3 grapes to this sandwich.
I may have gone off the deep end here, writing about this. But alas, as I mentioned in my last post, I yam what I yam, so here I go.
One of our premier local grocery chains is Dierbergs Markets. There’s lots of great stuff at Dierbergs, but it’s not my weekly regular. I love Aldi. However, the deli at Dierbergs sells a chunky pecan and grape chicken salad for $10.49 per pound. It’s delicious.
However, considering I try to talk Dan into buying T-bone steaks at Save-A-Lot when they are on sale for $3.99 per pound, you can probably guess what I think about paying $10.49 for chicken salad.
So, I buy regular chicken salad at Aldi for 3.69 per pound. Then I buy red, seedless grapes. Last time, I paid $0.99 per pound, but that’s on the low end. I take the Aldi chicken salad, add in the grapes and forego the pecans. I could add in a small amount of pecans, but really, it’s the grapes I’m after. It’s perfect! You could say I have champagne tastes and a beer budget, but I don’t drink. So, I guess I have Dierbergs tastes on an Aldi budget. I like that.
With this chicken salad idea, I want to analyze it with regard to cost and calories.
With regards to cost, let’s say, I add in 50% grapes. So, the cost per pound is:
- .50 x 3.69 Aldi chicken salad
- .50 x 1.49 cost of grapes (I went a bit higher.)
- 1.85 + .75 = $2.60 cost per pound – Aldi’s chicken salad with added grapes
With regards to nutrition, the container says there are 280 calories in 1/3 cup of Aldi’s chicken salad. Wow! As a side note, there are five 1/3 cup servings per container.
I haven’t measured, but lets say I use 2/3 cup to make my sandwich.
- 2/3 cup chicken salad – no grapes – 560 calories (plus the bread and maybe a cookie)
- 2/3 cup – 50% is chicken salad and 50% is grapes – 280 + 20 (that’s a guess for the grape calories) = 300 calories (plus the bread and maybe 2 cookies, okay 1 cookie)
So, that is $7.89 (10.49-2.60) savings per pound of chicken salad and approximately 260 calories savings (560-300) savings per sandwich. That $7.89 just about covers 2 one-pound steaks at Save-A-Lot. Come on, Dan, let’s go!
Any way you slice it – not that you have to slice chicken salad – my Aldi’s chicken salad with my Aldi’s red grapes wins hands down every time.
Do you do stuff like this? What kind of concoctions have you come up with for one reason or another? I can’t be the only one, can I?
Chambers on the Road 
Yes, Betty, I think you are the only one who would do this. 🙂
Seriously, recreating something is how great recipes get developed, although I like the pecans in my chunky chicken salad along with the red grapes. It is really good also on zucchini bread.
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Yes, I probably should go the bother of adding in a few pecans. While others may do something like this, I may the only one who would write a post about it! Thanks for reading, and enjoy your Monday!
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How can you eat a whole grape on a sandwich? Shouldn’t you slice the grapes once or twice first?
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First of all, dear commenter, eating the whole grape on a sandwich is no problem for me. I have many talents. Second of all, even Dierbergs at 10.49 a pound does not slice the grapes- even one time. It sounds difficult until you try it. Thanks for reading and your comment. And enjoy your day!
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Oh me oh my! I could do this, but chose not to. You may be the only one who wants to sit and do the math on all of this. But, if it saves money, tastes good and you want to do it – Go for it girl!
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Thank you, Peggy. I actually enjoy doing the math. Enjoy your day!
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Betty…I love your analogy! I too like the Aldi Chicken Salad and their Red Grapes! Another budget saving technique is to Google Dierbergs Chicken Salad and you’ll have the recipe! 🙂
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Thank you, Tana! I will have to check that out! I appreciate you reading and commenting! Enjoy your day!
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I like your style. I also like Aldi and hate spending more for the same thing. And I don’t drink. I am going to try your Aldi chicken salad with Aldi grapes, and add toasted pecans. I keep a tupperware of toasted pecans on hand all the time to sprinkle on oatmeal, and sometimes on ice cream with salted caramel sauce.
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Ice cream with salted caramel and pecans – I like your style, too! I also hadn’t thought of toasted pecans, but that sounds really good, also. Let me know how you like the Aldi chicken salad with grapes and pecans. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading, and have a good day.
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I usually make chicken salad from scratch. Next time, I’ll add grapes and some toasted pecans. It sounds yummy!
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I have never made it from scratch. Let me know how you like this version. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day!
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Who cares about normal??? I love chicken salad, but usually make my own. My favorite way is to make the Waldorf Salad from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and add chicken and grapes. But my grapes are green and cut in half! I don’t have your talent for eating grapes whole!
Thanks for the fun post.
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What? No talent for eating grapes whole? Well, you do have your Waldorf Salad which sounds really good – especially with those green grapes cut in half! I haven’t tried making my own chicken salad, but I may try it some day. Glad you enjoyed the post. Have a nice evening!
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Interesting if you like chicken salad but I have never been a big fan of it. But maybe, just maybe I’ll have to try it your way and I’ll develop a taste for it. Thanks for the interesting post. It has me thinking of trying something new. Have a great day.
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Well, if you don’t like it, you don’t like it. The red grapes do add some crunchy sweetness that I really like. Enjoy your day, too!
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I can’t believe you can find t-bones for $3.99/lb. I would buy them up and stick then in the deep freeze. I am completely a steak person. Tried to go vegetarian, but I always end up eating meat. With that price, I could argue that it makes sense (cents) to continue to eat meat.
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Yes, our Save-A-Lot has them on sale for $3.99 or $4.99 a pound depending. I think they are good, but they are not “restaurant quality” so not as tender. I still like them. Do you have Save-A-Lot in your area? Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day!
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We actually do, but I have never been there. I’m not sure if they have the same sales. I’m going to check out the circular next time it comes
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We have it here in St. Charles. We also saw them in Pilot Knob. And we have family in Pacific who told us about them. Remember, it’s a sale, so you might have to check for a few weeks before you see it. Enjoy your day!
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Ottimo
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I agree. Grapes in chicken salad is the best.
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Thanks for reading and agreeing! Enjoy your day!
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Do the two salads taste similar? I think if the quality and taste of the two salads are similar then add grapes (we’d also prefer pecans) to the Aldi salad. Save the money and buy more cookies. 🙂
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Yes, they taste the same to me, especially if you add pecans, too. By adding your own grapes to Aldi’s, you can save money and add in all the grapes you want! More money and more calories for cookies! 🙂 Thanks for reading and your comment. Enjoy your day!
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