Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 18.11
Happy Friday everyone! Make sure you’re sitting comfortably…it’s time for the Weekly Pinch of Shopping, and we’ve got plenty of tasty treats for you this week.
Party season isn’t far off now, and the supermarket shelves are brimming with brand-new festive food! If you’re planning to get ahead and stock up the freezer with handy bits, you might want to pop to Iceland for a bag of Tempura Battered Halloumi Cubes. They’re perfect finger food for a buffet! Scroll down for even more party season food ideas – we’ve found so many tasty nibbles to fill your buffet tables.
Plus, nip into Aldi for some rocky road bites with a bubbly, minty twist. There’s no chance you’ll be able to wait until Christmas to crack them open…
Can you believe our NEW cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Enjoy, is out in LESS THAN 3 WEEKS? Enjoy is all about turning mealtimes into memories, and it’s brimming with 100 brand-new recipes that you’ll be excited to make, share and eat with family and friends, time and time again.
From fakeaway favourites to midweek wonders, every dish comes big on flavour without taking you off track. Put the food you love back on the menu by ordering your copy here.
If you can’t wait until December 8th for some new Pinch of Nom recipes, you can try 26 exclusive new recipes in our Family Meal Planner right now! It’s our most family-friendly food planner yet – plan meals and organise what you need to buy with our game-changing freezer tracker! You can order your copy here.
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.
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!**
Iceland Luxury Hunters Chicken Skewers – 196 calories per skewer (oven baked)
Bring your favourite pub grub flavours home and pop them in the freezer for the next time you get a hankering for smoky, barbecue-seasoned cheesy chicken. These Luxury Hunters Chicken Skewers from Iceland are at the top of our Christmas food shopping list – they’re going to be perfect for parties!
Each skewer of succulent chicken breast is wrapped in streaky bacon, topped with grated Cheddar cheese and served with a sweet and smoky BBQ sauce. The meat is already cooked, so you can leave these to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours, before serving them cold (or heat them up if you prefer!).
We love these flavours so much that we turned them into an easy midweek recipe that’ll feed the whole family. Our Hunters Chicken Pasta Bake is always a welcome sight when it’s brought to the dinner table, especially with all that golden cheese bubbling on the top. It’s a good job each serving comes in at just 284 calories!
Iceland Luxury Hunters Chicken Skewers are available from Iceland, priced at £5.25 for a pack of 4.
Ehrmann Chocolate Mousse – 152 calories per pot
We’re always on the lookout for high-protein, low-calorie snacks that keep us feeling full, while tasting like a treat. This Ehrmann Chocolate Mousse from Aldi ticks every single box! The rich and creamy mousse comes with no added sugar and a whopping 20g of protein in each pot – all for just 152 calories.
Protein is great at keeping you feeling fuller for longer, so this is the ideal snack to reach for when you need a mid-afternoon chocolate fix. It’s guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you going until dinnertime.
If Chocolate Mousse is your idea of a dream dessert, you’ll want to have our slimming-friendly recipe in your back pocket. It’s seriously easy to make from scratch, and only 114 calories per portion. We love to layer it with juicy, fresh strawberries for the perfect after-dinner treat.
Ehrmann Chocolate Mousse is available from Aldi, priced at £1.29 for a 200g pot.
Ribena Zero Sugar Sparkling Blackcurrant – 0 calories
With all the flavour of your favourite childhood drink (and far less sugar) this Ribena Zero Sugar Sparkling Blackcurrant is sure to be a hit with any fans of fizzy drinks.
A great alternative to alcohol for the party season, a glass of fizzy Ribena is sure to add a little fun to any occasion. Pour over ice for a refreshing, sweet drink that you can enjoy without going off track.
We think blackcurrant is such an underused flavour! If you love Ribena, you should give these Summer Puddings a try. Don’t be misled by the name; they’re made with summer fruits (including blackcurrants), but you need frozen ones – so it doesn’t matter that they’re not in season. These perfect puds are delicious any time of the year!
Ribena Zero Sugar Sparkling Blackcurrant is available from Asda, priced at £1.00 for a 2 litre bottle.
Sainsbury’s Slow Cooked Bengali Inspired Pulled British Chicken – 343 calories per 1/2 pack
Some days there’s time to cook food low and slow for hours, and other times you need something you can microwave in less than 10 minutes. Thanks to Sainsbury’s Slow Cooked Bengali Inspired Pulled British Chicken, there’s no need to compromise.
