Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 17.11.23
Friday’s here and that can only mean one thing – it’s Weekly Pinch of Shopping time! There’s no hiding from it…the supermarkets are ready for Christmas. Even if you’re not thinking about the festive food shop just yet, we’ve spotted a few bits and bobs that are too good to save for the big day.
The Salted Maple Caramel Popcorn we’ve spotted at Morrisons is ideal for slimming-friendly snacking in front of the TV, and there’s a seriously special chocolate treat at the end of our list that might be too tempting to keep in the freezer…
Plus, how handy is the burger kit we found in Tesco? It includes the burger patties, buns, cheese and sauce, so you don’t need to pick up everything separately!
We can’t keep calm…we’re less than THREE WEEKS 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. A sneak peek at one of the 100 time-saving recipes you’ll find inside the book, feast your eyes on our GORGEOUS Mushroom Keema.
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. 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!**
Twisted Mini Cheesy Cottage Pie Topped Yorkshire Puddings – 27 calories per mini Yorkshire pudding
We’re over halfway through November now, so there’s no escaping that Christmas is right around the corner! If you’re thinking about buffet bites and party nibbles, pop into Iceland and pick up some of these Twisted Mini Cheesy Cottage Pie Topped Yorkshire Puddings.
The perfect middle ground between cosy comfort food and seasonal snack, each crunchy mini pud is filled with savoury, red wine-infused minced beef, and topped with cheesy mashed potatoes.
If you’re not a fan of beef, how about a cottage pie made with chicken and bacon? It might not be traditional, but our Chicken, Bacon and Leek Cottage Pie is guaranteed to warm you right up now there’s a proper chill in the air.
Twisted Mini Cheesy Cottage Pie Topped Yorkshire Puddings are available from Iceland, priced at £4.00 for a pack of 12.
Heinz Tomato Ketchup Pickle Flavour – 16 calories per serving
Calling all pickle fanatics! If you love the sour sharpness of a pickled gherkin, you’ll want to grab yourself a bottle of this brand-new Heinz Tomato Ketchup Pickle Flavour. It might not be for everyone, but it’s delicious squeezed onto burgers, sausages or Homemade Oven Chips.
The pickle flavouring gives the ketchup an extra boost of sweet tanginess that makes it deliciously different from the original. For 16 calories per 15ml, it’s well worth adding a dollop on the side of our Baked Cheeseburger Wrap.
We’ve added some sliced gherkins inside the tortilla-wrapped bundle of burger and cheese, and we’re betting you can ramp up the flavour even more by taking it for a dip in this tangy sauce.
Heinz Tomato Ketchup Pickle Flavour is available from Tesco, priced at £3.40 for a 460g bottle.
Morrisons Salted Maple Caramel Popcorn – 103 calories per serving
It’s no secret that when it comes to slimming-friendly snacks to nibble in front of the TV, popcorn is one of the lowest-calorie options out there (although we have lots of other ideas for you in this blog).
With a seasonal flavour twist, this Salted Maple Caramel Popcorn from Morrisons is no exception, at 103 calories per 20g serving. The crunchy-sweet kernels are perfect for this time of year, especially if you’re ready to hunker down and press play on all your favourite Christmas movies.
The sticky sweetness of maple syrup is a key ingredient in one of our best winter breakfast recipes: this warming Coconut, Banana and Maple Porridge. Hearty and filling, it’s just what you need on a chilly morning, and it’ll keep you going right through to lunchtime.
Morrisons Salted Maple Caramel Popcorn is available from Morrisons, priced at £1.35 for a 100g bag.
Tesco Beef Burgers Meal Kit – 557 calories per burger
As part of ‘A Taste of America’ themed new additions, Tesco have put these Beef Burger Meal Kits on the shelves this week. Including everything you need to cook and assemble two burgers, the kit will save you the job of buying all the bits and bobs separately.
Inside the kit you’ll find two beef quarter pounders, along with brioche buns, cheese slices and some burger sauce. Cooked to perfection in under 20 minutes, the fully assembled burgers work out at 557 calories each.
You won’t need a heavy side dish to serve with these juicy burgers, so why not dish up this Salsa Salad instead of fries? With chillies, lime juice and coriander in the mix, it’ll knock your socks off with the zingy flavour it adds to your plate!
Tesco Beef Burgers Meal Kits are available from Tesco, priced at £6.00 for a pack that serves two.
Morrisons Sweet Shop Rhubarb & Custard Squash – 3 calories per 250ml of prepared squash
When your sweet tooth is calling out for a treat, this Morrisons Sweet Shop Rhubarb and Custard Squash will curb the cravings for just 3 calories per glass. With no added sugar or artificial flavourings, the ‘Sweet Shop’ range of squash also includes Lemon Drop and Sour Cherry versions.
