Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch Of Shopping 04.12
If you’re looking for Christmas inspiration and festive recipes then you make sure that you check out our Christmas category here.
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).
We’re well and truly in the festive spirit this week, and we’ve seen so many delicious new products with a Christmassy twist that we simply had to share.
Even the humble quiche has been given a festive upgrade with Higgidy Wonderful & Wintry French Brie & Spiced Chutney Quiche!
We’ve also featured scrummy dark chocolate coated McVitie’s 10 Orange & Cranberry Jaffa Cakes and Rice Krispies Squares Birthday Cake Thins for easy snacking over the coming weeks.
We’ve featured some delicious meat-free alternatives too, for those looking for ways to reduce their meat intake, and we think you’ll love the convenience of Quorn Swedish Style Balls.
Don’t forget the super cute and low calorie ASDA Reindeer Ice Cream Lollies for pud, but be quick – they won’t last long in the freezer!
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.
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.
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**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!**
ASDA 4 Reindeer Ice Cream Lollies – 62 calories per lolly
How cute are these ASDA 4 Reindeer Ice Cream Lollies?! Full of Christmas cheer and only 62 calories per lolly, these ice creams are the ideal choice for a sweet treat after dinner.
Suitable for vegetarians, these lollies include caramel, chocolate and strawberry flavoured ice cream so there’s no need to pick a favourite: grab one of these and you can enjoy a little of all three!
It’s hard to believe these are low in calories, and they’re a great addition to our list of slimming essentials.
In a handy mini size, these lollies are an ideal sweet treat for children, but they’re so tasty and creamy, the real problem is not tucking in first!
If you prefer your ice cream fruitier, try our Winter Berry Ice Cream!
These limited edition ASDA 4 Reindeer Ice Cream Lollies are available for £1 per box of 4.
Kettle Vegan Sheese & Red Onion Chips – 154 calories per serving
Kettle have teamed up with Bosh! to create these Vegan Sheese & Red Onion Chips so that, whether you’re following a vegan or dairy free diet, you can still enjoy some classic, cheese and onion inspired crisps.
With no artificial flavours, colours or MSG, these Kettle Vegan Sheese & Red Onion Chips are also suitable for gluten free diets, so everyone can tuck in.
They taste so cheesy that you’ll never believe that they’re free from dairy, and at 154 calories per serving they’re not packed full of loads of extra calories either so can be enjoyed on a slimming plan.
Enjoy alongside some Hummus and veg for a tasty lunch, or grab a handful and enjoy in front of your favourite TV show.
These Kettle Vegan Sheese & Red Onion Chips are available in most supermarkets at around £1.80 for a sharing bag.
Boursin Inspirations Mexico French Whipped Cheese Dip – 311 calories per 100g
This Boursin Inspirations Mexico French Whipped Cheese Dip might just be one of our new favourite things!
Whipped French cheese meets the vibrant spicy flavours of Mexico to create this delicious dip that is not only suitable for vegetarians, but is free from artificial nasties too.
You can use it for cooking dishes like our Cauli Mac ‘n’ Cheese or our Chilli Cheesy Nachos to add a nice, hot twist, or alternatively, serve with some vegetable crudités or crackers for a quick snack.
You can find this Boursin Inspirations Mexico French Whipped Cheese Dip at Ocado for £2.20.
If you’re a massive fan of adding a bit of extra heat to your food like we are, then make sure you keep reading as we’ve found another spicy treat that you won’t want to miss!
Pukka Organic Aloe Vera Juice – 1.1 calories per serving
Aloe vera is well known for being really good at treating things like sunburn or other skin conditions, but it turns out that there are benefits to drinking it too!
Pukka Organic Aloe Vera Juice is a really easy and simple way to start including aloe vera in your diet, whether you’re taking tablespoon doses or adding it into smoothies or juices.
It’s full of loads of different vitamins and minerals and has tons of health benefits including aiding digestion and supporting your immune system – how crazy is that?!
