Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 09.10
Love it or hate it, we’ve got another tasty Marmite product for you in this week’s Weekly Pinch of Shopping – plus some strong soft cheese that’s the perfect partner!
We’ve also included a fantastic kit that has all of the ingredients you need to make an amazing Thai dish and some products that are great for throwing dinner together in no time at all.
And, it may only be October, but we’ve found some delicious Christmassy treats that will get you in the festive mood, as well as some slimming friendly sweet snacks that aren’t packed full of extra calories.
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.
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!**
Marmite Yeast Extract Biscuits for Cheese – 29 calories per biscuit
We absolutely love it when members of our Facebook Group share new products that they’ve found with us!
Paula Spencer let us know about these Marmite Yeast Extract Biscuits for Cheese and they are AMAZING.
With no artificial colours, preservatives or flavours, these Marmite Yeast Extract Biscuits for Cheese are suitable for vegetarians and are full of delicious, Marmitey flavour.
These biscuits have been slowly baked with Marmite and are great when enjoyed with a really mature Cheddar cheese, or even on their own as a snack.
We think they work really well when served for lunch with our Caramelised Onion Hummus or even our Butter Bean and Garlic Dip.
Or, keep on reading for the perfect, strong soft cheese from Le Rustique that would be the perfect partner to these Marmite Yeast Extract Biscuits for Cheese.
These Marmite Yeast Extract Biscuits for Cheese are available in most supermarkets for around £2 per pack.
Sainsbury’s Thai Herb Kit – 0 calories per serving
Thai food has got to be one of our favourite things to eat. It’s packed full of so much flavour and usually has a nice, spicy kick as well.
We don’t always want to have to order from a restaurant to enjoy it though, and that’s where this Thai Herb Kit from Sainsbury’s comes in.
It’s got all of the herbs and spices that you need to make a delicious Thai dish in one handy package that includes lemongrass, chilli, ginger, garlic, coriander and lime leaves.
The ingredients in this Thai Herb Kit may look a bit strange at first, but we promise that there’s nothing to be scared of and that they’re actually really easy to cook with!
If you’re stuck for ideas on dishes to make, then we have several recipes that use these ingredients and are super simple to put together.
Try using the lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chilli in our Lemongrass and Ginger Rice Noodle Soup, and our Thai Green Curry is a great way to use the coriander and lime leaves.
There’s four servings of herbs in every pack, so if you still have some leftover chilli, ginger, garlic and coriander, then give our Salt and Pepper Tofu a go.
This Sainsbury’s Thai Herb Kit is currently on offer at £1.50 a pack (usually £2) and is available from – you guessed it! – Sainsbury’s.
Maryland Birthday Cake Minis Cookies – 98 calories a bag
Imagine sitting down with a cuppa and having to make the difficult choice between a slice of birthday cake or a cookie for dunking.
Both are delicious snacks but usually pretty high in calories, these Maryland Birthday Cake Minis Cookies are the best of both worlds.
Simple vanilla cookies with colourful sprinkles scattered over the top, these bite-sized biscuits look almost as good as they taste.
Individually packed, these snack-sized bags are ideal for your slimming essentials basket as you can pop them in a lunchbox or handbag for a sweet treat on the go.
We love that they’re free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, and suitable for vegetarians too.
If you’re hankering for a “proper” cake, our Chocolate Mud Pie always goes down a storm over on our Facebook group!
You can find Maryland Birthday Cake Minis Cookies at most supermarkets for £1 for a pack of six bags.
ASDA Plant Based 6 Meat-Free Chorizo Style Sausages – 131 calories per 2 sausages
Sausages are a great choice for a family dinner. Packed with protein and flavour, a Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole is truly a staple dinner in our house.
For a spicy twist on a classic casserole, we often consider chorizo, a Spanish cured meat with a smoky flavour that’s great for adding a kick to so many dishes.
However, it’s typically a high fat choice of meat so is often unsuitable if you’re following a calorie controlled or slimming plan.
These ASDA Plant Based 6 Meat-Free Chorizo Style Sausages are not only a low calorie option for adding flavour to recipes, but they’re also vegan and free from artificial colours and flavours too.
We can think of so many ways to use these versatile sausages: from Risotto to Breakfast Muffins, you can use them in place of traditional pork or chicken sausages in most dishes.
ASDA Plant Based 6 Meat-Free Chorizo Style Sausages are available at Asda for £2.35 for a pack of six.
Twinings Liquorice & Spearmint Teabags – 2 calories per 100ml brewed
The UK are a nation of tea lovers, with 165 million cups supposedly brewed and drank every single day!
Whether you like yours as weak as warm milk or a ‘builders brew’, there’s no doubt that tea is an essential part of our day and is a welcome addition to any list of slimming essentials.
With all of the weird and wonderful flavours available in recent years, we love trying different ones and there really is a tea for every mood!
