Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 18.08.23

Happy Friday, lovely people! A NEW edition of the Weekly Pinch of Shopping has arrived. We’ve got everything you need for your mid-August shopping list, including a slimming-friendly caramel pudding that’s smooth, velvety and packed with protein for only 74 calories per pot!

For those days when you just need pasta NOW, Dolmio have answered the call. The ‘Pasta Pronto’ packs are loaded with signature Italian-style, family-friendly flavours (and they’re ready in a flash).

Plus, how could we say no to a Sticky Toffee Pudding Latte? The all-new instant coffee sachets from Nescafé are 81 calories per scrumptious, comfort-filled mug. 

Our new cookbook Pinch of Nom: Budget, is out now! We’re absolutely loving seeing everybody’s photos and posts. Don’t forget to tag us when you’re sharing them, we don’t want to miss a single one!

From Meatball Mash Bake to Veggie Quesadillas, there is something for everyone in our first-ever paperback cookbook (if you’ve not got yours yet, you can order here!).

You’ll get 50 brand-new recipes and 25 fan-favourites dishes that cut down on costs, without compromising on the Nom flavours you know and love. 

Split into two chapters, dinners and desserts, ‘Budget’ is all about turning affordable ingredients and store cupboard staples into food that the whole family will love.

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 7. 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.

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!**

Morrisons Savers Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce – 171 calories per 1/2 can

Whether they’re topping toast, spooned onto a jacket spud or cooked inside of a cheesy Breakfast Bake, tomatoey beans have always been a reliable store cupboard staple. These Morrisons Savers Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce will make for a cracking addition to your shopping list, since they’ll help you to serve a variety of crowd-pleasing dishes for only 27p per tin (correct at the time of writing).

You can easily transform one tin into a thrifty midweek wonder with our hearty Baked Bean Bolognese. To make a pack of lean beef mince go far enough to feed the whole family (and beyond!), we’ve thrown plenty of fresh chopped vegetables and nifty tinned ingredients into the pot too.

Keep any leftovers in the fridge for lunch, or save them in the freezer for a rainy day – it’ll be just as delicious!

Morrisons Savers Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce are available from Morrisons, priced at 27p per can.

Sainsbury’s Mango & Coconut British Chicken Grills – 128 calories per 1/2 pack

Not sure what to have for lunch? Try Sainsbury’s Mango and Coconut British Chicken Grills with a fresh, leafy salad. Ready-coated in a fruity, nutty marinade, there’s no shortage of flavour in every tender bite, whether they’re served hot or cold.

Super quick to rustle up in an air fryer, you can also heat them through until irresistibly juicy in the microwave. Try them in a wrap or sandwich at lunchtime, or served with rice or mashed potatoes – it’s a tasty chance to get creative!

If you can’t say no to a chicken dinner, you’re going to want to add our Coconut and Lime Chicken to your midweek menu. For our aromatic Thai-inspired sauce, we’ve kept things creamy without losing flavour by infusing a coconut dairy-free milk alternative with zesty lime juice and punchy chillies.

Sainsbury’s Mango & Coconut British Chicken Grills are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £3.25 per pack.

Morrisons Frozen Mixed Vegetables – 40 calories per 80g portion

Get well on your way to 5-a-day with Morrisons’ Frozen Mixed Vegetables. A budget-friendly medley of ready-chopped carrots, peas, green beans and sweetcorn, there’s no need to wait for defrosting before cooking; they’ll go from microwave to plate in a matter of minutes.

Psst! If you’re ever unsure of how to cook different kinds of vegetables from frozen, our guide is here to help.

When you’ve got a lovely-looking piece of salmon to look forward to at dinnertime, there’s no better side dish than a helping of fresh, steamed vegetables. Served alongside a handful of quick-prep veg, you’ll only need to wait around 20-25 minutes for Baked Garlic Salmon to cook to flaky perfection. 

Morrisons Frozen Mixed Vegetables are available from Morrisons, priced at £1.19 per frozen bag.

UFIT Pudding Creamy Caramel – 184 calories per pot

 

Grab a spoon and tuck into this UFIT Pudding Creamy Caramel. At 184 calories per pot, every silky-smooth spoonful tastes far more decadent than it is. Low in fat and sugar, each pot also comes jam-packed with protein, meaning it’ll leave you feeling fuller for longer and curb those pesky mid-afternoon sweet cravings all at once.

