Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 05.02
It’s February, it’s Friday and we’re back with another WEEKLY PINCH OF SHOPPING article!
This week we’re featuring some sweet treats you won’t want to miss! On the list is super cute Sainsbury’s Mini Scottie Dog Shortbread that looks as good as it tastes, dreamy Mallow & Marsh Vanilla Marshmallow Whip and Mr Kipling 5 Lemon & Raspberry Mini Battenburgs. Oooooof! We want it all!
We’re also including some delicious new Iceland Luxury Halloumi Burgers when you fancy a cheesy alternative to meat, and Cook With M&S Ras El Hanout Seasoning that will bring delicious North African flavours to your cooking this week. Outdoor winter BBQ anyone?!
What else? There is a handy Morrisons Vegetable Soup Kit to save you time and effort when you’re craving a comforting soup, and you can wash it all down with a zesty Diet Coke Sublime Lime – a brand new zero-calorie flavour.
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 second 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.
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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!**
Walkers 99 Calorie Mix Multipack Snacks – 99 calories per bag
No more checking the calorie count of a variety pack of snacks with this bag of Walkers 99 Calorie Mix Multipack Snacks! Amy Bennett shared these on our Facebook group and we had to include them on our list of slimming essentials.
Each bag is guaranteed to be 99 calories or under, and it contains all of the family favourites including Quavers, Wotsits, Squares and French Fries. Ideal for lunch or sharing with family and friends, each bag is suitable for vegetarians and contains no artificial colours.
Try serving as part of a buffet picnic at home with some warm pitta bread, Hummus and Sausage Rolls?
Iceland Luxury 2 Halloumi Burgers – 282 calories per burger
Halloumi is such a versatile cheese and can be a fantastic veggie alternative to beef burgers.
These Iceland Luxury 2 Halloumi Burgers are a delicious mix of paneer and halloumi with a crispy batter coating.
Each is 282 calories which isn’t bad at all for something that tastes this good and they only take 20 minutes to cook from frozen too so they’re perfect for a quick meal.
If you have a little more time to get creative in the kitchen, then why not try making your own halloumi burgers from scratch with our Halloumi Cous Cous Burgers with Salsa recipe?
They’re super quick and easy to make and the refreshing salsa really adds an extra level of flavour – we love them served in a bun with a bit of Greek yoghurt on top!
Grab these Iceland Luxury 2 Halloumi Burgers from Iceland at £3 for a pack of two.
Off the Eaten Path Pea and Bean Sticks – 132 calories per serving
We love it when members of our Facebook community let us know about new products that they’ve seen and Mandy Richardson shared these Off The Eaten Path Pea and Bean Sticks with us.
Each bag has 132 calories, is suitable for vegetarian diets and has around 30% less fat than regular potato crisps.
A mix of pinto bean, green bean and white bean potato sticks, these snacks have a tasty sea salt flavouring, but they’re also available in black pepper or caramelised onion if you’d prefer.
These Off The Eaten Path Pea and Bean Sticks are also a source of fibre and free from any artificial preservatives, colours or flavours.
Enjoy a handful for lunch alongside a couple of Caramelised Onion Cheese Toasties or our Courgette Ribbon, Lemon and Feta Salad.
You can find these Off The Eaten Path Pea and Bean Sticks are available in Tesco, Waitrose or Sainsbury’s for around £2.25 a bag.
Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Coriander – 1 calorie per serving
You can’t beat fresh herbs to really bring out the flavour of a dish, but sometimes it’s really difficult to use up a full bag. Thanks to Carlene Jenkins for sharing this Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Coriander that’s the best of both worlds: pre-chopped and seasoned with a touch of sea salt but stays fresh for 4 weeks in the fridge!
It’s lightly tossed in vegetable oil to preserve freshness but considering it’s still only 1 calorie per serving, we think it’s a great way of adding a burst of flavour without using lashings of oil. It instantly comes to life and refreshes in cooking, and we’ve also seen basil and parsley in the range so you can stock up your herb selection.
Try using the coriander in warming soups, or as a colourful garnish on a tray of Oven Baked Pasanda Curry.
You can find Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Coriander for £2 per bag.
Sainsbury’s Mini Scottie Dog Shortbread – 15 calories per biscuit
Buttery, rich shortbread is a real treat that’s not usually slimming friendly as each biscuit is high in calories, and let’s be realistic, it’s hard to put half a biscuit back, isn’t it?
These Sainsbury’s Mini Scottie Dog Shortbreads are perfectly portion controlled, with each mini biscuit coming in at only 15 calories! They are sold in a handy share bag that’s perfect for leaving in the cupboard or on your desk at work for a sweet biscuity treat within easy reach.
Thanks to Paula Spencer for sharing these over on our Facebook group, we think these are ideal for enjoying alongside a warming cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte or adding a few to a lunchbox. The cute Scottie dog shape will be a hit with the kids too!