This Pukka Organic Aloe Vera Juice is suitable for vegetarians and vegans and contains just 1.1 calories per serving, which means it’s a definite slimming essential.
You can grab this Pukka Organic Aloe Vera Juice from Morrisons or Ocado from £12 per litre bottle. That might sound a bit expensive for some juice, but a little goes a long way so it’ll last for ages!
Higgidy Wonderful & Wintry French Brie & Spiced Chutney Quiche – 246 calories per serving
It’s no secret that we love a quiche: they’re versatile, budget friendly and a great way of using up any leftovers.
This Higgidy Wonderful & Wintry French Brie & Spiced Chutney Quiche combines the filling flavour of a quiche but adds a festive twist!
Seeded spelt shortcrust pastry with a layer of wintery spiced fruits, chutney and creamy brie cheese.
It’s got all the flavours of Christmas and is suitable for vegetarians, so there’s no need for anyone to miss out.
We’d serve a smaller portion of this with a pile of crisp, fresh salad to bulk up dinner and keep the calories low.
You could even serve it hot with a Christmassy side of Creamed Cabbage and Leeks:
If you’d prefer to make a lighter version, you can’t go wrong with a Crustless Quiche Lorraine!
Pick up a 440g Higgidy Wonderful & Wintry French Brie & Spiced Chutney Quiche from Ocado, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s for £4.40
McVitie’s 10 Orange & Cranberry Jaffa Cakes – 46 calories each
Jaffa Cakes are one of life’s little pleasures, perfect for enjoying alongside a cuppa and substantial enough that you feel like you’ve had plenty of ‘cake’ for the calories! Or is it a biscuit?
The debate rages on!
Just when you thought the humble Jaffa Cake couldn’t get any better, they’ve been given a festive upgrade with these McVitie’s 10 Orange & Cranberry Jaffa Cakes!
Packed full of wintery orange and cranberry flavours with a crackly dark chocolate topping, these limited edition snacks are suitable for vegetarians too.
For an even lighter, homemade version, our Jaffa Cakes are a firm favourite of our Facebook Group, or mix it up over Christmas with our Mini Spiced Orange Mince Pie Crumbles?
You can pick up a box of McVitie’s 10 Orange & Cranberry Jaffa Cakes for around 90p from Asda and Tesco.
Rice Krispies Squares Birthday Cake Thins – 82 calories each
Rebecca Sipple shared these Rice Krispies Squares Birthday Cake Thins with us on our Facebook Group and they’re ridiculously tasty.
A vanilla flavoured toasted rice bar topped with sprinkles and smarties sounds like it’s DEFINITELY going to be full of calories, but each bar is just 82 calories!
Packed with flavour, low on calories and the fact that they taste just like a slice of birthday cake is why these are a firm slimming essential for us.
Perfect for an afternoon snack, quick lunchtime treat, or even popping into the kids’ lunchboxes, they’re really tasty paired with a glass of Mulled Wine.
You could also break one over the top of our Festive Fruit Salad – the sharpness of the fruit will really help to cut through the sweetness of the thins!
You can find these Rice Krispies Squares Birthday Cake Thins in most supermarkets at around £2 per pack of 4.
Franks Xtra Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce – 22 calories per 100g
It’s definitely no secret that we love adding a spicy kick to our food and this Franks Xtra Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce means that we can really turn things up to the next level.
Some hot sauces can have a really horrible vingery aftertaste, but that’s not the case with this one at all!
While the original Franks Hot Sauce comes in at 450 SHU on the Scoville scale, this Franks Xtra Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce has a massive 2000 SHU which means that it’s definitely not for the faint hearted.
Whether you’re using it to cook with or simply adding it to your meal, there’s really no wrong way to use this sauce.
Try stirring it through our Cheesy Mac ‘n’ Meatballs, adding it to our Cajun Chicken Burger, or even using it in our Buffalo Coleslaw to boost the spicy flavour.
