Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 01.09.23
Friday is here…and so is your first Weekly Pinch of Shopping of September! It’s a fakeaway-themed shopping list this week, full of all kinds of tasty treats that are cheaper, faster and lower in calories than ordering a delivery.
Whether you fancy a Chinese-style Chow Mein or some crispy Birds Eye Chicken Shop Buttermilk Chicken Goujons, we‘ve got you covered.
We’re telling you now…you’ll want to run to Iceland for these Heinz Tomato Ketchup Filled Hash Browns! They’re golden and crunchy on the outside, with soft potato on the inside, and a hidden ketchup centre. Best of all, they’re only 100 calories each.
Our new cookbook Pinch of Nom: Budget, is out now! We’re absolutely loving seeing everybody’s photos and posts. Don’t forget to tag us when you’re sharing them, we don’t want to miss a single one!
From Meatball Mash Bake to Veggie Quesadillas, there is something for everyone in our first-ever paperback cookbook (if you’ve not got yours yet, you can order here!).
You’ll get 50 brand-new recipes and 25 fan-favourites dishes that cut down on costs, without compromising on the Nom flavours you know and love.
Split into two chapters, dinners and desserts, ‘Budget’ is all about turning affordable ingredients and store cupboard staples into food that the whole family will love.
You can share your recipes and photos by posting over in our Facebook group, where you’ll also find our members having a good old chat about lots of these shopping items too. You can join the group by clicking here. Make sure to let us know if you spot any yummy looking, slimming-friendly new products on the supermarket shelves – we might just feature them in our next article!
Our Weekly Pinch of Shopping list aims to show you slimming-friendly products that you can find online or in one of your local supermarkets. We try to make it as easy as possible for you to pick up these items as part of your usual weekly shop, and we’ll always include the calorie information and the RRP for you.
Please remember that, although all prices are correct at the time of writing, supermarkets can change their prices often, so this should be used as a guide only.
Along with our favourite new finds from the supermarket shelves, each week we include details of the Aldi Super 6. Every fortnight Aldi discounts a selection of 6 fruits and veggies that you can pick up for a fraction of the price. 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!**
itsu Ramen Ready Spicy Broth – 272 calories per pack
Grab your chopsticks and get ready to tuck into a hearty bowl of broth and noodles. This itsu Ramen Ready Spicy Broth goes from packet to bowl in just 4 minutes. Every bit as tasty as a trip to the restaurant, the vegan-friendly dish gives you total control over which vegetables and protein you’d like to top your ramen with.
Stir-fry your choice of toppings, soak the noodles in boiling water, stir in the broth paste and you’ll be slurping on satisfying, spicy ramen in no time.
A veggie stir-fry is our go-to recipe on a day when we feel like we don’t have time to cook. This tasty Broccoli and Mushroom Stir-fry is ready in under half an hour, and it’s just 222 calories for a good-sized helping of filling noodle goodness.
itsu Ramen Ready Spicy Broth is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.50 for a pack that serves one.
McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Raspberry Flavour – 41 calories per Jaffa Cake
Step aside chocolate orange…we’ve spotted a fruity new flavour of Jaffa Cakes on the shelves this week! These McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Raspberry Flavour have popped up in Asda and we can’t think of anything better to snack on with our next cuppa.
The slither of orange jelly that you’d normally find in the middle has been replaced with a juicy raspberry flavour, before being topped with crackly dark chocolate. At 41 calories each, they’re the perfect little treat when you can’t choose between a cake or a biscuit.
If you’ve got a soft spot for chocolate orange, your taste buds will say thank you for rustling up these Chocolate Orange Trifles. Not only do they look pretty fancy (despite being so easy to make), they come in at an impressively slimming-friendly 169 calories each.
McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Raspberry Flavour are available from Asda, priced at £1.00 for a pack of 10.
Blue Dragon Special Chow Mein – 378 calories per pack
For the times when the Chinese takeaway menu is looking tempting, but you’d rather save the money (and the calories!), you’ll be glad to find this Blue Dragon Special Chow Mein in the freezer.
It’s a ready-to-microwave mixture of cooked noodles, chicken breast, prawns, pork and veggies in an aromatic soy sauce – and it cooks in as little as 8 minutes.
Since it’s nice and low in calories, why not add a starter of Sesame Chicken Toasts? Crunchy and golden, each little square is only 22 calories. They’re exactly what you need for an easy and delicious Chinese-inspired fakeaway night.
