Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 06.08
It’s the first Friday of August and we’re celebrating with a brand new Weekly Pinch of Shopping!
With talk of another heatwave on the way, this week we’ve found even more summery snacks and slimming friendly items to see you through the warm weather.
We’ve got some handy chicken skewers with a Chimichurri glaze that you can cook from frozen and transfer onto the barbecue.
And there’s a veggie option too, thanks to these Heck Meat Free Vegan Italia Sausages that are packed with flavour and just 49 calories for two sausages!
If you need a sweet treat to cool you down, we’ve also found some milk and raspberry ice lollies that taste just like Drumstick Squashies. They even have a chewy texture!
We’ve also included a roundup of this week’s brand new Super 6. Every fortnight Aldi discounts a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables so we’re giving you the rundown, along with some inspiration on how to make the most of them.
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!**
Oakhurst Chimichurri Chicken Skewers – 135 calories per skewer
These Oakhurst Chimichurri Chicken Skewers cook from frozen, so they’re really handy to have in the freezer for last minute barbecues or quick midweek dinners.
The succulent pieces of chicken leg and thigh are coated in a Chimichurri glaze.
Originally from Argentina, Chimichurri is a fragrant marinade with a little heat, traditionally made from parsley, garlic, oregano, red pepper and chilli flakes.
You could cook these skewers in the oven and finish on the BBQ and serve with our delicious Nando’s Spicy Rice.
Oakhurst Chimichurri Chicken Skewers are available from Aldi, priced at £2.79 for a 400g pack.
Popchips Veg Vibes Sriracha – 102 calories per serving
We love a crunchy, crispy snack that’s packed with flavour, and these Popchips Veg Vibes Sriracha deliver just that.
Made from chickpeas, rice and sweet potato, these plant based chips are popped rather than fried so they’re crunchy yet light.
The tangy, spicy and slightly sweet Sriracha flavour makes these savoury snacks a great addition to lunchtime.
We’ve used a few drops of Sriracha to add some subtle heat to this Honey Soy Salmon with Seaweed Salad. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s so delicious!
Popchips Veg Vibes Sriracha are available from Waitrose, priced at £1.50 for a 85g pack.
Morrisons Avocado Halves – 110 calories per 1/2 an avocado
We’re all familiar with the struggle of waiting for an avocado to be perfectly ripe – and using it up before it goes bad.
Morrisons Avocado Halves are frozen when they’re perfectly ripe, and they’re peeled and stoneless too, for ultimate convenience.
You can use them frozen to blend into a smoothie, or defrost overnight in the fridge and mash into a delicious homemade guacamole.
Love avocado? Have you tried our Avocado, Asparagus, Soya Bean and Bacon Salad? Its packed full of green veg, with crispy, salty bacon.
Morrisons Avocado Halves are available in the frozen section of Morrisons, priced at £3.50 for 500g.
Popcorn Shed Mini Pop! Toffee – Less than 138 calories per pack
Popcorn Shed Mini Pop! Toffee is the first vegan toffee popcorn in the UK.
These tiny popcorns are half the size of traditional popcorn, but they’re full of flavour and so satisfying.
They have a super sweet butterscotch toffee flavouring that’s perfect when you’re craving a sweet treat.
At less than 138 calories per pack, this slimming friendly snack is ideal for picnics and packed lunches.
Our Toffee Apple Pies also have that irresistible butterscotch flavour, and you won’t believe how easy they are to make!
Popcorn Shed Mini Pop! Toffee is available from Ocado, priced at 90p for a 28g pack.
Drumstick Squashies Lollies – 82 calories per lolly
If you love sweets you’ll love these Drumstick Squashies Lollies.
The milk and raspberry flavoured ice lollies have the familiar chewy texture of the sweets with the same name.
At just 82 calories each, these creamy lollies are the perfect after dinner treat on a sunny day.
Looking for more summer pudding inspiration? This Summer Berry Cobbler is our slimming friendly version of the classic American dessert and we think it’s dreamy!
Drumstick Squashie Lollies are available at most supermarkets, priced around £2.20 for a pack of 4.
Sweet Potato Falafels – 52 calories per falafel
Falafel makes a delicious addition to salads and other summer dishes.
Whether you’re vegan or not, you’ll love the subtle spice of these Sweet Potato Falafels.
You can serve them with hummus, pitta breads or even use them in a wrap – they’re so versatile.
These can be eaten hot or cold, and at just 52 calories each, they’re super slimming friendly.
Our Sweet Potato Pakoras are very similar to these, but they’re loaded with delicate Indian spices and baked in the oven to get lovely and crispy.
Sweet Potato Falafels are available from Asda, priced at £1.90 for a pack of 10.
Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Ale – 18 calories per 100ml
Ginger ale is such a refreshing summer drink. It can be enjoyed on its own or used as a mixer with various spirits or in cocktails.
This Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Ale uses a blend of natural gingers to create a premium taste, but with almost half the calories of traditional ginger ale.
We love the flavour that ginger adds to some of our favourite fakeaways. It’s delicious in this Stir-fried Beef with Ginger and Spring Onion.
Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Ale is available from Asda, priced at £1.50 for a 500ml bottle.
Heck Meat Free Vegan Italia Sausages – 49 calories for 2 sausages
You don’t need to be vegan to enjoy these Heck Meat Free Vegan Italia Sausages.
At just 49 calories for two sausages, they’re so handy to have in the fridge if you’re counting calories or following another weight loss plan.
Made from peas with vegan cheese, tomato, basil and garlic, they’re not only high in protein, and fibre but low in fat too.
Switch these in any of our sausage recipes to lower the calories or make the recipes vegan.
We think they’d be great in our Sausages with Creamy Lentils dish – just make sure to use a veggie stock cube and vegan cheese if you want the meal to be totally plant based.
Heck Meat Free Vegan Italia Sausages are available from Tesco, priced at £2.00 for a pack of 10.
Cheesies Crunchy Popped Gouda Cheese – 119 calories per serving
High protein, no carbs and 100% cheese – does this Cheesies Crunchy Popped Gouda Cheese sound like your kind of snack?
Baked until it’s crunchy, these bitesize pieces of Gouda are smooth and mellow, with an irresistibly crispy texture.
They’re ideal if you’re trying to eat low carb or just fancy a change from the same old snacks!
If you can never have enough cheese, why not enjoy this Cheese, Onion and Potato Pie for dinner tonight?
You can find even more cheese based recipes in our cheesy dishes roundup blog.
Cheesies Crunchy Popped Gouda Cheese are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.75 for a 60g pack.
Oreo Mini Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits – 90 calories per bag
Who doesn’t love an Oreo…or two…or three? These perfectly portioned Oreo Mini Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits help to keep your favourite treat slimming friendly.
Each bag is only 90 calories, so you can snack away without going off track. Enjoy with a cup of tea or a glass of ice cold milk for a mid afternoon pick me up.
Because they’re individually packaged these are also great for pack ups and picnics.
If you can’t resist a chocolatey treat on an evening, whip up a batch of our best ever Chocolate Brownies. They’re less than 60 calories per square yet so sweet and indulgent.
Oreo Mini Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits are available from Ocado, priced at £1.90 for a pack of 6 individual bags.
NEW 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 rundown of this fortnight’s selection, plus a little inspiration for how you could use each ingredient:
Spring Onions – 32 calories per 100g
With a much milder taste than regular onions, spring onions make a tasty addition to summer salads and stir fries.
You can eat them raw or cooked, and they make a great garnish!
Try them sprinkled over this flavour-packed Fakeaway Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce.
Loose Mango – 60 calories per 100g
With its tropical taste, mango is a lovely summery snack.
So sweet and juicy, this fruit is delicious on it’s own, but you can also use it in a wide variety of sweet and savoury recipes.
It might sound unusual, but how about adding mango into a curry?
This Turkey and Mango Curry can be as spicy as you like it, with the sweetness of the mango cutting through the heat perfectly.
Avocado – 160 calories per 100g
We love avocados. Creamy and mild flavoured, they can be used in so many ways – smashed up and spread on toast, mashed into a guacamole or simply chopped into a salad.
Try adding a scoop of homemade guacamole to the top of these incredible Honey and Lime Pork Nachos. Delish!
White Grapes – 67 calories per 100g
When it comes to slimming friendly snacks, it’s hard to beat fruit. Low in calories, grapes are really handy to have in the house when you fancy something sweet.
Have you ever tried frozen grapes? Pop a few in the freezer and eat them frozen instead of an ice lolly – it sounds odd but it works so well!
Or how about chopping them into a salad like this Very Green Zingy Kale Salad?
Blueberries – 57 calories per 100g
Bursting with vitamin C, blueberries are one of our favourite summer fruits.
Added to desserts, breakfasts or even on their own as a snack, they’re so versatile and full of goodness.
We think they pair beautifully with lemon, just like in this Lemon and Blueberry Baked Oats recipe. It’s such a treat for breakfast.
Plums – 46 calories per 100g
Soft, sweet and juicy, plums are another versatile fruit that can be enjoyed raw or cooked into a delicious dessert.
You could even try your hand at making some plum jam!
These delicately Spiced Plum Puffs are too good to save until Christmas – they’re so easy to make, full of flavour and just 24 calories each.
**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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