Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 01.10
Hello October! We’ve got the first Weekly Pinch of Shopping of the month for you. It’s getting a little chillier outside and the nights are drawing in. Let’s get a roast dinner on!
We’ve got the perfect roast beef joint to warm you right up, and we’ve even found some fluffy and light rosemary Yorkshire puds to serve with it. Scroll down to see and bring on the gravy! There may even be a pumpkin spice themed item in this week’s shop…
We’ve also dropped in a reminder of this fortnight’s Super 6. Every fortnight Aldi discounts a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, so we’re giving you the rundown of last week’s selection.
Please remember that all prices are correct at the time of us writing this article and so they should be used as a guide only.
Make sure that you make a note of your favourite products so that you can pick them up with your weekly shopping. Our new Quick & Easy food planner is perfect for this as it will really help you to plan out your meals and keep track of exactly what you’re eating or need to buy.
Lots of these products have been talked about over on our Facebook Group, so if you’re not a member then make sure that you click here to join now so that you don’t miss out (and don’t forget to share any delicious new products that you come across).
Our Weekly Pinch of Shopping list aims to show you slimming friendly products that are available in a wide range of stores so that you can pick them up during your weekly shop, and to make things really convenient we’ve also listed any relevant nutritional info and the RRP.
Want first access to our Weekly Pinch of Shopping articles? Make sure that you’re subscribed to our newsletter as we’ll be letting our email subscribers know that a new list has been published before anyone else.
You can sign up to receive the Weekly Pinch of Shopping in your inbox here.
**A note on our shopping list: 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!**
Nature’s Heart Blueberry, Goji & Almond Mix – 207 calories per 40g serving
Feeling peckish on the go? We’ve got you covered with this Nature’s Heart Blueberry, Goji and Almond Mix. It’s a delicious, plant-based option that’s packed full of the fibrous good stuff you need to keep you going.
The combination of berries and nuts included in this pack is high in vitamin A, so you’ll be doing your immune system a world of good too. It’s only 207 calories to nibble on a 40g serving – well worth it!
Blueberries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, so there’s never any harm in working them into your routine. We love our Lemon and Blueberry Baked Oats recipe because it’s so versatile for any time of day.
Enjoy a portion for breakfast or make the mixture into muffins and snack on them for a fruity mid-afternoon bite.
Nature’s Heart Blueberry, Goji and Almond Mix is available at Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.95.
Bosh! Creamy Mac & Greens – 406 calories per pack
This Mighty Mac ‘N’ Greens pot from Bosh! combines macaroni with juicy mushrooms, broccoli and a cheesy bechamel sauce. It’s a plant-based pot, so the cheese is completely dairy free.
We like that it’s finished off with a topping of breadcrumbs for added crunch. It’s super handy to have stored away when you don’t fancy cooking – throw it in the oven for 25 minutes and enjoy.
Did you know you can make a slimming friendly mac and cheese recipe just as quickly from scratch? In less than 30 minutes you can have our Sneaky Mac and Cheese recipe ready to serve. It’s bursting with veg that’ll get you on your way to 5 a day, without compromising on flavour.
To keep it low on calories (just 293!), we’ve used cauliflower to make the creamy sauce. You can even batch cook and freeze a few portions of this one for another day. Easy peasy!
Bosh! Creamy Mac & Greens is available from Morrisons, priced at £4.00.
Bare Fruit Snacks Banana Chips – 96 calories per pack
Made from real fruit, these Bare Fruit Snacks Banana Chips are a tasty snack to grab. There’s no added sugars or preservatives to worry about, which is why they come in so light at 96 calories. They’re also high in fibre, so they’re a filling baked snack that’s good for you.
If you’re a lover of banana flavours, you HAVE to try our Banana and Caramel Filo Rolls. This recipe has all the flavours you’ll be craving as the weather gets colder, with hints of cinnamon and an irresistible caramel dipping sauce.
They’re perfect for entertaining family and friends because they look so impressive plated up (oh, and they’re delicious).
Plus, they’re really quick to make so you’ll have more time for your guests. Winner!
Bare Fruit Snacks Banana Chips are available from Ocado, priced at £1.40 per pack.
Iceland Chip Shop Curry Chicken Breast Fillet Strips – 216 calories per serving
Mmm, chip chop curry! These Chip Shop Curry Chicken Breast Fillet Strips from Iceland give you all the familiar flavour without having to go to the takeaway. The chip shop sauce breadcrumb coating is so good, you’ll be stocking up your freezer.
These chicken breast fillets are SO versatile – enjoy them served with oven chips, rice, veggies or even make a chip shop curry style chicken burger. Why not enjoy them fresh out of the fridge the next day in a handy lunchtime wrap?
Put together a full fakeaway spread by serving these chip shop curry strips alongside our Salt and Pepper Chips? So much healthier than ordering in!
You can add as much or as little of a spicy kick as you like by adjusting the amount of chilli flakes.
Chip Shop Curry Chicken Breast Fillet Strips are available from Iceland, priced at £3.00 per bag.
Heck 60/40 Chicken Red Pepper & Feta Burgers – 108 calories per burger
These Heck 60/40 Chicken Red Pepper and Feta Burgers are a great balanced choice. As the name suggests, they’re made up of 60% chicken and 40% veggies (red peppers, tomato and black olives included).
They’re a great addition to your diet if you’re looking to eat a little less meat, or if you’re wanting some more veggies. You can also rustle these up quickly if you need to get a tasty midweek dinner going at short notice.
As you might be able to tell from our Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Soup recipe, we agree that red pepper and feta is a classic flavour combo. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and smoky to warm you up on colder lunch breaks.
