Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 06.01
Happy first Friday of 2023, everybody! Our Weekly Pinch of Shopping is here to kick-start the year with a fresh selection of slimming-friendly picks.
The festive celebrations might be over, but that doesn’t mean saying goodbye to sumptuous dessert-time showstoppers. We’ve spotted a meringue-topped Berry Roulade the whole family will love sharing together!
On the lookout for a fakeaway dinner to finish the first week of January with a bang? The Salt and Pepper Chicken Skewers near the bottom of this week’s list are just the ticket…
Plus, if you’re challenging yourself to Veganuary this year, we’ve found a couple of plant-based goodies that are well worth popping in your basket.
Our Family Meal Planner has everything you need to smash your slimming goals throughout January. It’s our most family-friendly food planner yet – organise meals and jot down what you need to buy with our game-changing freezer tracker! You can order your copy here.
And don’t forget our NEW cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Enjoy, is out NOW! Enjoy is all about turning mealtimes into memories, and it’s brimming with 100 brand-new recipes that you’ll be excited to make, share and eat with family and friends, time and time again.
From fakeaway favourites to midweek wonders, every dish comes big on flavour without taking you off track. Put the food you love back on the menu by ordering your copy here.
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!**
Jörd Oat & Vanilla Drink with Nordic Oats – 53 calories per 100ml
It’s time to pop the kettle on! This Oat and Vanilla Drink with Nordic Oats from Jörd will give your coffees and teas a delicious, nutty flavour. Add a glug to your mug and skip popping to the coffee shop for a vanilla syrup infused brew. Better for your budget, just as satisfying for your sweet tooth and lower in calories (53 per 100ml!) – that’s our idea of a slimming-friendly no-brainer!
The oat drink in our Apple Pie Porridge recipe gives every bowlful so much scrumptious silkiness, with moreish nutty notes. We’ve even added a touch of vanilla extract to take the baked sweetness of our honey-glazed apples to a whole new level. It’s all the motivation we need to get out of bed on a chilly morning!
Jörd Oat & Vanilla Drink with Nordic Oats is available from Asda, priced at £1.90.
Tesco Smoky BBQ Flavoured Chickpea & Seed Mix – 115 calories per pack
If you’re in the market for a savoury grab-and-go snack, Tesco’s Smoky BBQ Flavoured Chickpea and Seed Mix is well worth stocking up on. A filling, crunchy combination of roasted chickpeas, soya beans and pumpkin seeds, it’ll see you through the mid-afternoon munchies without taking you off track.
Mix things up a bit with different flavours from the same range; there’s sour cream and chive, pesto, tomato and basil and cocoa and vanilla options available too.
Affordable, versatile and nutritious, chickpeas are a handy ingredient to have in the kitchen – especially if you’re giving Veganuary a whirl.
We love transforming tinned chickpeas into our flavoursome Chickpea Tikka Dip. Dunk a selection of chopped veggies for a healthier, shareable snack you can enjoy in front of the telly.
Tesco Smoky BBQ Flavoured Chickpea & Seed Mix is available from Tesco, priced at £0.75 per pack.
Morrisons Classic Vegetable Base Mix – 27 calories per 80g portion
When you’re making a soup, a stew or a sauce, this Classic Vegetable Base Mix from Morrisons is a great way to start. With ready-sliced celery, carrots and onions, you can rest assured that you’ll be getting at least 1 of your 5-a-day from every serving.
Cooking should be as fuss-free as possible in January, and you can instantly save yourself some time by cooking these chopped veggies straight from the freezer.
You can’t beat the convenience of coming home to a slow-cooked dinner, especially if it’s our Beef and Baked Bean Stew. Combining a short list of store cupboard staples with oh-so-tender beef pieces, you’ll want this hearty dish on the table time and time again.
Freshen things up each time by using a different combination of frozen or leftover veggies.
We’re all for nutritious, budget-friendly ways to make portions go that little bit further!
Morrisons Classic Vegetable Base Mix is available from Morrisons, priced at £1.29 per bag.
Heinz Beanz & Vegan Sausages – 192 calories per 1/2 can
Whether you’re a full-time vegan or embracing Veganuary, Heinz’s tasty Beanz and Vegan Sausages make for a flavoursome meat-free lunchtime. Combining plant-based sausages with Heinz’ signature, rich tomato sauce, this filling, low-sugar recipe is a delight all on its own – or with wholemeal toast, if you’re feeling extra hungry!