Twinings Liquorice & Spearmint Teabags are made with all natural ingredients and free from sugar and caffeine so you can enjoy a cuppa at any time of day!
With liquorice, cooling spearmint and a hint of lemon to round it off these teabags are the perfect pick-me-up.
Also available in a delicious Chamomile and Orange flavour, we think a cup of this warming tea would be ideal for chilly nights in front of the sofa, not forgetting a slice of Lemon Drizzle Cake to go alongside it.
These Twinings Liquorice and Spearmint Teabags are available at most supermarkets for around £2.50 for a box of 20.
Waitrose British Chicken Pesto Breast Fillets – 154 calories per ½ pack serving
We all have those nights where we want something quick and easy that you can pop straight in the oven without any preparation.
That’s where these Waitrose British Chicken Pesto Breast Fillets come in.
Pre-marinated in an aromatic pesto marinade, these fillets are so easy for a go-to dinner in a pinch. Simply pop onto a baking tray and let the oven do the rest: no messy fingers and minimal washing up.
Our Garlic Green beans only take a few minutes and complement the flavour of the chicken, so you can have a super simple meal on the table in as long as it takes for the chicken to bake.
You could even cook them in advance and serve in our Low Carb Chicken and Ham Wraps for an extra pesto flavour.
These Waitrose British Chicken Pesto Breast Fillets are £4 for a pack of two at Waitrose.
itsu Duck Bao Buns – 196 calories per 2 buns
If you’ve never had bao buns before then you’re definitely missing out and these itsu Duck Bao Buns are some of the tastiest we’ve tried!
Băo (which means ‘treasure’ in Mandarin) are fluffy, cloud-like buns that come with a variety of different fillings.
They’ve been enjoyed in Asia for thousands of years and these itsu Duck Bao Buns mean that you can now enjoy them in the comfort of your own home too.
These soft, steamed buns have a rich, hoisin duck filling and are ready to eat in under a minute. Simply pop in the microwave from frozen, heat and enjoy.
Serve with some sliced spring onions and a pot of soy sauce for dipping and you’ve got a delicious lunch that’s not full of tons of calories.
You can get these itsu Duck Bao Buns from Ocado where they’re currently on offer at £3 for a pack of 6 (usually £3.75).
Le Rustique Camembert Portions – 81 calories per portion
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love cheese? The problem is that it’s not exactly known for being slimming friendly.
These Le Rustique Camembert Portions are small enough to be enjoyed on the go or as a snack and they’re only 81 calories per portion.
This rich and creamy soft cheese is made in Normandy which means that you’re getting authentic French flavour with every bite.
Although it can be enjoyed on its own as a snack, we think it’s also delicious when spread on some of our Fougasse Bread to make a tasty lunch.
It’d also be perfect spread on some crackers or served with some vegetables crudités to dip into it.
If you’re feeling adventurous then why not try it with the Marmite Yeast Extract Biscuits for Cheese that we mentioned earlier? The combo of strong cheese and salty Marmite would work so well!
You can find these Le Rustique Camembert Portions in Sainsbury’s at £2 for a pack of 5 portions.
Hackney Gelato Panettone Gelato – 162 calories per 100g
We know that it may be too soon for some people to be thinking about Christmas, but there’s so much delicious food being released at the moment that we just can’t help feeling festive!
Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a nice slice of Panettone and so we were really excited when we discovered this Panettone Gelato by Hackney Gelato.
Bursting with sultanas, festive spices and candied orange peel, this gelato is made from milk that’s been infused with toasted pandoro from one of the best makers in Italy.
Every spoonful is like a little bit of Christmas and, at only 162 calories per 100g, it’s not full of loads of unnecessary calories – even though it definitely tastes like it should be.
If Panettone doesn’t sound like your thing, then Hackney Gelato also has a Mince Pie flavoured gelato that’s just as delicious.
Both the Hackney Gelato Panettone Gelato and the Hackney Gelato Mince Pie Gelato are limited edition and you can grab them from Ocado for £5.49 a pot.
Terry’s Chocolate Orange Minis White – 154 calories per 7 segments
Yes, you read that correctly: Terry’s Chocolate Orange Minis White are the creamy white chocolate cousins of the milk chocolate version we all know and love.
Chocolate fans rejoice! These snack sized segments are made with real orange oil and are perfect for sharing when you’re sitting down in front of a movie with only 154 calories for 7 segments.
We love seeing white chocolate making a well-deserved comeback, and these really hit the spot when you fancy something sweet but don’t want to go for a full-sized bar.
If you love the flavour combo of chocolate and orange as much as we do, try our Chocolate Orange Baked Oats – the best excuse to enjoy chocolate for breakfast!
These Terry’s Chocolate Orange Minis White can be yours for £2 per share bag from Morrison’s, but they are making their way to other supermarkets too.
**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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