Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 24.11.23
Hey, hey! Friday’s here which means we’re back with a brand-new Weekly Pinch of Shopping. To help you stave off the chill, we’ve added plenty of slimming-friendly lunch and dinner goodies to warm you right up. How delish does a gooey portion of mac and cheese pulled pork sound?
We’ve got quick, light sweet treats covered too, with the new Bounty Mini Eclairs we’ve spotted this week. They have all the scrummy coconut goodness of the classic chocolate bar for only 78 calories each!
Plus, if you’re already in the mood for indulgent festive desserts, you’ll love the luxurious-tasting gingerbread cream we’ve added to our basket.
We can’t believe the wait for Pinch of Nom: Express is over in less than TWO WEEKS! There’s still time to pre-order so that you’re one of the first to get your hands on a copy on December 7th.
In case you missed it on our Instagram or Facebook page over the past week, we shared a video flicking through Kay’s copy of Express! We can’t get over how amazing ALL the food looks…can you spot what you’ll be making first?
We won’t tell anyone if you’re sneakily pausing the video to get a better look! Pre-order your copy here.
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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. 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.
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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!**
The Coconut Collab Coconut M!lk Alternative (Dairy Free) – 47 calories per 100ml
If you’re looking to cut down on dairy or calories (or both!) dairy-free milks like this The Coconut Collab Coconut M!lk Alternative are great to have in the fridge. Packed with vitamins and minerals, the coconut flavours are so mild that you’ll never taste the difference in milky teas or frothy coffees (it’s also great for porridge and cereal).
While we stir 550ml of unsweetened oat milk into our velvety Biscoff and Banana Porridge, there’s nothing to stop you using your preferred alternative (just be sure to adjust the calories, if you’re counting).
Could you eat Biscoff first thing in the morning and all day long? You’ll want to take a scroll through our Biscoff recipe roundup.
The Coconut Collab Coconut M!lk Alternative is available from Ocado, priced at £1.85 per carton.
Nairn’s Marmite and Cheese Oatcakes – 39 calories per oatcake
There’s no denying that Marmite can be a controversial condiment, but we knew straight away these Nairn’s Marmite and Cheese Oatcakes would be crunchy crowd-pleasers.
You’ll love stacking each crispy oatcake high with your favourite toppings, especially pickles and chutneys. The tangy notes of cheese are so moreish, the challenge is in stopping after one or two.
Love or hate Marmite, our Cheese and Marmite Swirls are utterly irresistible. You only need four ingredients to make a batch of these savoury spirals, and it takes minutes for them to turn gorgeous and golden brown in the oven.
Turn to pages 210-211 inside your copy of Pinch of Nom: Enjoy for the full recipe.
Nairn’s Marmite & Cheese Oatcakes are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.00 per pack.
Morrisons Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup – 146 calories per 1/2 pot
Get Chinese-style takeaway flavours at lunchtime with Morrisons’ Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup. Each warming pot comes with tender chicken pieces in an aromatic broth, cut through with chewy sweetcorn and seasoned with soy sauce.
Half a pot comes to 146 calories per portion, so it’ll warm you up nicely for two days’ worth of lunches. Why not try a side of veg or a piece of crusty bread, if you’re feeling extra hungry?
It’s no surprise our Creamy Chicken and Sweetcorn recipe has been a hit from the moment we posted it on our website. Silky, flavoursome and versatile, this batch-cookable midweek wonder pairs well with green beans, mashed potatoes and potato wedges.
Slot it into your week-by-week meal plan with one or more of our other easy-peasy creamy chicken dinner recipes!
Morrisons Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup is available from Morrisons, priced at £1.75 per tub.
Oakhurst Beef Bourguignon – 248 calories per 1/2 pack
Aldi’s Oakhurst Beef Bourguignon saves you time, without compromising on impressive flavours. The beef has already been cooked low and slow until tender, in a French-style red wine and mushroom sauce with smoky bacon.
All that’s left for you to do is pop it in the oven for 40 minutes until it’s ready to enjoy with a dollop of creamy mash, or a side of Garlic and Parmesan Potatoes.
