Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 10.11.23
Happy Friday, lovely people! It’s Weekly Pinch of Shopping time and we’re buzzing to bring you another roundup of delicious goodies.
The countdown to Christmas is definitely on! We’ve got a whole pack of Cherry Bakewell Mince Pies that’ll go down a treat while you’re writing your wish list to send to the North Pole.
That means party season is almost here, so we’ve added a flurry of fun fakeaway bits to this week’s list, including a pack of Poppadom Chicken Chunks with a Mango Dip. You won’t believe they’re only 51 calories each!
Speaking of countdowns, we’re less than ONE MONTH away from December 7th, when Pinch of Nom: Express finally starts landing on doorsteps! We absolutely cannot wait to see which fast-track recipes you all make first.
In case you missed it on our Instagram or Facebook page over the past week, we’ve dropped a really exciting video down below. Express is officially hot off the press!
It’s so satisfying to see months of hard work turn into a beautiful, colourful book. Don’t forget, there’s still time to pre-order your copy.
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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!**
Morrisons Cherry Plum and Peach Squash – 8 calories per 250ml of prepared squash
A sweet, fruity drink can make anything go down easier, especially if it’s made with a combination of two delicious flavours, like Morrisons’ Cherry Plum and Peach Squash.
There’s no added sugar, artificial colours or flavourings to worry about, so you can sit back and relax with a glug stirred into 250ml of water over ice, for 8 calories per glass.
Peaches and berries work so well together for our super simple Peach and Blueberry Tart, and you only need a short list of ingredients. With flaky puff pastry, sweetened cream cheese and oven-baked fresh fruit, it’s perfect for any occasion.
Morrisons Cherry Plum and Peach Squash is available from Morrisons, priced at £1.30 per bottle.
BOL Gut Loving Smoky Tomato and White Bean Power Soup – 230 calories per pot
We’ve always got our eye out for grab-and-go pots that make busy days just that little bit easier. This BOL Gut Loving Smoky Tomato and White Bean Power Soup packs a flavourful punch with sweet tomatoes, sharp balsamic and smoky paprika stirred through.
The blended white beans give every spoonful a luscious, naturally creamy texture, as well as a boost of nutritious benefits. There’s no prep involved, just heat it up and enjoy!
If you love Meatball Marinara flavours, you need to try our brand-new Meatball Soup recipe in your tupperware for lunchtime. It batch-cooks and reheats without losing any of its rich, tomatoey smoothness.
Dip your spoon and scoop up the juicy, herby pork meatballs one by one. You can always rustle up homemade meatballs with beef or turkey mince, if you’d prefer (just be sure to adjust the calories).
BOL Gut Loving Smoky Tomato and White Bean Power Soup is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £3.30 per pot (or £2.30 with a Nectar card).
Nairn’s Gluten Free Oaties Toffee Flavour – 49 calories per biscuit
Bonfire Night might be over, but that doesn’t mean we’re ready to let go of toffee-based treats. Nairn’s Gluten Free Oaties Toffee Flavour have far less sugar than standard sweet gluten-free biscuits, bringing them down to 49 calories per oaty serving.
A great alternative to snacking on buttery full-fat biscuits, they’re at their best washed down with a cosy cup of tea.
We can’t think about toffee flavours without our scrummy Toffee Apple Swirls springing to mind. Bite into each one and you’ll find a mouth-watering cinnamony apple puree filling inside!
To get that moreish toffee taste for fewer calories, we’ve melted sugar-free creamy toffees until deliciously smooth.
Nairn’s Gluten Free Oaties in Toffee Flavour are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.40 per pack.
Tesco Salmon Teriyaki Skewers – 34 calories per skewer
These Tesco Salmon Teriyaki Skewers would be great for a buffet spread, or for a midweek fakeaway-style dinner with rice and veg. The skewered chunks come pre-coated in a tantalising teriyaki marinade, with a sachet of ready-to-drizzle teriyaki sauce to keep them nice and juicy.
Packed with protein and healthy fats, having salmon on the menu is always a good idea.
