Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 12.04.24
There’s no better way to say HAPPY FRIDAY than a sparkly-new Weekly Pinch of Shopping! It’s all about garlic, garlic and more garlic this week…
We’ve picked up garlicky mushrooms, garlic-swirled mashed potatoes AND garlic breaded chicken. The Iceland Crunchy Garlic Bread Chicken Breast Fillet Strips look especially yummy…and we’ve paired them with one of our fakeaway favourites to make them into a feast for your weekend!
Plus, have you spotted that DAIRY MILK has a brand-new flavour sharing bar? You’ll be able to spot one or two new flavours while you’re at the supermarket, but we picked up Caramel Nut Crunch because we know it’ll be right up your street (and 157 calories for 3 chunks).
We’ve not forgotten about your weekend menu either! It’s well worth taking a scroll through the lunch and dinner products we’ve rounded up, from fiery harissa chicken strips to Thai-style curried cod.
There are NO WORDS for how excited we are that our most-requested cookbook ever, PINCH OF NOM: AIR FRYER, is finally happening!! We’re still overwhelmed by your reaction on Instagram and in our Facebook group and we just have to say THANK YOU SO MUCH if you’ve already pre-ordered your copy.
Your lovely comments are the reason we do what we do! We can’t wait for all 75 scrummy, slimming-friendly air fryer recipes to be with you on the 20th of June (pre-order a copy here!).
You can learn more about our first-ever air fryer cookbook 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! The members in our incredible Facebook group are always happy to have a good old chat about lots of these shopping items. You can join the group by clicking here.
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. This week we’ve given you a reminder of the current selection, so hurry down to Aldi to pick up some bargains before a fresh selection goes on offer next week!
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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!**
Alpro Plant Protein Chocolate Flavour – 175 calories per 250ml (12.5g protein)
When you’re looking to enjoy a little more protein as part of your everyday routine, Alpro Plant Protein Chocolate Flavour drink is an effortless, sweet way to do it! Each silky, plant-based carton isn’t just delicious as a standalone drink, you can also stir it into your morning porridge or breakfast cereals.
It makes for a scrummy, chocolatey-sweet boost at only 175 calories per 250ml, and 12.5g of that is protein to fuel your day – that’s a win-win in our book!
If nothing will satisfy your sweet tooth apart from chocolate, give our Chocolate Mousse a whirl. You only need 5 ingredients to rustle up the light, airy recipe and it’s just 114 calories per portion.
Why not slice some of your favourite fruits to enjoy it with?
Alpro Plant Protein Chocolate Flavour is available from Asda, priced at £2.00.
Soreen Lemon Mini Loaves Spring Snack Bars – 95 calories per bar
We never get bored of trying new Soreen flavours, and these Soreen Lemon Mini Loaves Spring Snack Bars are no exception. The pack we spotted at Sainsbury’s has 5 individually-wrapped bars inside, so they’ll make an easy addition to on-the-go packed lunches throughout the week.
The recipe is so spongy and moist, there’ll be minimal crumbs left behind. Tuck into each lemony loaf (with a cuppa) for only 95 calories each!
It’s impossible to say no to a slice of our Lemon Sponge Traybake. With a nifty combination of half-sugar, half-sweetener, we’ve kept things unbelievably light at 77 calories per zesty square.
The real kicker is in the lip-smacking layer of lemon curd we’ve smothered on top…
Soreen Lemon Mini Loaves Spring Snack Bars are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at 37p (or £1.25 at full price) for a pack of 5.
Iceland Garlic & Herb Marinated King Prawns – 135 calories per 1/2 pack (pan-fried)
Juicy marinated king prawns are so tasty and just as filling as beef or chicken, for a fraction of the calories. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to a pan with oil, and you’ve got all you need to get Iceland’s Garlic and Herb Marinated King Prawns cooking.
They’ll make for a gorgeous, tapas-style dinner with other small plates, or a fluffy side-portion of rice.
For anyone who loves seafood, our Creamy Garlic Prawns recipe is a must-try. The homemade sauce is rich, flavoursome and low in calories, thanks to a nifty combination of store cupboard ingredients and slimming-friendly staples.
The trick is to stir in the reduced-fat cream cheese at the very end, when your pan is off the heat. The sauce should thicken like a garlicky dream, without splitting!
Iceland Garlic & Herb Marinated King Prawns are available from Iceland, priced at £4.00 per bag.
Tesco Harissa Roast Chicken Thigh Strips – 136 calories per 1/2 pack
Lunch prep is done for you with these Tesco Harissa Roast Chicken Thigh Strips. Roasted, steamed and marinated in an aromatic, mildly-spiced marinade, the ready-to-serve chicken thigh slices also come with a sachet of smoky harissa sauce, adding even more flavour to your lunch.
You might be asking yourself, what is harissa? You can find everything you need to know in our harissa paste blog, including our favourite dishes that use it.
For our Moroccan-Style Chicken Drumsticks with Mint Couscous, the drumsticks are cooked until fall-off-the-bone succulent in a zesty, harissa-spiced garlicky marinade. Our minty couscous is the perfect side to balance and soak up the flavours, especially with juicy-sweet pomegranate seeds stirred in.
Tesco Harissa Roast Chicken Thigh Strips are available from Tesco, priced at £3.00 per pack.