It’s even scrumptious after being frozen and reheated. We love to serve with a fresh crusty bread roll and plenty of feta sprinklings. It’s a hug in a bowl!
Heck 60/40 Chicken Red Pepper & Feta Burgers are available at Tesco, priced at £2.00 for a pack of 2 burgers.
Ferrero Rocher White Tablet – 108 calories per serving
Did someone say Ferrero Rocher? Don’t mind if we do! If you love the nutty flavours of Ferrero Rocher, you’ll love nibbling on their new white chocolate bar. Each sweet square is made up of smooth white chocolate with Ferrero’s iconic crunchy pieces of hazelnut.
Each bar has roughly five servings of chocolate at only 108 calories.
If we’ve left you with a craving for white chocolate, don’t worry. We’ve got a White Chocolate Blondies recipe that’s super low on calories and big on sweet flavour.
In less than 30 minutes, you can have these whipped up and ready to serve with a glass of milk or a hot cuppa. Delish!
Ferrero Rocher White Tablet is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.00 for a 90g bar.
Itsu Chicken & Spring Onion Gourmet Gyoza – 148 calories per 100g
These Chicken and Spring Onion Gourmet Gyoza from Itsu are an Asian style snack that’s high in protein and low in saturated fat. You may have tried traditional Japanese steamed dumplings – Gyoza are a little lighter with a thinner wrap and a more finely chopped stuffing.
Simply pop in the microwave for one minute and then dip in the fragrant ponzo sauce provided. You can shallow fry them too for a more authentic Japanese-style of cooking. Just be sure to use a low calorie cooking spray!
Spring onions are a tasty staple veg you’ll find raw in salads or in stir-fries. Our Stir-fried Beef with Ginger and Spring Onion is a super quick fakeaway you can have ready in less than 30 minutes.
Some ingredients are more expensive than others and beef can be a little on the pricey side. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s adaptable, so you can make it with chicken, pork or even prawns if you’d prefer.
Itsu Chicken & Spring Onion Gourmet Gyoza is available at Waitrose, priced at £3.50 per pack.
Sainsbury’s Pumpkin Spice Houmous – 226 calories per 1/2 pot
Whether you spell it houmous or hummus, we can at least all agree it’s delicious. This Pumpkin Spice Houmous from Sainsbury’s has a mildly spicy kick. Combining chickpeas with pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, it’s the perfect autumn blend.
We love that it’s SO handy to have in the fridge when you fancy a quick snack – some thinly sliced carrot or celery works well. You could even combine with some low-calorie tortilla chips.
Nothing says autumn quite like a hot, spiced beverage. We love taking a fresh sip from our Pumpkin Spiced Latte recipe. It’s slimming friendly because our method uses fresh vegetables. No sugary syrups here!
For more autumnal flavours, why not check out our seasonal recipe round up for September and October?
Pumpkin Spice Houmous is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.75 per pot.
Luxury Beef Roasting Joint with Beef Dripping Gravy – 168 calories per 100g
Oh yes! You just can’t beat a warming roast dinner on a chilly Sunday afternoon. This Luxury Beef Roasting Joint with Beef Dripping Gravy is so convenient to pull out of the freezer and defrost ready for Sunday lunch.
Place it on a baking tray in the centre of the oven and watch the juicy meat cook. It includes a beef gravy sachet to pour over the joint 15 minutes before it comes out of the oven. We can smell the juices already! Why not slow cook the full joint and give it a little more time to tenderise? You can use our conversion guide to help you out with that.
You’ll be drooling as you carve this one up. We’d serve it with heaps of veg and some fluffy Roast Potatoes smothered in gravy. Make sure you season them well and keep an eye on them as they cook. If they’re looking a little dry, give them another coating of low calorie cooking spray.
Iceland Luxury Beef Roasting Joint with Beef Dripping Gravy is available from Iceland, priced at £8.00.
Aunt Bessie’s 4 Yorkshire Puddings Sea Salt & Rosemary – 136 calories per pudding
From crispy golden roasties to roast meat smothered in gravy, there are certain staples that make a Sunday lunch as iconic as it is. If Yorkshire puds are usually the highlight of your roast dinner experience, you’ll appreciate these Sea Salt & Rosemary Yorkshire Puddings from Aunt Bessie’s.
Fluffy, light and seasoned with plenty of rosemary, they’ll bring complementary flavour to your Sunday roast. Rosemary is especially tasty paired with beef or lamb, so they’re ideal to serve with Iceland’s Luxury Beef Joint.
The key is never being shy with the gravy! There are no disappointing watery servings here. Our home-made Gravy recipe is still delightfully rich and thick despite being low on calories. We’d recommend batch cooking and freezing it, so you’re always prepped to pour it over your favourite hot dinners.
Aunt Bessie’s 4 Yorkshire Puddings Sea Salt & Rosemary are available at Tesco, priced at £1.85 per bag.
REMINDER Aldi Super 6 Fruit and Veg Selection
We love Aldi’s Super 6 selection of fresh fruit and veggies. Each fortnight they choose six different items for a special offer where you can pick them up for much less than the normal price.
Here’s our reminder of this fortnight’s Super 6 selection:
- Tenderstem Broccoli – 40 calories per 100g
- Celery – 14 calories per 100g
- Brown Onions – 40 calories per 100g
- Avocado – 160 calories per 100g
- Garlic – 5 calories per clove
- Carrots – 41 calories per 100g
**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!**
Love our Weekly Pinch of Shopping articles? Remember to sign up to our newsletter to get first access to the next one.
And if you’re not already part of our Facebook Group then make sure you join as we love seeing all of the new products that you find – not to mention all of the amazing support and motivation!