When it comes to the season of celebrations and family gatherings, freezable light bites are a life-saver. Stash salmon skewers away with a batch of our Chicken Satay Skewers, and you’ll be ready to entertain in a heartbeat.
If you do need to make them from scratch, it’s far from the end of the world – they’re ready in half an hour, prep included!
Tesco Salmon Teriyaki Skewers are available from Tesco, priced at £4.00 for a pack of 8.
LEON Spicy Wholegrain Rice – 174 calories per serving
If you’re someone who goes to LEON for their rice boxes, you’ll be very happy to see their all-new microwave rice pouches in Sainsbury’s. We’ve gone for LEON Spicy Wholegrain Rice, but you can pick up a milder, herby wholegrain medley if you’d prefer, for 166 calories per serving.
Two different rice grains in one (basmati and brown long grain), each bagful is also brimming with quinoa, beans and sweetcorn, infused with mild chipotle chilli flavours.
Why not try a serving with a tender portion of Honey Soy Chicken Thighs? We like to prep them in the morning and let the sweet saltiness of our takeaway-inspired marinade soak in.
Grab your copy of Pinch of Nom: Budget and turn to pages 108-109 for the full recipe.
LEON Spicy Wholegrain Rice is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.85 per pouch.
ASDA Mini Naan Bites – 44 calories per (oven baked) mini naan
Don’t be fooled by how adorable these ASDA Mini Naan Bites look, they pack a flavour punch! Each doughy bundle comes with a filling of spiced tomato sauce and aromatic veg, with a crispy topping of onion seeds for good measure.
At 44 calories per mini naan, they’re light enough to snack on with a bit of chutney, or you can enjoy them to the side of your favourite curry.
If you’re on the lookout for more nibbly bits for family curry night, our Sweet Potato Pakoras are ready in a jiffy. They’ll look right at home on a sharing platter with onion bhajis or samosas as part of an Indian-inspired fakeaway feast.
To take them for a dip in a speedy homemade raita, swirl some low-fat Greek-style yoghurt with a little mint sauce and finely-chopped cucumber.
ASDA 12 Mini Naan Bites is available from ASDA, priced at £2.00 for a pack of 12.
Morrisons Poppadom Chicken Chunks and Mango Dip – 51 calories per chicken chunk (with dip)
Give party food a takeaway-inspired makeover with Morrisons’ Poppadom Chicken Chunks and Mango Dip. Bake them in the oven at 180°C until they’re golden brown, piping hot and the unusual poppadom coating is delightfully crisp.
Each pack comes with a sealed pot of sweet, juicy mango chutney – it’s just the right amount to take every single chicken chunk for a dip!
Our Veggie Dippers are only 177 calories per serving, tangy spicy ketchup-style sauce included.
We’ve used fresh veg, frozen peas, tinned sweetcorn and plenty of herbs and spices to put this one together, so you’ll get to use up lots of different budget-friendly ingredients you probably already have at home.
You can bake them in the oven, or they’re just as tasty from an air fryer.
Morrisons Poppadom Chicken Chunks and Mango Dip are available from Morrisons, priced at £5.00 per pack.
Sainsbury’s Ready Meal Main Dish For 2 Smoky Cauliflower Tandoori Masala – 216 calories per 1/2 pack
Sainsbury’s Ready Meal Main Dish For 2 Smoky Cauliflower Tandoori Masala makes for a flavoursome curry that’s ready in a hurry. The chargrilled florets are also simmered together with juicy sliced red peppers in a velvety coconut cream and ground cashew nut sauce.
Beware…this one’s not for the faint of heart! It’s guaranteed to be hot hot hot, with a lip-smacking, ultra-spicy chilli rating.
Our very own Cauliflower Madras has a kick of heat to it by default, but it’s really easy to play around with the spice level when you’re making your own sauce at home. Leave out the chilli seeds and fine chilli powder, and you’ll be left with a rich, fragrant, family-friendly curry.
Sainsbury’s Ready Meal Main Dish For 2 Smoky Cauliflower Tandoori Masala is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £4.25 (or £3.50 with a Nectar card) per pack.