Most of the hard work has been done for you, so the beautifully tender, delicately-spiced chicken only needs to be reheated and shredded before plating up. With mango chutney and an onion bhaji-inspired sprinkle topping included in the pack, all that’s left to do is decide what to serve it with.
The packet suggests serving on mini naan breads with a dollop of raita, although we think this chicken would be delicious served alongside our Indian Fried Rice. Packed with fresh veggies, it’s ready in 20 minutes – perfect for a fuss-free fakeaway night.
Sainsbury’s Slow Cooked Bengali Inspired Pulled British Chicken is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £6.00.
Quorn Chilli Bowl – 234 calories per pack
With meat-free mince, three beans and rice, this Quorn Chilli Bowl is a vegetarian dream dinner. A complete meal, it’s high in protein and fibre, low in fat, and only 234 calories.
Also ideal for a speedy lunch, you can heat it up in the microwave in less than 2 minutes – a bowlful of warming comfort food doesn’t come much quicker than that! The rich tomato sauce has just the right amount of chilli to give a fiery kick that’s perfect for wintery afternoons.
A good chilli is an essential for the colder months. Whether you make a meaty or a vegetarian version, there are so many different ways to serve it. These Chilli Bowls have got to be one of our favourites – who doesn’t love a bowl that you can eat instead of washing up?
Quorn Chilli Bowl is available from Ocado, priced at £3.00.
ASDA Milk Chocolate Fingers – 129 calories per 5 fingers
Every penny counts right now, especially in the run-up to Christmas, so we were pleased to spot Asda’s own version of these biscuit-y snacks on the shelves this week. Forget the pricier Cadbury’s ones, these ASDA Milk Chocolate Fingers taste just as good with your cuppa.
Coated in smooth milk chocolate, these crunchy biscuits are only 129 calories per 5 fingers. We noticed a white chocolate version too, and they’re only a little bit higher in calories (131 for 5 biscuits). That’s your nibbles sorted for the weekend!
Double up on biscuit-themed treats and bake a quick batch of these Biscoff Swirls. Ready in less than half an hour, you only need some light puff pastry, Biscoff spread and a bit of milk to create these golden delights. Can you believe they’re only 89 calories each?
ASDA Milk Chocolate Fingers are available from Asda, priced at £1.00.
Morrisons The Best Milk Chocolate & Orange Florentines – 97 calories per Florentine
While we’re talking about treats, if you’ve never tried a Florentine, now is the time! These Milk Chocolate & Orange Florentines from Morrisons’ The Best range are special enough to save for Christmas, but slimming-friendly enough to crack open early.
Each glorious Florentine is made up of crunchy almonds, candied citrus peel and juicy sultanas on a disc of orange-infused Belgian milk chocolate. The perfect blend of nutty, fruity and sweet, they’re an indulgent little teatime treat. Put the kettle on and enjoy a moment of chocolate orange heaven before you get on with the rest of your day!
If we had your attention at ‘chocolate orange’, we’ve got the ultimate brownie recipe for you. These Chocolate Orange Brownies are a zesty twist on the classic, and SO much easier to make than you might expect. (Ps. You’re not reading the recipe wrong – they really are only 72 calories each!).
Morrisons The Best Milk Chocolate & Orange Florentines are available from Morrisons, priced at £2.75 for a pack of 6.
Bernard Matthews Mini Turkey Kievs – 49 calories per mini Kiev (oven baked)
Make a bit of room in your freezer – you’re going to want to save some space for a bag of these Bernard Matthews Mini Turkey Kievs. The bite-sized, breadcrumb-coated Kievs are made from turkey, rather than the traditional chicken. Bite into them to get to the cheesy, garlic sauce in the centre!
These are bound to come in handy during the festive season – you can serve them as an easy midweek dinner option, or pop a plateful on the buffet table. They won’t last long with a house full of hungry Christmas visitors!
If you’re looking for another Kiev with a twist, give these Fish Kievs a go. We’ve used reduced-fat spread and oven-baked the fish to keep this recipe as light as possible. Top tip – when choosing cod loins for this recipe remember, the thicker your cod, the easier it is to stuff with the tasty filling.
Bernard Matthews Mini Turkey Kievs are available from Ocado, priced at £2.20 for a 295g bag.
Holly Lane Bubble Mint Rocky Road Mini Bites – 83 calories per 16g serving
As if rocky road wasn’t already irresistible, Aldi has turned it up a notch by mixing in some bubbly mint chocolate to create these Holly Lane Bubble Mint Rocky Road Mini Bites. Paired with the usual biscuit pieces and marshmallows, the melt-in-the-mouth minty bubbles give this treat a fresh, festive twist.