If you’ve bagged a brand-new slow cooker in the Black Friday sales, take it for a spin with our Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon. Add the ingredients to the pot in the morning, and you’ll come home to a hearty, home-cooked dinner that’s slimming friendly and flavourful.
You can also make it in the oven if you’d prefer, or in an Instant Pot, if you’re in a hurry!
Oakhurst Beef Bourguignon is available from Aldi, priced at £4.59 per pack.
Aero Candy Cane Bubbles Chocolate Sharing Bag – 129 calories per 8 sweets
It’s never too early for festive snacks! This Aero Candy Cane Bubbles Chocolate Sharing Bag is great to tuck into when you’re curled up under a blanket watching wholesome Christmas films.
Each delicate little red and white ball is sweet and light, with an airy middle of iconic Aero bubbles in a satisfying vanilla flavour.
Speaking of itsy-bitsy Christmas treats, our Rice Krispie Christmas Puds are deliciously easy to add to any buffet spread.
The key is not to rush! Let the mixture firm up nicely for around 15 minutes in the fridge, before shaping it into 30 adorable chocolatey canapés.
Aero Candy Cane Bubbles Chocolate Sharing Bag is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.25 per pack.
M&S Chicken Jalfrezi Bowl – 294 calories per pot
This M&S Chicken Jalfrezi Bowl is one of a selection of grab-and-go bowls available from the tinned food aisle at M&S supermarkets, or from Ocado’s website. Simply pop it in the microwave, and your Indian-inspired blend of chicken pieces, multi-coloured peppers and lightly-spiced rice is ready to serve.
You can also pick up a high-protein pot of Beef Chilli and Rice or Spiced Coconut Chicken, if you’d prefer – and they’re both less than 320 calories for a full serving!
The word ‘Jalfrezi’ comes from the Bengali word ‘jal’ (‘spicy’), which explains why some versions can singe your taste buds.
We’ve kept our slimming-friendly Chicken Jalfrezi medium hot, so everyone around the table can enjoy it, even if they’re not a fan of spice!
M&S Chicken Jalfrezi Bowl is available from Ocado, priced at £3.50 per pot.
Sainsbury’s Korean Style Cauliflower Popcorn, Taste the Difference – 67 calories per 1/6 pack (popcorn with dip)
Whether you’re taking a break from meat, or just obsessed with how yummy cauliflower can be (like us), you need to try Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Korean Style Cauliflower Popcorn.
They come with a ready-to-drizzle Korean BBQ sauce pot made with fiery gochujang chilli paste. Coat your crispy florets in the sticky drizzle before adding a moreish crunch, with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and seaweed flakes.
Quick, easy and slimming friendly, our Air Fryer Cauliflower Hot Wings tick all the boxes for a fakeaway-style side dish or light snack.
To cool down our hot, hot, hot marinade, we’ve even whipped up a pot of Sriracha-yoghurt dip.
(Psst! If you don’t have an air fryer at home, you can make them in an oven too).
Cauliflower Hot Wings
Sainsbury’s Korean Style Cauliflower Popcorn is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £5.25 per pack.
Gym Kitchen Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese – 411 calories per (ovencooked) pack
We couldn’t resist picking up this Gym Kitchen Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese. What’s not to love about gooey macaroni combined with tender, barbecue-flavoured pork pieces?
A great ready meal option to help you make healthier choices on busy days, it’ll keep nicely in the freezer until you need it.
We’ve taken things a step further with our Cheesy Mac ‘n’ Meatballs recipe, by loading up our macaroni cheese with herby homemade pork meatballs.
You’ll soon get to know why ‘cheesy’ is in the name – the creamy cheese sauce and the glorious golden topping might have something to do with it…
Gym Kitchen Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese is available from Tesco, priced at £2.50 for a pack that serves 1.
Bounty Mini Eclairs – 78 calories per Bounty mini eclair
You can always count on Iceland for unexpected freezer treats, and these Bounty Mini Eclairs are no exception.
