Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 29.01
This week we’re all about convenience! From crunchy Morrisons Market St Tricolour Croutons to Fullgreen Cauliflower Rice, we want to help you cut down on prep work to make your slimming journey as quick and easy as possible.
We’re also including some delicious new meat products to try this week: Powters Skinny Pig Pork Sausages are an excellent low fat banger, and ASDA Butcher’s Selection Coconut, Lemongrass & Ginger Beef Strips mean you can have a stir-fry on the table in mere minutes.
Vegetarians, we have your back too!
Cheeky P’s Kickin’ Curry Flavoured Crunchy Chickpeas make a delicious snack, and Fry’s Family Foods Rice Protein & Chia Nuggets are full of protein to keep you fuller for longer.
Polish off your dinner with creamy Halo Top Platinum Vanilla Crunch Bars, they taste so good it’s hard to believe they’re so low in calories!
Make sure that you make a note of your favourite products so that you can pick them up with your weekly shopping.
Our second food planner is perfect for this as it will really help you to plan out your meals and keep track of exactly what you’re eating or need to buy.
Lots of these products have been talked about over on our Facebook Group, so if you’re not a member then make sure that you click here to join now so that you don’t miss out (and don’t forget to share any delicious new products that you come across).
Our Weekly Pinch of Shopping list aims to show you slimming friendly products that are available in a wide range of stores so that you can pick them up during your weekly shop, and to make things really convenient we’ve also listed any relevant nutritional info and the RRP.
Please remember that all prices are correct at the time of us writing this article and so they should be used as a guide only.
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**A note on our shopping list: 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!**
Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Sauce Light – 135 calories per 100g
Sweet chilli is one of our favourite flavours for dipping and drizzling.
Although it’s usually loaded with extra sugar, this Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Sauce Light is a slimming essential if you’re a fan of sweet chilli too.
Sweet and sticky, this sauce is full of garlic and chilli flavours but with 35% less sugar than the standard version!
It’s also vegan, gluten free and free from artificial flavours and preservatives, so it’s so handy to keep a bottle in the fridge that everyone can enjoy.
It’s not only for Asian dishes. Try drizzling over a Greek Salad for a change, or add a tangy twist to a Low Carb Chicken and Ham Wrap!
You can find Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Sauce Light in most supermarkets for around £1.70 per 350g bottle.
Powters Skinny Pig Pork Sausages – 97 calories per sausage
A good quality, slimming friendly sausage is hard to come by, so we’re delighted to have found Powters Skinny Pig Pork Sausages!
These gluten free and British made bangers are only 3% fat and clock in at only 97 calories each, a real reduction on the usual 140 or so calories of a full fat sausage.
We particularly like the flavour of these sausages, they’re full of herbs including sage, marjoram and nutmeg, so you feel like you’re not compromising on taste when you tuck into your sausage butty!
Try in a Toad in the Hole or in a simple bangers and mash (don’t forget the Gravy!)
Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s sell Powters Skinny Pig Pork Sausages for £3.25 per pack of 6.
Fullgreen Cauliflower Rice – 40 calories per pack
Cauliflower is a firm favourite on our list of slimming essentials as it’s so versatile.
Roast into a curry, squish into a pizza base or blitz to make rice!
We’re big fans of cauliflower rice and this Fullgreen Cauliflower Rice does all of the prep for you.
No need to cook and drain cauliflower, simply pop in the microwave for 2 and half minutes for perfectly tender, low carb cauli rice!
You can also cook this gluten free cauliflower rice on the stove, so it makes a great alternative to standard rice in stir fries and as a sub for standard rice.
Try it in Fakeaway Fried Rice for an even lighter version of a fakeaway favourite.
Waitrose, Morrisons and Asda stock 200g packets of this Fullgreen Cauliflower Rice for £2.
ASDA Butcher’s Selection Coconut, Lemongrass & Ginger Beef Strips – 187 calories per ½ pack
A classic beef stir fry is one of our go-to quick dinners on a weeknight.
Simple, quick and fuss-free, these ASDA Butcher’s Selection Coconut, Lemongrass & Ginger Beef Strips mean you don’t even need to make time to marinate!
With a mildly spiced sauce made with coconut milk, lemongrass and ginger and added edamame soya beans and carrots, this nutritious beef is ideal for those nights where you don’t have the motivation or time to let your meat absorb the flavours.
You’re not just limited to stir fry either: try tossed through Jewelled Giant Couscous or as part of Beef and Broccoli Noodle Bowls!
A 350g pack of ASDA Butcher’s Selection Coconut, Lemongrass & Ginger Beef Strips costs £3.85.
Cheeky P’s Kickin’ Curry Flavoured Crunchy Chickpeas – 155 calories per bag
These Cheeky P’s Kickin’ Curry Flavoured Crunchy Chickpeas are a great alternative to crisps and perfect for a quick snack.
They’re gluten free, suitable for vegans and are high in protein and fibre. Each bag has just 155 calories which means that they’re slimming friendly too!
If curry flavour isn’t your thing, then you can also grab these Cheeky P’s Kickin’ Crunchy Chickpeas in cheese flavour.
Have a bit of extra time on your hands? Give our Paprika Chilli Chickpeas a go for a tasty snack or delicious accompaniment to your favourite curry.
Or, for another delicious snack option, try our Bombay Chickpeas recipe in our third book, Pinch of Nom: Quick Easy.
These Cheeky P’s Kickin’ Curry Flavoured Crunchy Chickpeas are currently on offer at Sainsbury’s for 80p (normal price £1), and they’re also available at Ocado.