Sainsbury’s Mini Scottie Dog Shortbread comes in 125g bags for £1.25
Morrisons Vegetable Soup Kit – 109 calories per half bag
There’s nothing better than a bowl of hearty soup on a cold day and this Morrisons Vegetable Soup Kit takes all the stress out of the prep.
We’ve talked about these kinds of soup kits before, but we just have to mention this one because it’s extra convenient and means that you don’t have to spend hours chopping up ingredients.
A ½ pack serving of this Morrisons Vegetable Soup Kit contains 109 calories and counts as 2 of your 5 a day so it’s a really handy way to get some extra veg into your diet.
It’s also suitable for vegetarians and is ready in just 20 minutes which means it’s perfect for a quick meal when you’re short on time.
If you’ve got a bit more time to spare, then why not give our Mulligatawny Soup or our Vegetable Stew with Orzo a go?
You can find this Morrisons Vegetable Soup Kit in Morrisons for £1 a bag.
Mr Kipling 5 Lemon & Raspberry Mini Battenbergs – 131 per cake
These Mr Kipling 5 Lemon & Raspberry Mini Batts are the perfect bitesize snack and are guaranteed to help curb your sweet tooth.
Lemon flavoured cake wrapped in a soft raspberry paste, these mini battenbergs are 131 calories per cake and all of the flavours are 100% natural.
They’re also free from hydrogenated fat and any artificial colours too so you won’t have to worry about any extra nasties!
We love these as a midafternoon treat along with a cuppa, or even enjoying a couple in front of a movie in the evening – at 131 calories per cake, you can afford to be a bit naughty and indulge in more than one!
You could even enjoy them for dessert alongside a scoop of our Winter Berry Ice Cream for a fruity treat.
These Mr Kipling 5 Lemon & Raspberry Mini Batts are available in Morrisons and Iceland for around £1 a pack.
Cook With M&S Ras El Hanout Seasoning – 312 calories per 100g
We love a tasty spice mix and this Cook With M&S Ras El Hanout Seasoning is an aromatic blend of North African flavours.
Traditionally used as a rub for meat or fish, the name is Arabic for ‘head of the shop’ and represents a mix of the best spices that the shop has to offer.
It works really well when paired with a wide variety of different proteins and veg, but we especially love it when used in our Ras el Hanout Chicken Tray Bake.
Perfect for whipping up after a long day as all of your ingredients just need to be added to a baking dish and then popped into the oven.
Why not give it a go with white fish instead of chicken to mix things up? Just remember to adjust the cooking time and nutritional information accordingly!
You can find this Cook With M&S Ras El Hanout Seasoning at Ocado for £2.
Diet Coke Sublime Lime – 1 calorie per serving
A refreshing, ice cold diet coke with a hint of zesty lime. Sound good? This Diet Coke Sublime Lime is just the ticket!
With the instantly recognisable Diet Coke taste, this fruity version brings a taste of summer evenings to a chilly February day. We’ve also seen limited edition lemon, strawberry, mango and ginger flavours so it’s well worth looking out for your favourite flavour.
Why not keep a few cans in the fridge for a low calorie burst of flavour?
It may sound strange but fizzy drinks also work really well in food as they reduce to a sticky syrup-like sauce when simmered.
If you’re a fan of Diet Coke or Pepsi Max, then our Diet Coke / Pepsi Max Chicken is a must try!
You can find Diet Coke Sublime Lime in most supermarkets in 2 litre bottles for £2.10 or an 8-pack of cans for £3.59.
Mallow & Marsh Vanilla Marshmallow Whip – 23 calories per tablespoon
We’ve featured Mallow & Marsh on our list of slimming essentials before, as their light and delicious marshmallow bars were a hit! Now you can have that indulgent marshmallow flavour in so many more dishes with this Mallow & Marsh Vanilla Marshmallow Whip, as shared by Linzi Varley on our Facebook Group.
Light and fluffy, with a natural vanilla flavour, it’s hard to believe this spread is so low in calories and contains no fat.
It’s suitable for veggies and contains no artificial colours, flavourings or palm oil which is a winner in our book.
This spread is so versatile, you can simply slather on toast, add to hot chocolate or ice cream, or even spoon straight from the jar! You can find this Mallow & Marsh Vanilla Marshmallow Whip in an indulgent salted caramel flavour too.
Drizzle over a Strawberry Pancake Traybake or add a dollop to our Lemon and Blueberry Waffles.
You can find this Mallow & Marsh Vanilla Marshmallow Whip in Morrison’s on offer for £2.25 for a 378g jar
Aldi Super 6
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 a reminder of this week’s selection:
- Baby Plum Tomatoes – 18 calories per 100g
- Sugar Snap Peas – 34 calories per 100g
- Mango – 60 calories per 100g
- Savoy Cabbage – 27 calories per 100g
- Little Gem Lettuce – 16 calories per 100g
- Brown Onions – 40 calories per 100g
For recipe inspiration, take a look at last week’s article here!
**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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