The Weekly Pinch of Shopping: New Slimming-friendly Spring Sunshine Finds 04.04.25
Happy Friday, PON Pals! Good news – we’ve been busy filling your Weekly Pinch of Shopping with sunshine-inspired treats…
All of this week’s finds will leave you feeling refreshed, without taking you off track. We’ve tracked down a Caramel Flavour Iced Latte, Lemon Sorbet Cones and Rhubarb & Custard Crumble Ice Cream.
Plus, we couldn’t ignore all the chatter around M&S’ viral 1-Ingredient Corn Flakes – we had to find out if they’re worth the hype! Keep scrolling to see what we really think, and how we’d fit them into your meal plan as a surprising dessert option…
There’s no better way to say hello to spring than with a midweek menu refresh. Our Air Fryer book is packed with tasty midweek dinners, light bites and sweet treats that’ll keep you feeling inspired year-round!
Grab a copy for yourself, or ‘add to basket’ for any upcoming spring birthdays, Easter, say ‘I appreciate you!’ with a lovely little goodie gift.
Tap the image below to order a copy.
Spotted any yummy-looking, slimming-friendly products at the supermarket lately? Share them with us – they might feature in our next article! You can also join the discussion in our Facebook group here.
Our Weekly Pinch of Shopping highlights budget-friendly, slimming-friendly products available in local supermarkets and online. We include calorie information and RRP, though prices may vary.
Each week, we also feature Aldi’s Super 6 deals – a fortnightly selection of discounted fruits and vegetables – along with recipe ideas to help you make the most of them. There’s a fresh selection this week, so scroll down to find out what’s included, along with some ideas on how to make the most of the ingredients.
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**A note on our shopping list: we do not take payment, promotion or gifts for including any of the items mentioned in these articles. We bring them to you because we love them and hope you will too!**
1. Danone Skyr 0% Fat High Protein Vanilla Yoghurt Drink – 162 calories per drink
This Danone Skyr 0% Fat High Protein Vanilla Yoghurt Drink is a delightfully light, satisfying refreshment. The fat-free blend of Skyr and vanilla flavourings is rich, smooth and indulgent-tasting, all while coming in at just 162 calories per bottle.
A sip would go down nicely with a sunny plate of our Strawberry and Vanilla Waffles. To get the vanilla flavourings into our waffle mixture, we’ve used an easy combination of vanilla extract, syrup and sweetener.
We like to blitz our oats to a fine, flour-like texture for fluffy results every time!
Danone Skyr 0% Fat High Protein Vanilla Yoghurt Drink is available from Tesco, priced at £1.50 per bottle.
2. Tesco Gut Sense Rhubarb & Ginger Kefir Yoghurt – 93 calories per 115g
It’s always good to have yoghurt on standby for a light snack. We picked up a tub of Tesco’s Gut Sense Rhubarb & Ginger Kefir Yoghurt, but you might prefer to take home their Red Berries & Cherry Kefir Yogurt flavour.
Good for your gut, a dollop will go down nicely with sliced fruits, granola or cereal.
If this one’s up your street, you’ll love waking up to a hearty bowl of Rhubarb and Custard Overnight Oats. Inspired by the retro boiled sweet, we’ve topped our punchy, ginger-infused rhubarb layer with a slimming-friendly homemade custard.
You’ll never guess the ingredient we’ve used to thicken things up: chia seeds!
Tesco Gut Sense Rhubarb & Ginger Kefir Yoghurt is available from Tesco, priced at £1.50 per pot.
3. Plant Menu Garlic & Herb No Chicken Pieces – 152 calories per 80g serving (cooked)
If you’re on a mission to eat less meat, or following a vegetarian diet, you’ll love these Plant Menu Garlic & Herb No Chicken Pieces. This meat-free Monday wonder livens up wraps, sandwiches, tacos, salads or stir-fries with next to no fuss.
You can keep the box in the freezer, ready to pop in the oven or air fryer until cooked through and flavourful.
