Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 15.11.24
Happy Friday folks! Get nice and comfy…your new Weekly Pinch of Shopping is ready for you!
The supermarkets have gone Christmas crazy, but we’ve been keeping an eye out for a few bits that aren’t too festive just yet. How about a warming pot of Pea and Ham Hock Soup to take for lunch next week? If you scroll to the bottom of the article, you’ll find the details of a new protein yoghurt that can be popped into your packed lunch too.
We have to admit, these Mini Clementine and Brown Sugar Meringue Roulades from Sainsbury’s probably won’t last til Christmas in our freezer. Too nice to go on the naughty list, we’ll be tucking into the toffee meringue, brown sugar cream and zesty orange filling later!
PINCH OF NOM: ALL IN ONE IS OUT NEXT WEEK! Eeeeek…how is it finally almost time for you to start trying all the incredible recipes we’ve packed inside the brand-new book? Make sure you’ve got your copy pre-ordered if you want to be one of the first to cook a one-pot wonder.
Here’s a quick refresher on what the book is all about:
- 100 delicious recipes that you can rustle up with just one pan, pot or tray
- 30 slow cooker recipes (more than we’ve ever put in one book before!)
- Fuss-free, flavourful meals, without a mountain of dishes to clean afterwards
The shops should already have the books all parcelled up to send out on Thursday! You can pre-order by tapping 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!
Want to make sure you never miss a Weekly Pinch of Shopping? You can sign up to receive the Weekly Pinch of Shopping in your inbox here, so you’ll always be the first to read the new articles.
**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!**
Sainsbury’s Gingerbread Granola, Taste the Difference – 198 calories per 45g serving
Start your morning with a crunchy bowl of this new Taste the Difference Gingerbread Granola from Sainsbury’s and you’ll have a spring in your step all day long!
The golden, toasted wholegrain oats are flavoured with festive spiced gingerbread, before being mixed with caramelised hazelnuts and chunks of creamy white chocolate. You could keep it in the cupboard until Christmas morning, but it’s too good to resist!
With layers of crunchy homemade granola, chocolatey yoghurt and juicy raspberries, our own Raspberry Mocha Granola Pots are a breakfast you can enjoy all year round. The punchy taste of coffee will wake you right up!
Sainsbury’s Gingerbread Granola, Taste the Difference is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.80.
Iceland Salt & Pepper Mini Hash Brown Bites – 302 calories per 1/4 pack
Treat yourself to a rummage in the freezers at Iceland and you might just spot these bags of Salt and Pepper Mini Hash Brown Bites. Baked in the oven or popped into the air fryer, you won’t have to wait long for them to become crunchy and golden.
Each little potato nugget is flavoured with Chinese-inspired salt and pepper seasoning. Perfect for fakeaway night, a portion works out at just 302 calories.
Why not double-up on spicy, salty deliciousness and add a handful of our Salt and Pepper Chicken Nuggets on the side? Don’t forget to toast your sea salt in a dry pan first (or just use our ready-to-sprinkle Salt and Pepper seasoning mix).
Iceland Salt & Pepper Mini Hash Brown Bites are available from Iceland, priced at £2.50.
PG Tips Special Blends Chai Tea Bags – 4 calories per 200ml
Quick, put the kettle on! It’s always time for tea in our house, so we’ve nipped into Tesco this week to take our pick of the new Special Blends from PG Tips. There are a few different flavours on the shelves, including Breakfast Tea and Earl Grey, but it’s these Chai ones that went in our basket.
Made with a medley of aromatic spices, simply add boiling water, let it brew, then enjoy sipping a warming cuppa, with notes of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and clove.
This is the perfect tea to use for our gorgeous Chai Rice Pudding! One of the easiest slow cooker desserts around, you’ll pop a couple of tea bags in with the milk, to infuse it with all those fragrant spices.
PG Tips Special Blends Chai Tea Bags are available from Tesco, priced at £3.40 for a pack of 70.
ASDA Bistro Pea & Ham Hock Soup – 180 calories per 1/2 pot
Sweet peas and smoky ham are a match made in heaven! If you need something quick and easy for lunch next week, this pot of Asda Bistro Pea and Ham Hock Soup is well worth having in the fridge.
It can be microwaved in minutes, so you can sit back and slurp your way through a cosy bowlful of soup, before cracking on with your afternoon.
We like a soup that keeps us feeling full for hours, which is why we’ll be batch-cooking this Smoky Ham and Pasta Soup this weekend. Grab a bag of casserole mix while you’re at the shops – it saves loads of time prepping this recipe.
ASDA Bistro Pea & Ham Hock Soup is available from Asda, priced at £2.85.
Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Bubble & Squeak Vegan Smoked Cheddar Melt – 299 calories per melt
Imagine serving these Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Bubble & Squeak Vegan Smoked Cheddar Melt as part of a weekend brunch. A blend of Brussels sprouts, potato, leek, garlic, onions and mustard, each one is finished with a smoky applewood cheese style melt.
Crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle, you don’t need to be vegan to get stuck into one of these. Serve a veggie sausage on the side, or add a scoop of Balsamic Mushrooms.
Roasted in a lip-smacking, tangy balsamic glaze, they’re a zero effort, versatile veggie that goes with everything! Did we mention they’re just 57 calories per serving?
Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Bubble & Squeak Vegan Smoked Cheddar Melt is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £3.50.
HECK Steak & Butter Meatballs – 133 calories per 4 meatballs
Okay, we’ll admit, when we first spotted these HECK Steak and Butter Meatballs, we didn’t think they sounded all that slimming friendly! Made with prime beef and ‘a generous’ helping of butter, they’re surprisingly low-cal – you can enjoy 4 grilled meatballs for 133 calories.
It’ll all come down to how you serve them…keep in mind that adding sauces and pasta will ramp things up!
If you’re looking to keep things light, we always recommend making your own meatballs from lean, low-fat mince. That way, you can tuck into dishes like our creamy Tikka Masala Style Meatballs for just 344 calories per portion.
HECK Steak & Butter Meatballs are available from Asda, priced at £3.75 for a pack of 12.
Sainsbury’s Cod, Cheese & Leek Gratin with Crushed Potatoes & Baby Spinach, Taste the Difference – 343 calories per pack
Sometimes you need food in the fridge that can be on the table in 5 minutes. This Sainsbury’s Cod, Cheese and Leek Gratin with Crushed Potatoes and Baby Spinach is balanced and delicious, as well as super convenient.
The flaky fish, creamy, cheesy veggies, herby breadcrumb and filling new potatoes are all ready to go straight into the microwave. For a speedy lunch, or a quick dinner, you can’t go wrong!
If you have an extra half an hour, you can cook our Creamy Cod and Spinach recipe from scratch. The silky garlic and lemon sauce tastes too good to be true (especially when you know it’s only 232 calories per serving).
Sainsbury’s Cod, Cheese & Leek Gratin with Crushed Potatoes & Baby Spinach, Taste the Difference is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £5.00.
Morrisons The Best Carrot Wedges With Seville Orange – 52 calories per 1/4 pack (oven cooked)
Why wait for Christmas dinner to treat yourself to these festively-flavoured veggies? We’ve grabbed a tray of Morrisons The Best Carrot Wedges With Seville Orange, and they’ll be going in the oven tonight, to serve with our Slow Cooker Honey-Glazed Ham.
They come peeled and chopped, tossed in parsley, thyme and garlic with a sachet of orange and honey dressing and a salted butter.
Once they’re all roasted to perfection, carve a few slices of sticky, sweet and salty ham to add to your plate. You’ll want to make sure you have some leftovers for sandwiches the next day!
Morrisons The Best Carrot Wedges With Seville Orange are available from Morrisons, priced at £3.00.
Sainsbury’s Mini Clementine & Brown Sugar Meringue Roulades – 291 calories per roulade
If you think Mini Clementine and Brown Sugar Meringue Roulades sound completely irresistible, you’ll want to make a beeline for your nearest Sainsbury’s!
The toffee meringue with brown sugar cream and clementine sauce filling is rolled into two mini roulades, at 291 calories each. A deliciously decadent little treat, they’re well worth saving for a special occasion. Luckily they come frozen, so hide them away and get them out 45 minutes before you’re ready for the first bite of heaven…
If zesty fruit and airy meringue is your idea of the perfect pud, don’t miss our slimming-friendly Lemon Meringue Pie. It has a crunchy biscuit base, zingy filling and a light, fluffy topping that you bake until gorgeous and golden.
Sainsbury’s Mini Clementine & Brown Sugar Meringue Roulades are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £3.25 for a pack of 2.
Muller Light Protein Pudding Chocolate Brownie – 125 calories per pot (14g protein)
A pot of Muller Light is a staple sweet treat on a slimming-friendly diet! We’ve tried lots of fruity flavours over the years, so we’re super excited about this new Muller Light Protein Pudding in a Chocolate Brownie flavour!
With bags more protein than a usual low-fat yoghurt, you should find this fills you up for longer, and helps you reach any protein goals you’ve set for the day. Psst…there’s also a chocolate orange flavour in the range too.
Speaking of chocolate orange (and brownies!), can we tempt you to bake a batch of Chocolate Orange Brownies this weekend? At 72 calories each, you won’t regret having a squidgy square to enjoy with a cuppa later…
Muller Light Protein Pudding Chocolate Brownie is available from Morrisons, priced at £1.00.
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:
- Conference Pears – 64 calories per 100g
- Persimmons – 127 calories per 100g
- Large Brown Onions – 40 calories per 100g
- Mango – 60 calories per 100g
- Fine Green Beans – 31 calories per 100g
- Braeburn Apples – 51 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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