Morrisons The Best Dine In Creamy Garlic Mushrooms – 132 calories per 1/2 pack
Love or hate mushrooms, you can’t deny that magic happens when they’re paired with a creamy sauce! That’s exactly why we had to pick up Morrisons’ new The Best Dine In Creamy Garlic Mushrooms.
A mixture of roasted button and Portobello mushrooms, they’re stirred together in a velvety-rich sauce, ready to be microwaved and enjoyed in minutes.
If you’ve got mushrooms at home and you’re not sure what to cook with them, our guide on how to make the most of mushrooms should spark some inspiration.
When it comes to the words ‘creamy’ and ‘garlic’, the first dish that springs to mind has to be our hugely-popular Creamy Garlic Chicken. The ultimate batch-cook wonder, it’s one of those dishes that you can make every single week and never get bored, by pairing it with a variety of different side dishes.
From basmati rice and chips to steamed veg…that sauce pairs with just about anything!
Morrisons The Best Dine In Creamy Garlic Mushrooms are available from Morrisons, priced at £2.99.
Iceland Garlic Mash – 144 calories per 100g (microwaved)
Mashed potatoes are really simple to whip up from scratch, but for those days where you’re in a hurry, Iceland’s Garlic Mash is spot on to keep stashed in the freezer.
Ready-infused with heaps of garlicky goodness, all that’s left for you to do is measure out your portion, add water or milk and microwave until smooth and heated through.
For garlic mash with a Pinch of Nom twist, turn to pages 224-225 of Enjoy for our full Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato recipe.
To make it extra-special, we’ve swirled in the garlic flavours, and baked it in the oven with a layer of melty, golden-brown layer of reduced-fat Cheddar cheese on top.
Iceland Garlic Mash is available from Iceland, priced at £2.50 per bag.
Ashfields Hoisin Stir Fry Strips – 240 calories per 1/2 pack
When you need dinner in a pinch, a trusty stir-fry never disappoints. These Ashfields Hoisin Stir Fry Strips from the meat section at Aldi only need 10 minutes in a pan to brown until tender.
The chunks of pork are covered in a mouth-watering honey, garlic and ginger glaze that does all the hard work for you. Scoop it over rice and your favourite chopped veggies for a colourful and quick midweek dinner!
If we’re talking about Chinese-style fakeaway nights, our Crispy Duck recipe deserves a spot on the menu. This low-calorie showstopper has all the trimmings you’d expect from a restaurant, like pancakes, cucumber, spring onions and sticky-sweet hoisin, for only 144 calories per serving.
Ashfields Hoisin Stir Fry Strips are available from Aldi, priced at £2.99 per pack.
Fish Said Fred Thai Green Cod Curry – 319 calories per pack
If you’re looking to add more fish to your midweek menu, this Fish Said Fred Thai Green Cod Curry is worth picking up from Sainsbury’s. The chunky pieces of cod are smothered in an aromatic Thai green curry sauce and chopped chillies, ready to be oven-baked until irresistibly flaky.
You can also spoon Cheesy Smoked Haddock onto your plate from the same range, if you’d prefer a milder fish dish.
To make our Vegetarian Thai-Style Green Curry taste like the real deal without ramping up the calories, we’ve blitzed our curry paste ingredients together from scratch.
Preparing your own is well worth the minimal effort, especially if you want to control the spice level!
Fish Said Fred Thai Green Cod Curry is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £4.95 per pack.
Iceland Chicken Breast Fillet Strips Crunchy Garlic Bread – 248 calories per 100g (ovenbaked)
Dinner’s sorted with Iceland Crunchy Garlic Bread Chicken Breast Fillet Strips in the freezer. There’s no way we could resist the sound of tender chicken chunks ready-coated in a thick layer of garlic-seasoned breadcrumbs.
Simply pop them in the air fryer for 10-12 minutes, or wait 20 minutes for them to cook in the oven – either way, they’ll be golden brown and delicious!
This might be really indulgent of us, but there’s no issue with treating yourself from time to time…can you imagine how yummy they’d be with our Chips and Curry Sauce?
Far better for you and your budget than takeaway versions, we’ve lowered the calories by making the fries and chippy-style sauce from scratch.
Iceland Chicken Breast Fillet Strips Crunchy Garlic Bread are available from Iceland, priced at £4.00 per pack.
Cadbury Dairy Milk & More Caramel Nut Crunch – 157 calories per 3 chunks
There’s two tasty new bars to choose from courtesy of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk this week: Nutty Praline Crisp and Caramel Nut Crunch. We’ve gone for the latter, since we can’t say no to layers of sticky toffee, oozy caramel and crunchy hazelnuts.
Break off 3 chunks to try with a cuppa at 157 calories a pop!
When it comes to crunchy, caramel sweet treats, our Banana and Caramel Filo Rolls tick all the boxes. It’s so quick and easy to fold the banana-caramel filling into cracker-style filo pastry parcels.
We’ve used a reduced-sugar caramel dessert topping to keep things sticky and light, with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon to liven up the flavours.
Cadbury Dairy Milk & More Caramel Nut Crunch is available from Morrisons, priced at £2.00 for a sharing bar.
REMINDER 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 our reminder of this week’s Super 6 selection:
- Chestnut Mushrooms – 17 calories per 100g
- Golden Delicious Apples – 49 calories per 100g
- Sweet Pears – 47 calories per 100g
- Sugar Snap Peas – 34 calories per 100g
- Baby Corn – 26 calories per 100g
- Oranges – 47 calories per 100g
**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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