Blue Dragon Special Chow Mein is available from Iceland, priced at £4.00 (it’s also part of the mix and match 3 for £10.00 deal).
Grill House Chicken Shawarma Kebab Meat – 276 calories per 1/2 pack
Can’t resist a kebab at the end of the night? The good news is that you never have to miss out! Make your own healthier version at home with this Grill House Chicken Shawarma Kebab Meat that we spotted in the freezers at Iceland.
The ready-sliced and seasoned chicken leg meat can be cooked in the oven, on the hob or heated in the microwave straight from frozen – so it’s even faster than nipping out to your favourite fast food place.
Level up your homemade kebab with a side of Za’atar Fries. These crispy chips are coated in a Middle Eastern-inspired spice mix that’s far from shy when it comes to flavour. Bake them to perfection for just 126 calories per portion.
Grill House Chicken Shawarma Kebab Meat is available from Iceland, priced at £4.00 (it’s also part of the mix and match 3 for £10.00 deal).
ASDA Banana Flavoured Milk – 113 calories per 1/5 carton
Next time you get a hankering for a full-fat, high-calorie, drive-through milkshake, pour yourself a glass of this Banana Flavoured Milk from Asda instead. At just 113 calories per glass, it’s a far lighter (and far cheaper) alternative that still leaves you sipping on a creamy, sweet drink.
Made with 1% fat milk and no artificial colours or flavours, you’ll be pleased to know there are two other flavours in the same range – chocolate and strawberry.
When your sweet tooth is calling out for a bigger, better milkshake, our Biscoff Cookie Milkshake is the answer. Thick and luxurious, it’s basically a dessert in a glass – and you’d never guess it’s so slimming friendly.
ASDA Banana Flavoured Milk is available from Asda, priced at £1.10 for a 1 litre carton.
ASDA Egg Fried Rice Steam Bags – 189 calories per steam bag
No Chinese-style spread is complete without a choice of side dishes on offer. Take the hassle out of cooking your homemade menu by adding these ASDA Egg Fried Rice Steam Bags to your shopping list next week.
The frozen bags of fluffy white rice and peas go from freezer to plate in just 3 minutes. Since the rice is already fried with soy sauce seasoning, there’s no need to worry you’ll miss out on any flavour.
Dish it up alongside one of our most popular fakeaway main courses – this Chinese-Style Chicken and Broccoli is especially quick and easy to make. At 184 calories per serving, it’s impossible to find a dish on your local takeaway menu that’s anywhere near as light.
ASDA Egg Fried Rice Steam Bags are available from Asda, priced at £2.20 for a pack of 4 steam bags.
Morrisons Doner Kebab Crisps – 123 calories per 1/5 bag
Yes, you read that right…these new crisps from Morrisons are Doner Kebab flavoured! Bringing you a taste of your favourite fast food, the supermarket has also added a bag of Chicken Shawarma crisps in the same range.
The crunchy, ridge-cut crisps are guaranteed to liven up snack time! You can munch your way through a 25g serving for just 123 calories, so it’s super-easy to work them into your weekly meal plan.
Did you know you can make your own Doner meat at home? If you’re on a slimming journey and don’t want to give up your weekend kebab, there’s no need to! Pick up a copy of our first cookbook, flick to pages 66-67 and give our Doner Kebab recipe a go.
Morrisons Doner Kebab Crisps are available from Morrisons, priced at £1.15 for a 125g bag.
Birds Eye Chicken Shop Buttermilk Chicken Goujons – 264 calories per 3 goujons
Rather than spending a fortune in the chicken shop, stash these Birds Eye Chicken Shop Buttermilk Chicken Goujons in the freezer for your next fakeaway night. You can’t go wrong with juicy chicken coated in lightly fried buttermilk breadcrumbs, especially when it’s only 264 calories for 3 goujons.
You could serve them with chips, dish them up with a dip, or pop them into a sandwich – just about anything goes!
We might be biased but we think they’d be most delicious when they’re dunked into our homemade, slimming-friendly Ketchup. We’ve given tomato sauce a Pinch of Nom makeover to create our very own 8-calorie version, with less sugar than a shop-bought ketchup, and no nasties!
Birds Eye Chicken Shop Buttermilk Chicken Goujons are available from Asda, priced at £4.00.