Tasting just like the nostalgic sugary treats they’re named after, these cordials will keep you hydrated, all whilst keeping you on track with your slimming journey!
Have you tried our low-calorie Custard recipe yet? You’ll need it on standby all winter long, especially if you’re planning on trying out any of our cosy and comforting fruit crumble recipes!
Morrisons Sweet Shop Rhubarb & Custard Squash is available from Morrisons, priced at £1.00 for a 1 litre bottle.
Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Pups in Blankets – 32 calories per shroompup
These veggie-friendly Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Pups in Blankets are almost too tasty to save for your Christmas dinner. The mini mushroom sausages are wrapped in a smoky ‘bacon’ blanket made from wheat gluten, pea protein and coconut milk.
Ready to oven cook from frozen, each ‘shroompup’ works out at a slimming-friendly 32 calories. Perfect for serving with a nut roast and all the trimmings, they’ll add a pop of peppery flavour to your festive meal.
Fancy having a go at making your own vegetarian version of pigs in blankets? Cheese and Christmas go hand in hand, so these Halloumi in Blankets make perfect sense. We’ve wrapped chunks of the chewy cheese in thinly-sliced courgette, and topped it all off with a bit of cranberry sauce and a sprinkle of paprika.
Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Pups in Blankets are available in Sainsbury’s, priced at £4.00 for a pack of 15.
Tesco Slow Cooked Chicken Chasseur – 281 calories per 1/2 pack
You won’t even need to turn your slow cooker on to enjoy the deep, rich flavours of this Slow Cooked Chicken Chasseur from Tesco. It’s already been simmered low and slow, so all you need to do is reheat it in the oven (or in the microwave if you’re in a hurry)!
The tender chicken thighs come in a flavourful French-inspired red wine sauce, alongside onions and mushrooms. Perfect for a quick yet comforting midweek meal, we’d dish this up over a bed of our Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
It’s slow cooker weather, and if you fancy putting yours to good use, grab the ingredients for our Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef Stew. A trusty winter warmer, it’s all about minimum effort and maximum flavour.
Tesco Slow Cooked Chicken Chasseur is available from Tesco, priced at £5.50 for a pack that serves two.
Halo Top Honeycomb Crunch Ice Cream Tub – 370 calories for the whole tub
Halo Top low-calorie ice cream has been around for a while, but this brand-new Honeycomb Crunch flavour has only just hit the shelves – and we think it sounds FIT! Milk chocolate coated pieces of real honeycomb are swirled into the velvety ice cream, adding a moreish crunch to every bite.
The good news is that you don’t have to stop after a few spoonfuls…the whole tub is just 370 calories, making this treat easy to work into your weekly meal plan.
This would be the perfect flavour to use when making our unmissable Ice Cream Sandwich. You can squish a decent chunk of any low-cal ice cream inside our fluffy sponge cake layers!
Halo Top Honeycomb Crunch Ice Cream Tub is available from Tesco, priced at £5.40 per tub.
Snackrite Salt & Vinegar Curlers – 86 calories per bag
Nobody should have to miss out on the best festive flavours that this wonderful time of year has to offer. We were pleased to spot these Sainsbury’s Free From Mince Pies on the shelves this week, and they’re not only gluten-free but milk-free too.
Each sweet pastry pie is filled with the richly-spiced mincemeat you’d expect, so the vegan-friendly treats are a delight to bite into with an afternoon cuppa.
If you’ve never been a fan of mincemeat, we’ve got you covered with these Mini Spiced Christmas Apple Pies. They’re just as cosy and Christmassy, brimming with warming spices and tart fresh apples.
Sainsbury’s Free From Mince Pies are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.00 for a pack of 4.
Galaxy® Caramel Wreath – 235 calories per serving
Step aside Christmas pudding…this Galaxy Caramel Wreath is 100% worthy of a spot on your festive dinner table this year. The frozen treat can be safely hidden away in the freezer until the big day – just remember to leave it in the fridge to defrost for at least 5 hours before serving.
A chocoholic’s dream dessert, there’s a silky chocolate mousse encased within the Galaxy shell, with a crumbly biscuit base for a little crunch. The wreath is shaped into 10 perfect portions, each one 235 calories of celebratory indulgence.
For an everyday choc-tastic treat, look no further than our easy-peasy Chocolate Sponge Pudding. It only uses a few simple ingredients, and you can even make it in the microwave if you can’t wait a minute longer for a forkful of fluffy, light sponge.
Galaxy Caramel Wreath is available from Iceland, priced at £10.00.
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
- Shallots – 72 calories per 100g
- Brussels Sprouts – 43 calories per 100g
- Grapefruit – 42 calories per 100g
- Green Beans – 31 calories per 100g
- Chantenay Carrots – 35 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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