Smoky BBQ Beef Brisket – 296 calories per 1/2 pack
If you’ve not cracked out your slow cooker yet, Aldi’s Smoky BBQ Beef Brisket will kick things off nicely. The beef joint comes with a sachet of smoky barbecue-flavoured sauce that you’ll drizzle on top when it’s tender, right before pulling it apart into shredded beef pieces.
On days where you can’t wait, it’s ready in 25 minutes from the oven.
You could turn it into a really indulgent-tasting dinner with a side of our newest website recipe: Curried Cauliflower Cheese. Our gorgeous golden florets taste just as creamy as traditional versions, with a spicy, lower-calorie twist!
It really shines as part of an epic, beefy roast dinner, or as a glorious vegetarian main for two.
Smoky BBQ Beef Brisket is available from Aldi, priced at £3.99 per pack.
Cherry Bakewell Mince Pies – 207 calories per mince pie
Two bakery-bought treats in one, it’s never too early to get festive with these yummy Cherry Bakewell Mince Pies from Morrisons. Each buttery pastry-wrapped pie holds a filling of rich cherry mincemeat, on a luxurious layer of frangipane sponge.
Topped with a crunchy layer of nutty flaked almonds, they’re ideal for treating yourself in the run-up to Christmas with a cuppa or a glass of Mulled Wine.
Ideal for chilly mornings and nippy nights, we can’t get enough of our Bakewell Baked Oats recipe’s juicy-sweet filling. The beauty of baked oats is that you can prepare them well in advance, and save them in the fridge or freezer to warm you up throughout the week.
For more dessert inspiration to help you stave off the cold, take a look through our roundup of easy, slimming-friendly autumnal desserts.
Cherry Bakewell Mince Pies are available from Morrisons, priced at £2.50 for a pack of 4.
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.
Conference Pears – 64 calories per 100g
When they’re nice and ripe, conference pears are juicy and soft with an irresistible sweetness, and they’re great for snacking on or cooking with.
It works really well in homely oven bakes like our scrummy Pear and Ginger Crumble. Crumble always warms us up when it’s cold outside, especially with a glug of custard!
Take a look through our roundup of slimming-friendly crumbles you’ll want to get cosy with.
Shallots – 72 calories per 100g
You’ll usually find shallots next to fresh garlic or onions at the supermarket. More mellow in flavour than their onion counterparts, they’re great for sizzling until subtly caramelised, or crunching on raw in a mixed salad.
You’ll find shallots in our Balsamic Glazed Pork recipe. We stir them together with garlic and red onion until juicy, and roast them together with our pork medallions to seal in even more flavour.
Brussels Sprouts – 43 calories per 100g
It’s never too early to start tucking into glorious green sprouts! Add them onto your Sunday dinner this weekend for a bargain price, thanks to Aldi’s Super 6.
Our Balsamic Roasted Sprouts come bursting with maximum flavour for minimum effort. Tangy from the balsamic vinegar, they’ll go nicely with just about anything.
Grapefruit – 42 calories per 100g
Jam-packed with immune-boosting vitamin C, grapefruit makes a refreshing addition to your breakfast-time routine. Slice it up and throw it into a vibrant fruit salad, and let its citrusy-sweet bitterness cut through any wintery berry flavours in the mix.
Have you started planning Christmas dishes yet? Our Festive Fruit Salad is an easy win that’s ready in 5 minutes, with an array of grapefruit slices involved.
Green Beans – 31 calories per 100g
Green beans are always great to have handy. They add a versatile nutritious boost to a variety of main meals, from stir-fries and salads to curries and hotpots.
Best of all, they’re plated up in a flash, especially with speedy recipes like our Air Fryer Crispy Green Beans. Ready in 10 minutes with a parmesan crunch, you’ve got to try them with meat or fish dishes.
Chantenay Carrots – 35 calories per 100g
These little carrots taste just like the bigger version, but there’s no need to peel or trim them. The perfect size for snacking, they’re great for dunking and dipping, especially into hummus.
Try their tender crunch in our Lemon and Garlic Chicken Traybake, where they soak up the garlicky flavours with ease. It’s an easy-peasy midweek wonder with next to no washing-up to worry about afterwards!
**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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