Why not toss them into a summery lunch like our Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad? Paired with a bacon alternative, you’ll be onto a veggie-friendly lunchtime winner.
We’ve managed to ditch heaps of calories by swapping the classic high-calorie drizzle for our own fat-free version. Don’t worry, it’s just as garlicky!
Plant Menu Garlic & Herb No Chicken Pieces are available from Aldi, priced at £1.59 per pack.
4. Pukpip Banana Bites Dipped In Dark Chocolate – 104 calories per portion
A secret supply of these Pukpip Banana Bites Dipped in Dark Chocolate is the best kind of stash! You’ve got the cool creaminess of banana, coupled with a light layer of luxurious-tasting dark chocolate.
They’re spot on for curbing sweet cravings at only 104 calories per heaped handful.
Keep them in the freezer ready to grab and snack on straight away, or let them thaw for a few minutes first – if you can resist!
Warm, sweet AND spicy, our Banana Bread Pudding is the ultimate banana-based treat. It’s up to you if you fancy taking things up a notch with a glug of custard or a scoop of ice cream, but one thing’s for sure…it’s a must-try with a cuppa!
Pukpip Banana Bites Dipped In Dark Chocolate are available from Ocado, priced at £3.50 per bag.
5. Nescafe Iced Coffee Caramel Flavour Latte Multiserve – 92 calories per 250ml serve
As soon as the sun shines, we’re ready to order an iced coffee. This Nescafe Iced Coffee Caramel Flavour Latte Multiserve is far better for you and your budget than visiting your local coffee shop, and yet you can recreate the indulgence by serving it in a tall glass over ice.
You can also pick up a plain Nescafe Iced Coffee Latte Multiserve, if you’d rather skip the sweetness.
Our Raspberry Mocha Granola Pots are a gorgeous breakfast option for coffee lovers. Infused with espresso, cocoa powder and sticky-sweet maple syrup, those oats are worth the effort of digging right to the bottom of the pot…
Nescafe Iced Coffee Caramel Flavour Latte Multiserve is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £3.00 (or £2.50 with a Nectar card).
6. Morrisons Lemon Sorbet Ice Cream Cones – 174 calories per cone
When life gives you sunshine, hunt down Morrisons’ Lemon Sorbet Ice Cream Cones! As if lip-smacking lemony ice cream wasn’t delicious enough, it’s all topped off with a tart lemon sauce and served in a chocolate-covered biscuit cone.
Take a scroll through our favourite slimming-friendly things to make with lemons by tapping here.
This deliciously fruity Raspberry Sorbet is fabulous to CHILL out with! The full recipe is from pages 220-221 of our Express book, so you know the combination of raspberries, syrup and lemon juice will be low-fuss to prep.
Morrisons Lemon Sorbet Ice Cream Cones are available from Morrisons, priced at £1.50 for a box of 4 cones.
7. The Gym Kitchen Original Chicken Sausages – 127 calories per 2 sausages
There’s nothing boring about these The Gym Kitchen Original Chicken Sausages; they’re infused with a roasted onion seasoning that really gives the savoury goodness a boost.
Try them air-fried to perfection for breakfast or lunch, or serve them over a fluffy portion of classic mash with gravy.
If you’d prefer a kick of spice, you can pick up The Gym Kitchen Piri Piri Chicken Sausages from the same range for a few extra calories.
This Herby Sausage Orzo is our go-to when we’ve got a pack of bangers to use up. Unlike risotto rice, orzo only needs a stir from time to time, so this one-pot is gloriously effortless to make.
The Gym Kitchen Original Chicken Sausages are available from Tesco, priced at £3.25 (or £2.50 with a Clubcard) per pack.
8. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Barber Cheese & Ham Kyiv – 339 calories per kyiv
Can’t decide what to make for tea? These Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Barber Cheese & Ham Kyivs are just the ticket. The combination of cheddar, smoked ham and chicken is coated in a crispy layer of breadcrumbs that’ll bake until golden in less than half an hour in the air fryer (or 40 minutes in your oven).