We can’t talk about satisfying puddings without mentioning our Caramelised Banana Yorkshire Pudding recipe. To keep the calories nice and low, we’ve decorated our lovely little puds with a no-sugar syrup, bananas and a sprinkle of crunchy pecans.

For the full recipe, turn to page 248-249 of our fifth cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Enjoy. If you’ve not got a copy on your shelf yet, you can fill the gap in your collection here.

UFIT Pudding Creamy Caramel is available from Asda, priced at £1.25 per pot.

The Fishmonger Raw King Prawns With Coconut, Chilli and Lime – 107 calories per 76g serving

Ready-coated in a zingy marinade, Aldi’s The Fishmonger Raw King Prawns With Coconut, Chilli and Lime are great to have on standby in the freezer. Pop them in a frying pan with a spritz of low-calorie cooking spray, and keep an eye on them until they’re juicy and thoroughly cooked.

That’s how you’ll know they’re ready to serve with veg and noodles for a quick, tasty dinner!

If you’d rather make your own flavourful marinade, look no further than our Garlic Chilli Prawns recipe. We’ve combined garlic, herbs, spices and zingy lemon juice to make our lip-smacking Mediterranean-style glaze.

Trust us, it’s always a good idea to have a crusty wholemeal bread roll handy for wiping the bowl clean.

The Fishmonger Raw King Prawns With Coconut, Chilli and Lime are available from Aldi, priced at £2.59 per frozen bag.

Dolmio Pasta Pronto With Tomato and Basil – 282 calories per pack

When you’re in a hurry for something filling and delicious, Dolmio Pasta Pronto With Tomato and Basil is just the ticket. A rich tomatoey ready-mixture of spiral fusilli, lightly seasoned with fresh fragrant basil – all that’s left to do is pop a bag in the microwave and wait 90 seconds for the ping!

At 282 calories per easy-peasy serving, there’s definitely room to pair your portion with a crispy piece (or two!) of Cheesy Garlic Bread, if you’re in the mood for a heartier meal.

The trick with our lighter recipe is to use reduced-fat Cheddar cheese and a delicate spritz of low-calorie cooking spray. That way you’ll keep things slimming friendly, without sacrificing that all-important gooey, cheesy goodness.

Dolmio Pasta Pronto With Tomato and Basil is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.20 per pack.

Newburgh Farm Cooked Chicken Breast Strips – 113 calories per serving

Newburgh Farm Cooked Chicken Breast Strips come freezer-friendly and ready sliced. Once they’re defrosted and thoroughly heated through, they’re good to serve in sandwiches, wraps and salads, or you can toss them into heartier dishes like pastas or curries.

We tend to use ready-cooked chicken to make our super quick Chopped Thai-Style Chicken Salad even faster, and Newburgh’s strips would work a treat too.

To get satay-style flavours without the calories you’d find in traditional peanut butter-based recipes, we’ve used peanut butter powder instead.

With bright and colourful carrots, cabbage, peppers and chilli, it’s ideal to tuck into while the sun’s shining.

Newburgh Farm Cooked Chicken Breast Strips are available from Morrisons, priced at £4.50 per frozen bag.

Nescafé Gold Sticky Toffee Pudding Latte Sachets – 81 calories per mug

Give your next coffee break a scrumptious twist with Nescafé Gold Sticky Toffee Pudding Latte Sachets. A whole ‘latte’ of comfort, each sachet is hot, frothy and full of dessert-inspired flavour for only 81 calories each (when combined with 200ml of boiling water).

If you don’t think Sticky Toffee Pudding can be slimming friendly, think again! Our yummy recipe tastes sweet, spongy and luxuriously indulgent, even with a number of nifty lower-calorie swaps.

To take things up a notch, serve with a hot cuppa to the side and a glug of Custard on top. You won’t regret it!

For the full recipe, you’ll need to grab your copy of our first-ever cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Everyday Light and turn to pages 252-253.

Nescafé Gold Sticky Toffee Pudding Latte Sachets are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.35 for a pack of 7 sachets.

Dessert Menu Churros With Cinnamon Sugar With A Chocolate and Hazelnut Flavoured Dipping Sauce – 151 calories per 2 churros (cooked)

Crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle, Aldi’s Dessert Menu Churros With Cinnamon Sugar With A Chocolate and Hazelnut Flavoured Dipping Sauce are ideal for summertime gatherings.