Speaking of toast, you might have seen some of the buzz around our Viking Toast recipe this week. Our Facebook group is absolutely loving it, and with its ultra-cheesy, tangy golden topping, it’s not hard to understand why.
You can find the full recipe on pages 34-35 in our latest cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Enjoy! It’s chock-full of enough crowd-pleasing inspiration to serve up a storm every night of the week.
Heinz Beanz & Vegan Sausages is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.25 per can.
M&S Vegetable Tikka – 172 calories per 1/2 can
Aromatic and creamy with silky coconut and chickpeas, M&S’ Vegetable Tikka is sure to become an easy go-to staple for Veganuary. With plenty of veggies and blended herbs and spices, it packs a flavoursome punch for next to no effort.
Simply pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes, or prepare in a saucepan for 5 minutes. It’ll make for a dreamy midweek meal over a fluffy portion of our Pilau Rice.
If stocking up the freezer with batch-cook wonders is high on your 2023 goals list, including our Vegetarian Tikka Masala in your meal plan is never a bad idea.
We’ve used a vibrant combination of fresh vegetables and low-fat alternative ingredients to make sure this one-pot curry wonder is brimming with tikka-inspired goodness, for far fewer calories than you’d expect (only 176 per serving!).
M&S Vegetable Tikka is available from Ocado, priced at £1.85.
Plant Menu Vegetable Fingers – 203 calories per 3 fingers
Ready to eat after less than 20 minutes in the oven, these Vegetable Fingers from Aldi’s Veganuary-inspired ‘Plant Menu’ are an easy step towards a vegan-friendly dinner. As well as being filled with chopped carrots, sweetcorn, peas and onions, they’re coated in golden breadcrumbs for a moreish crunch. Not bad at all for 203 calories per serving!
Why not bake up a batch to serve inside of our Fish Finger Tachos? Typically we layer together fish fingers with shredded slaw-style veggies and cheese-coated nachos, but these Vegetable Fingers would work just as well for a change.
You can even turn it into a heartier meal by loading up your feast with a side of Homemade Oven Chips or Coleslaw.
Plant Menu Vegetable Fingers are available from Aldi, priced at £1.49 for a pack of 16 fingers.
Chiquito® Mini Chicken Burritos – 45 calories per mini burrito (oven baked)
Next time you’re at Iceland, keep your eyes peeled for these Mini Chicken Burritos from the Chiquito range. While buffet season might be over, we can’t say no to Mexican-style flavours – especially in miniature form!
Small but mighty, each tiny tortilla is loaded with Mexican-style seasoned chicken breast and veggies. At 45 calories per mini burrito, they’re light enough to enjoy with salad for lunch, or even as a simple bake-and-go snack.
You haven’t lived until you’ve tried our Chicken Burritos; they’re 258 calories per serving, even with a helping of punchy, homemade guacamole.
Don’t worry too much about using the exact same veggies we have. There’s nothing to stop you mixing things up…The more veggies, the merrier!
Chiquito Mini Chicken Burritos are available from Iceland, priced at £3.00 for a pack of 10.
Cadbury Delights Soft Nougat Orange & Caramel Chocolate Bars – 91 calories per chocolate bar
We’d never forget to add something for your sweet tooth! These Cadbury Delights Soft Nougat Orange and Caramel Chocolate Bars are sure to make going back to work even sweeter. Pop them in your desk drawer to nibble on when those mid-afternoon sweet cravings hit; if the milk chocolate coating doesn’t do the trick, the gooey caramel and orange nougat centre definitely will.
If chocolate and orange is one of your favourite combinations, our Chocolate Orange Brownies are the way to go. Ready in under half an hour (prep included!), each zesty melt-in-the-middle square comes in nice and light at 72 calories each.
They’re delightful to reach for when you’ve got a pang for something sweet. Don’t worry if they’ve dried out a little after a few days in the fridge, a quick 20-second burst in the microwave will restore them to their former chocolatey glory.
Cadbury Delights Soft Nougat Orange & Caramel Chocolate Bars are available from Asda, priced at £1.25 for a pack of 5.