Full to the brim with a silky coconut-flavoured filling, each mini eclair is also coated in milk chocolate and topped with a snowy layer of grated coconut. At just 78 calories each, they’re well worth a try!
If you love small but mighty coconut-flavoured nibbles, our Coconut and Jam Sponge Squares are just perfect with a cuppa. We’ve swapped half the sugar for sweetener to make things more slimming friendly, without losing coconutty goodness or juicy raspberry sweetness.
Add a glug of homemade Custard to turn your slice into a heartier midweek pudding. You’ll find the full recipe on pages 254-255 of Pinch of Nom: Comfort Food.
Bounty Mini Eclairs are available from Iceland, priced at £3.50 for a pack of 12.
Sainsbury’s Extra Thick Gingerbread Cream, Taste the Difference – 116 calories per 2 tablespoons
Sainsbury’s Extra Thick Gingerbread Cream, Taste the Difference is a gorgeous festive alternative to topping your winter desserts with plain cream. Infused with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, plus a cheeky dram of spiced rum, it’ll add a touch of decadence to lots of different dinner party desserts.
There’s nothing to stop you trying it with our Microwave Chocolate Sponge Pudding. Chances are, you’ve already got a lot of the ingredients you’ll need to make it in your kitchen.
It’s jam-packed with intense indulgence…for only 170 calories per fluffy sponge cake (and if you’re in no rush for your chocolate fix, there’s an oven method too).
Sainsbury’s Extra Thick Gingerbread Cream is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £3.00 per pot.
NEW 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 the rundown of this week’s Super 6 offering, along with some recipe ideas for you.
Baking Potatoes – 63 calories per 100g
We’re absolutely obsessed with having a jacket potato for lunch, especially when it’s a grey, blustery day. Bake it in the oven until crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle and ready to top with tuna, Coleslaw, beans, cheese – anything goes, really!
You can always load up your baked potato with leftover Chilli con Carne. If you’re feeling fancy, add a dollop of sour cream or zingy guacamole.
Closed Cup Mushrooms – 17 calories per 100g
Easy to cook and filled with vitamins and minerals, closed cup mushrooms are a brilliant versatile veg to have handy in your fridge.
From creamy risottos to hearty pasta dishes and stews, they’ll ramp up the flavours and give your dishes an instant, nutritious boost. Ideal for a Meat-free Monday, try our Mushroom Carbonara with a side of Cheesy Garlic Bread.
Limes – 30 calories per 100g
It’s always helpful to have a few citrus fruits on standby in the kitchen. Lemons and limes are used in so many recipes to add a burst of zesty flavour from their zingy juices.
You’ll need 3 limes to make this Chilli and Lime Baked Salmon. Squeeze out the juice to make the marinade for the fish: paired with garlic and chilli, it packs a powerful flavour punch!
Baby Corn – 26 calories per 100g
Baby corn can be enjoyed raw in a salad, or it’ll add a delicious crunch to quick stir-fries and aromatic curries. Slice your baby corn down the middle and add it to the pot for our Thai-Style Creamy Red Curry.
This recipe needs a little bit of prep work, because the curry paste is completely homemade, but the results are so worth it for a Thai-inspired Fakeaway Night.
Asparagus Tips – 25 calories per 100g
Bursting with nutrients and low in calories, asparagus adds flavour and texture to your meals without a fuss. It has a subtle taste and can be cooked in a variety of ways – steam it, grill it or roast it to bring out its nutty notes.
Use it to add a gorgeous pop of green to our Creamy Garlic Prawns recipe. Rich and flavourful, the sauce soaks nicely into a portion of fluffy basmati rice.
Oranges – 47 calories per 100g
High in fibre and immune-boosting vitamin C, Oranges can satisfy your sweet tooth with a burst of juicy citrus flavours, whether you’re on-the-go or at home. High in fibre and immune-boosting vitamin C, they’re especially good for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
We love them in Christmassy recipes like our Mini Spiced Orange Mince Pie Crumbled. Swirled together with warming cinnamon and nutmeg, they’re a heavenly bite with a cup of tea (or a glass of Mulled wine).
**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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