They’ll make for a hearty, effortless home-cooked meal next to a leafy-green salad and a portion of Rustic Potato Wedges. We’ve used a combination of paprika, mixed herbs and sea salt on our wedges, but there are so many other different herbs and spices that would also work just as well – you might fancy adding a touch of garlic!
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Barber Cheese & Ham Kyiv is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £4.00 for a pack that serves 2.
9. M&S Only 1 Ingredient Corn Flakes – 116 calories per 30g serving
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about M&S’ Only 1 Ingredient Corn Flakes. With no sugar or hidden nasties, and the ingredients list placed right on the front of the box (yep, just ‘corn’), it’s a bit of a game changer in the cereal aisle.
We tried them and the taste was definitely…unique! If you pick up a box, we’d love to hear your thoughts in our Facebook group.
To liven them up a bit, you could always transform your golden flakes into our Summer Berry Dessert. We’ve used layers of quark, berries, sweetener, vanilla extract and a sprig of mint to make this light after-dinner treat.
M&S Only 1 Ingredient Corn Flakes are available from M&S stores and online at Ocado, priced at £2.50 per box.
10. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Rhubarb & Custard Crumble Ice Cream – 139 calories per scoop
Is it just us, or are the freezer aisles starting to fill up with lots of exciting ice cream flavours? This tub of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Rhubarb & Custard Crumble Ice Cream had to come home with us.
It’s a heavenly medley of Madagascan vanilla and West Country ice cream, swirled with rhubarb conserve and crumble pieces.
We’ve already started whipping up lots of different sweet treats with our Ninja Creami, including this luscious Custard Cream Ice Cream recipe.
You’d never know that our base is a blend of low-calorie alternatives like light single cream, skimmed milk and sweetener. The custard creams are crumbled in towards the end, for maximum crunch!
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Rhubarb & Custard Crumble Ice Cream is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £3.25 per tub.
NEW Aldi Super 6 Fruit and Veg Selection
We love Aldi’s fortnightly selection of fresh fruit and veggies! They choose different items for a special offer where you can pick them up for much less than the normal price.
Here’s a rundown of the recipes we’d make with this week’s Super 6 offering.
Baby Corn – 26 calories per 100g
A crunchy handful of baby corn always goes down a treat in fried rice dishes, stir-fries and curries. It adds the perfect bite to our much-loved Fried Rice Chinese-Style Fakeaway when you fancy takeaway flavours at home.
Celery – 14 calories per 100g
Not only is celery great in base sauces, stews and soups, it’s also great to nibble on – especially dunked into a homemade dip!
Celery cooks down nicely to boost the flavours cooking sauces for lots of wholesome dishes, like our Creamy Tomato Pasta.
Plums – 46 calories per 100g
You don’t see soft, juicy plums in the Super 6 offer very often, so stock up while you can! They’re a key ingredient for our vibrant Sticky Plum and Chicken Traybake on pages 174-175 of our Express book.
Seasonal Pears – 55 calories per 100g
These seasonal pears work really well in homely oven-bakes like our slimming-friendly Pear and Ginger Crumble. Just the ticket to cosy up with…it’s up to you if you fancy adding a glug of Custard!
Green Beans – 31 calories per 100g
Whether you’re throwing them into stir-fries, tossing them in salads, or stirring them into curries, extra fine green beans are always a winner.
Ready in under 10 minutes, you can always rely on our Air Fryer Crispy Green Beans recipe to add a pop of garlicky green goodness to any plate. All for only 79 calories per serving!
Golden Delicious Apples – 49 calories per 100g
Less tangy than other green apples, Golden Delicious Apples are nice and juicy – perfect for slicing up or biting straight into!
Try adding a few beautifully sweet slices to a warming bowl of Apple Pie Porridge tomorrow morning.
**Remember: we do not take payment, promotion or gift for any of the items mentioned in these articles. We bring them to you because we love them and hope you will too!**
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