Franks Xtra Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce is available in Tesco and Ocado for around £1.50.
Quorn Swedish Style Balls – 98 calories per portion
Meatballs are a real family favourite for so many of us, but sometimes life takes over and you simply don’t have the time to start from scratch. We understand!
These Quorn Swedish Style Balls are the ideal solution.
High in fibre and protein to keep you satisfied, but still low in fat, these meatballs are a great choice for a prep-free alternative to the usual meat based dishes.
These veggie meatballs can be cooked straight from the freezer, so it’s really handy to keep a bag in the freezer for the nights you would normally reach for the takeaway menu!
They’re great for adding to a simple tomato sauce and spaghetti for a super quick weeknight dinner.
Alternatively, serve over Creamy Mashed Potatoes with a dollop of Gravy!
Quorn Swedish Style Balls are available in the freezer aisle at most supermarkets for £2 per 300g bag.
NEW Aldi Super 6 Fruit and Veg Selection
We love Aldi’s selection of fresh fruit and veggies, and each fortnight they choose six of them for a special offer where you can pick them up for much less than the normal price.
Here’s our roundup of this fortnight’s selection, alongside some meal inspiration to give you some ideas on how to make the most of the Super 6!
Mini Easy Peelers – 35 calories per fruit
Snack sized, sweet and juicy! Mini easy peelers are great snacks for adults and children alike because the clue is in the name: they’re easy to peel, even for little fingers.
We love having a fully stocked fruit bowl that’s full of different colours, textures and flavours for an inviting snack at any time of day.
It really helps to keep you motivated at those times it’s tough to decide between unhealthy snacks and a piece of fruit!
Serve alongside a Strawberry Souffle Omelette for a fruit packed breakfast.
4-Pack Unwaxed Lemons – 17 calories per fruit
Lemon is one of our favourite fruits to use in both sweet and savoury dishes alike.
It adds a fresh, zesty flavour for minimal cost and effort, so we always have a bag on hand.
Try to look out for unwaxed lemons: they’re a little less shiny because they don’t have the added wax layer to keep the lemons brighter, but make a much better zest!
Rustle up a Lemon and Garlic Chicken Traybake for an easy dinner, full of flavour and nutritious vegetables.
Don’t forget one of our Lemon and Blueberry Tarts for pud!
Mushrooms – 22 cals per mushroom
Full of protein and filling, we love how versatile mushrooms are! They add texture and an earthy flavour to dishes, and are great to use in place of meat when bulking out meals and making your budget go further.
Try our Marmite Mushrooms on Toast for a savoury breakfast that has converted Marmite lovers and haters alike!
Conference pears – 64 calories per fruit
Sweet and juicy, conference pears are a classic so we love seeing them on offer!
Although it’s tempting to leave them in the fridge, make sure you bring them to room temperature before eating: the taste really comes to life!
Keep some in the fruit bowl for easy snacking, or serve sliced over a warming bowl of Chai Rice Pudding.
Granny Smith apples – 63 calories per fruit
Granny Smith apples are known for their firmness when cooked and make a great ingredient for apple-based desserts.
They remind us of childhood Apple Crumble with hot Custard, but luckily our slimming versions mean you can still enjoy a nostalgic pud without compromising on calories and Points!
If you’re looking for a change to dessert recipes, try our Very Green Zingy Kale Salad, where the sharpness of the apple complements the dressing perfectly.
Mango – 60 calories per 100g
Just because it’s getting dark earlier and we’ve had to stick the heating on already doesn’t mean we don’t deserve a taste of the tropical every now and again!
Plump and juicy mangoes are ideal for adding a fruity twist to savoury dishes, and you can use them in so many more recipes than you might think: Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa is a bright and colourful dish for a grey day that you can cook low ‘n’ slow in the oven throughout the day.
**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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