Butterkist Crunchy Hazelnut Chocolate Flavour Toffee Popcorn – 127 calories per 30g serving
Just when you thought the best film-night snack couldn’t get any better, we found this Butterkist Crunchy Hazelnut Chocolate Flavour Toffee Popcorn in Asda. Crisp and crunchy, the popcorn is coated in cocoa powder and sweet hazelnut flavoured toffee.
Trust us, this stuff is so moreish (luckily it comes in at a slimming-friendly 127 calories per serving).
If you’re after more snack ideas for things to nibble on while you watch a film with the whole family, a batch of these Creamy Strawberry Mini Meringues will always go down a treat. As well as being seriously fun to make, they taste as good as they look.
Butterkist Crunchy Hazelnut Chocolate Flavour Toffee Popcorn is available from Asda, priced at £2.00 for a 155g bag.
Heinz Tomato Ketchup Filled Hash Browns – 200 calories per 2 hash browns
Why dip your hash browns in ketchup when you can fill them with ketchup instead? As soon as we spotted these Heinz Tomato Ketchup Filled Hash Browns we knew they needed to go on the shopping list!
The shredded potato shells hide their tomatoey centres, ready to be oven-baked or air-fried until gorgeously golden. Perfect for serving with your Full English, they’re a fun addition to your breakfast plate.
We’ll be grabbing one of these hash browns from the freezer the next time we make our Breakfast Traybake. A mess-saving one-pot wonder, a cooked brekkie doesn’t come any easier!
Heinz Tomato Ketchup Filled Hash Browns are available from Iceland, priced at £3.00 for a 600g bag.
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 the rundown of this week’s Super 6 offering, along with some recipe ideas for you.
Snack Pack Grapes – 67 calories per 100g
Grapes are great for snacking, and these individual-serving packs make healthy eating on the go even easier.
Ideal when you need something sweet to nibble on after lunch, there’s never been a better time to add a few packs into your trolley – they’re just 39p each while they’re included in the Super 6!
We love adding fruit into salads, so why not make the most of your grapes by slicing them up to make this Very Green Zingy Kale Salad this week?
Mini Pears – 42 calories per 100g
There’s lots of mini fruit to choose from in this fortnight’s Super 6 selection (really handy if you’ll be back to packing school lunchboxes soon!). Sweet and grainy, these mini pears are a tiny treat that you can enjoy raw or cooked into our Pear and Ginger Crumble.
It’s definitely chilly enough to have an excuse to make this warming pud, and smother it in our low-calorie Custard.
Mini Easy Peelers – 35 calories per 100g
You can’t go wrong with a few mini easy peelers in your fruit bowl. Next time you’re craving cake or chocolate, reach for one of these instead and the sweet, juicy citrus treat will keep you going.
Full of vitamin C, they make a great addition to your breakfast spread, no matter what type of brekkie you like waking up to. Start your morning right with our fiery Harissa Eggs and sweeten the deal with an easy peeler afterwards.
Mini Apples – 53 calories per 100g
Don’t let their size fool you, these little apples are just as crunchy and juicy as a full-sized version (they’re just far easier to fit in your lunchbox!). There’s never a bad time to snack on an apple, so grab a bag while they’re at this budget-friendly price.
There’s no reason that you can’t use a couple of these mini apples instead of a big one for our Sausage Traybake recipe. This is one of the easiest dinners going, with everything thrown into a tray and baked to perfection in just 45 minutes.
Baby Plum Tomatoes – 18 calories per 100g
Whether you roast them, slice them into salads or snack on them whole, these baby plum tomatoes are guaranteed to come in handy. A tasty way to work towards your 5-a-day, make room in your fridge for a carton or two while they’re just 69p.
We’ll be picking some up and turning them into this Indian-Style Fried Rice. It’s jam-packed with fresh veggies that make it look gorgeously colourful, and keep it really slimming friendly.
Celery Sticks – 14 calories per 100g
Along with onions and carrots, celery is traditionally used as the base for a whole host of sauces, stews and soups. The low-calorie veggie might not be your favourite snack (although it’s delicious dunked in a tasty homemade dip) but you’ll hardly taste it when it’s cooked down into a dish.
Dice up these celery sticks and add them to the pot to make this hearty Ham and Bean Casserole – it’s perfect for this almost-autumn weather we’re having!
**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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