A sweet treat that can be as heavy or as light as you fancy, lay them on as part of a finger-food spread for friends and family to have a pick at (with a selection of scrummy dips!).

With our Churros recipe, you can have a go at making the world-famous nibble from scratch. While they’re on the trickier side to rustle up, they’re well worth the effort. 

We’ve coated our version in a classically simple combination of cinnamon and sweetener that’s impossible to say no to. 

Dessert Menu Churros (with Cinnamon Sugar with a Chocolate and Hazelnut Flavoured Dipping Sauce) are available from Aldi, priced at £2.99 for a box of 10 churros.

Mars Secret Centre Biscuits – 88 calories per biscuit

If you love a Mars bar, now’s the time to stop scrolling! These Mars Secret Centre Biscuits come with a runny middle that you need to bite into…ideally with a brew in your hand. 

True to the taste of the signature chocolate bar, each biscuit is coated in a layer of milk chocolate, with a blend of caramel and nougat flavours in the middle.

Don’t worry if you’re more likely to reach for the Bounty chocolates from the Celebrations selection box. There are coconut-centred, Bounty biscuits available from the same range too!

It’s no secret that if you tuck into our Chocolate Lava Mug Cakes, you’re going to get an explosion of chocolatey goodness. A quick-fix pud for when you’re in a hurry, it only takes 10 minutes and a short list of ingredients to make your chocolate dreams come true (208 calories per ramekin!).

Mars Secret Centre Biscuits are available from Iceland, priced at £1.69 per pack.

NEW Aldi Super 7 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 7su offering, along with some recipe ideas for you. 

Sweetcorn – 86 calories per 100g

Serving up some corn on the cob is a surefire way to brighten up your mealtimes. You can boil it, grill it, barbecue or roast it, and serve it on the side of a delicious homemade burger or as part of a fresh summery salad.

Instead of smothering it in high-calorie butter, why not try our Mexican-Style Corn on the Cob? It’s rich and spicy, with crumbled feta cheese to add some moreish saltness.

Iceberg Lettuce – 14 calories per 100g

Crisp and refreshing, iceberg lettuce is always handy to have in the fridge to bulk out salads or to add some crunch into sandwiches and burgers. You can even use the large leaves instead of wraps if you fancy trying out some new low-calorie lunch ideas.

How about filling them with our Coronation Chickpeas for a veggie lunch that’s good for you and packed with flavour?

Salad Potatoes – 75 calories per 100g

You can’t beat the versatility of potatoes! While they might look similar to baby potatoes, these ones are a little more dense and hold their shape nicely, even after being cooked.

Why not pop a few in your basket to make a refreshing side portion of our Potato Salad recipe? We’ve used a satisfying mixture of quark, spring onions and chives to make this creamy salad as tasty as it is slimming friendly.

Regal Vine Tomatoes – 18 calories per 100g

Often sweeter and more tender than off-the-vine tomatoes, it’s well worth picking up some of these vine tomatoes while they’re on special offer. Whether you slice them up for a sandwich or salad, or cook them into a dish, they’ll bring rich flavour to your plate.

We love to roast them to really enhance their sweetness. Try using them to top this unmissable Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake.

Pink Lady Apples – 52 calories per 100g

Pink Lady Apples are famously oh-so-sweet with a delightful crunch, so it’s no surprise when they’re first to disappear from the fruit bowl. A refreshing snack on a hot summer’s day, they also hold their shape well in heat, so they’re ideal for cooking and baking.

No matter the time of year, Apple Crumble is always one of our favourite puddings. We can’t say no to that tart yet sweet apple centre, or that satisfying crunchy crumble topping.

Garlic – 5 calories per clove

When you want fast flavour without adding loads of extra calories, garlic is your best friend. Closely related to onions, leeks and shallots, it’s brilliant for chopping into the base of all kinds of recipes. Dice, grate or crush a few cloves and scatter it into the roasting tin for our Lemon and Garlic Chicken Traybake.

Blueberries- 57 calories per 100g

Blueberries are a superfood, and it’s easy to see why! The sweet little berries pack a punch when it comes to vitamin C and antioxidants. Sprinkle a few on your breakfast, pair them with yoghurt or bake them into these Lemon and Blueberry Baked Oats. Hearty and filling, these are guaranteed to keep you going all the way through until lunchtime!

**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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