MyProtein Salt and Pepper Chicken Skewers – 154 calories per skewer
MyProtein launched their new range of protein-packed ready meals in collaboration with Iceland this week, and it’s no surprise that these Salt and Pepper Skewers caught our eye. Ready after just 35 minutes in the oven, you can have them on your plate at home much faster than ordering from a restaurant. They’ll work deliciously well as a filling for wraps, or you can pair them with rice or salad to make an easy-peasy midweek dinner.
From Salt and Pepper Ribs to Salt and Pepper Chicken Nuggets, this spicy seasoning is the magic behind some of our tastiest fakeaway dishes.
An oldie but a goldie, you can always count on our classic Salt and Pepper Chicken recipe to serve up takeaway-style flavours for a fraction of the calories. We can’t think of a better flavour combo for a feast!
MyProtein Salt and Pepper Chicken Skewers are available from Iceland, priced at £6.00 for a pack of 4.
Sainsbury’s Berry Roulade, Taste the Difference – 223 calories per slice (serves 6)
With sweet strawberries, juicy blackcurrants and zingy raspberries, every slice of Sainsbury’s Berry Roulade is bursting with fruity flavour. As well as the triple-berry compote, there’s also layers of whipped cream and chewy meringue to look forward to. At a reasonable 223 calories per slice, it’s a flamboyant finisher for your next three-course dinner party.
Did someone say dinner party? If you’re looking to impress with a showstopping bake at your next special occasion, our Raspberry and Blueberry Baked Cheesecake is a real winner every time. We’ve combined slimming-friendly swaps with our favourite fruity ingredients to give this centrepiece its luxurious New York style look and creaminess.
Go on, you know you want to try it (at 259 calories per serving, it’d be rude not to!)…
Sainsbury’s Berry Roulade, Taste the Difference is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £5.00 (serves 6).
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.
Royal Gala Apples – 52 calories per 100g
Full of fibre and good for the heart, it’s nice and easy to work apples into your cooking or snack on them throughout the day. Especially sweet and delicious once they’re warmed up, we love any excuse to bake with them.
Whether you make one large one or serve individual-sized portions in ramekins, our Apple Crumble always goes down like a dream without fail. The crunchy oat topping combined with the oozy apple centre is too good to resist (especially if there’s Custard involved!).
Celery – 14 calories per 100g
Low in calories and perfect for snacking, there’s nothing boring about celery when you get creative. Chop it up and cook it in soups, stews and sauces for extra flavour, or enjoy it dipped into a tasty pot of hummus.
Finely-chopped celery is a great way to add a nutritious boost to your next batch of bolognese sauce. It works so well with the tomatoey turkey mince filling inside of our Lasagne Courgette Boats, to make them even more filling and flavoursome.
Mangetout – 33 calories per 100g
Crunchy and colourful, we always enjoy mangetout when we can work it into our midweek menu. Stir-fry it, toss it in a salad, add it to a curry or enjoy it as a side dish. An easy way to give the texture of your dinner some bite, you can stir-fry the pods, toss them in a salad or add them to a curry.
You can even enjoy them as a crunchy, garlicky side dish; we like to take inspiration from the method in our Air Fryer Crispy Green Beans recipe. Trust us, you’ll want to crack out the air fryer for this one…
Grapefruit – 42 calories per 100g
Bitter yet sweet, grapefruit is so refreshing! Chock-full of immune-boosting vitamin C, it makes a great addition to your breakfast-time routine. We love to slice it up and throw it into a vibrant fruit salad where the citrusy flavour helps to cut through the sweetness of berries and other fruits.
Don’t be fooled by the name of our Festive Fruit Salad, this vibrant dish is bursting with deliciousness all year round.
Red Pepper – 31 calories per 100g
You can always count on peppers to brighten up your cooking. With a sweet, mild flavouring, red peppers blend seamlessly into a variety of lunchtime options for your return back to the office, including fresh salads, wraps and soups.
Often found in dishes with a kick of spice, you’ll find colourful, chopped peppers at the centre of our Cajun Spiced Stuffed Chicken. We’ve combined them with cheese, garlic, onions to make our irresistible filling.
Spring Onions – 32 calories per 100g
With a much milder taste than regular onions, spring onions make a tasty addition to salads and stir-fries. You can eat them raw or cooked, and they make a great garnish. They’re a key ingredient in our punchy Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion. This Chinese-inspired meal is so light on calories, you can tuck into it any night of the week – it’s only 263 calories per portion.
**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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