household. The amount of plastic packaging drives me insane, but they're tasty and good on the go.

I also usually come home with some kind of cracker (breadsticks this time) and rice cakes.

Click to keep reading Aldi diaries like this one.

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