For 83 calories each, you can enjoy the chewy chocolate goodness the next time you need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Open the tub and share it round your friends and family – these are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!
If you’d rather save a few more calories, our Chocolate Rice Crispy Bites work out at only 30 calories per bite. With just 4 ingredients, 5 minutes of preparation, and an hour in the freezer, you’ll have 30 squares of crunchy chocolate deliciousness.
Holly Lane Bubble Mint Rocky Road Mini Bites are available from Aldi, priced at £1.99.
ChiquitoⓇ Tempura Battered Halloumi Cubes – 46 calories per cube
We’ve got party food on the brain, so we couldn’t resist sneaking these Chiquito Tempura Battered Halloumi Cubes onto the shopping list. Grab a bag to stock them in the freezer for your Boxing Day buffet, or open them early for a cheesy snack if you just can’t wait!
Each tasty cube of squeaky halloumi comes coated in a light tempura batter that’s going to turn golden and crisp in the oven or air fryer. Bite through the batter to get to that squishy cheese centre – salty and moreish, it’s impossible to not go back for seconds!
We’re always coming up with new things to make with halloumi, and you can find a roundup of our favourite recipes here. We created these Halloumi in Blankets as a vegetarian option for the festive season, but they’re so good, even the non-veggies will be snaffling them up!
Chiquito Tempura Battered Halloumi Cubes are available from Iceland, priced at £4.00 for a bag of 12.
NEW Aldi Super 6 Fruit and Veg Selection
We love Aldi’s Super 6 selection of fresh fruit and veggies! Each fortnight they choose six 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 offering, along with some recipe ideas for you.
Baking Potatoes – 63 calories per 100g
Who doesn’t love a jacket potato? A go-to lunchtime option, an oven-baked spud that’s topped with tuna or Coleslaw is so easy to prepare at a moment’s notice.
For an extra warming dish, pop one in the oven to get crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle and then load it up with leftover Chilli Con Carne. If you’re feeling fancy you can even add a sprinkle of reduced-fat cheese or a dollop of sour cream.
Braeburn Apples – 51 calories per 100g
Crunchy and sweet, Braeburn apples are perfect for snacking on during the day. Halfway between green and red, these apples are known for being juicy and refreshing, with a delicious bite to them.
Get your day off to a cracking start with a comforting bowlful of creamy Apple Pie Porridge. It doubles up on apple-y goodness with grated apple in the oat mixture and slices on the top.
Conference Pears – 64 calories per 100g
Sweet, juicy and full of fibre, pears are a source of vitamins and minerals that are good for your gut and heart. Eating the peel is a great way to guarantee you get maximum nutritious value from your pears – there’s so much goodness in the skin!
A warming pud for colder evenings, our Pear and Ginger Crumble is a comforting dream. It tastes so good, you won’t believe you can have it ready in 30 minutes…
Large Vine Tomatoes – 20 calories per 100g
With a richer, deeper flavour than your standard salad varieties, vine tomatoes can make your midweek meal feel that little bit fancier. They taste amazing when you roast them low and slow, with just a spray of low-calorie cooking spray and some salt and pepper.
Try cutting these tomatoes into quarters for our Baked Cod Provencal recipe. We love that everything gets chucked in the oven together to soak up all those lovely flavours.
Sweet Pointed Peppers – 44 calories per 100g
Pointed peppers are little different to bell peppers, with a thinner skin and a sweeter taste. Great for roasting, they’re amazing at adding extra flavour into soups and stir-fries.
We love to see peppers in the Super 6 because they’re so incredibly versatile. We’ll often add them into our recipes to ramp up the colour, flavour and nutrition. Try chopping these into our Fakeaway Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce for a fakeaway treat this weekend.
Blueberries – 57 calories per 100g
Packed with vitamin C, blueberries are the perfect fruit for winter snacking. They can be a little bit on the expensive side, so it’s always worthwhile popping them in your basket while they’re at a great price!
Blueberries in the Super 6 is the perfect excuse to make this unmissable Peach and Blueberry Tart. Bring all the flavour of peaches and cream to the table, served on a flaky pastry tart.
**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!**
Love our Weekly Pinch of Shopping articles? Remember to sign up to our newsletter to get first access to the next one.
And if you’re not already part of our Facebook Group then make sure you join as we love seeing all of the new products that you share – not to mention all of the amazing support and motivation!