Fry’s Family Foods Rice Protein & Chia Nuggets – 176 calories per portion
Whether you’re following a vegan diet or just trying to cut down on the amount of meat you’re eating, these Fry’s Family Foods Rice Protein & Chia Nuggets are the ideal meat alternative.
These nuggets are rolled in a light gluten free crumb which means that they’re not only vegan friendly but suitable for gluten free diets too.
They’re also a source of protein and fibre and can be cooked in 15 minutes so they’re ideal for a quick dinner when you’re short on time.
Why not try them in place of the chicken nuggets in our Salt and Pepper Chicken Nuggets for a really tasty twist?
Or you could serve them with some of our Garlic Green Beans and Homemade Oven Chips – the meal ideas are endless!
You can find these Fry’s Family Foods Rice Protein & Chia Nuggets in Ocado or Morrisons for around £2.95.
Halo Top Platinum Vanilla Crunch Bars – 166 calories per bar
We love indulging in a sweet treat every now and then and our new favourite are these Halo Top Platinum Vanilla Crunch Bars.
Halo Top always comes up with the most delicious, low calorie frozen desserts and these bars are no different!
Vanilla ice cream, coated in a milk chocolate shell with a wafer crunch, these bars are only 166 calories which makes them a definite slimming essential.
These Halo Top Platinum Vanilla Crunch Bars are absolutely perfect for enjoying after dinner, in front of the TV or even as for a mid-afternoon snack.
We think they’ll be the ideal way to cool down in the summer too alongside a delicious Strawberry Daiquiri or Pina Colada Cocktail.
You can find Halo Top’s ice cream bars and tubs in most supermarkets, but we’ve only seen these Halo Top Platinum Vanilla Crunch Bars in Ocado or Tesco for around £3.95 a box,
Bosh! Spiced Panko Breadcrumbs – 353 calories per 100g
We tend to make our breadcrumbs from scratch whenever we can, but we love the extra crunch that panko breadcrumbs can bring to some recipes!
These Bosh! Spiced Panko Breadcrumbs are perfect to have on hand in the cupboard and they’re spiced with paprika, cayenne pepper and cumin too for a fab spicy kick.
Plant based and suitable for vegans, they’re also suitable for dairy free diets and contain natural B12 ingredients.
353 calories per 100g might sound like quite a lot, but 100g actually works out at about 4-6 servings, so the calories aren’t too bad at all!
We love using them to give our Mexican Chicken Nuggets or Baked Vegetable Tempura with Spicy Dip an extra hint of spice.
You can find these Bosh! Spiced Panko Breadcrumbs in Sainsburys, Ocado or Asda for around £2.50.
Morrisons Paglia E Feino – 167 calories per 100g
Fresh egg pasta might be a little more expensive than dried pasta is, but in our opinion it’s well worth the occasional additional expense!
This Morrisons Paglia E Feino is a tasty mix of fresh egg and spinach pasta ribbons and can be used in place of dried pasta in pretty much any recipe.
It’s worth bearing in mind that it does cook much quicker than dried pasta does however, so you’ll only need to cook it for around 5 minutes.
Fresh egg pasta like this needs to be kept in the fridge instead of the cupboard, but it’s also suitable for freezing which is ideal if you don’t think you’ll use the whole pack in one go!
We love using it in place of dried spaghetti in our Spaghetti Carbonara or Spaghetti Amatriciana.
Pick up this Morrisons Paglia E Feino from Morrisons for £1.65 a pack.
Morrisons Market St Tricolour Croutons – 88 calories per ⅕ pack
Not only are these Morrisons Market St Tricolour Croutons the ideal way to add some crunch to soups and salads, they look colourful and appetising too!
These oven baked croutons are made with beetroot, carrot and spinach, with a touch of oil and sea salt to give them a satisfying crunch.
If you don’t have the time to make your own croutons from scratch, it’s worth having a bag in the cupboard for ease, and they tend to last longer than freshly made.
A super quick way of adding texture to so many dishes, these croutons are suitable for vegetarians and only 88 calories per 20g: you’ll be surprised at how little goes a long way but really elevates your lunch!
Toss into a Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad or sprinkle over Ham, Leek and Potato Soup.
£1.30 will get you a 100g bag of Morrisons Market St Tricolour Croutons
Aldi Super 6
We love Aldi’s selection of fresh fruit and veggies, and each fortnight they choose six of them for a special offer where you can pick them up for much less than the normal price.
We’ve rounded up this week’s Super 6 and some inspiration for budget friendly food using them!
Baby Plum Tomatoes – 18 calories per 100g
These sweet, juicy tomatoes are ideal to have in the fridge for snacking or popping into salads and pasta dishes.
Tomatoes are full of goodness, and we always keep some on hand – always let them come to room temperature before you eat them first for a better flavour though!
Try halved in BLT Bites, or as a garnish in Creamy Tomato Vodka Pasta!
Sugar Snap Peas – 34 calories per 100g
We love seeing sugar snap peas in the Super 6 because they’re full of fibre, making them an excellent slimming essential.
Crunchy and fresh, you can serve sugar snap peas lightly sautéed with lemon juice and a pinch of salt for a simple side dish in only a few minutes.
Why not try adding them to our Sticky Chilli Chicken with Noodles?
Mango – 60 calories per 100g
Plump and juicy mangoes are ideal for adding a tropical twist to savoury dishes, and you can use them in so many more recipes than you might think.
Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa is a bright and colourful dish for a grey day that you can cook low ‘n’ slow in the oven throughout the day.
Savoy Cabbage – 27 calories per 100g
Cabbage is such an underrated vegetable in our opinion.
It’s a milder version of Brussels sprouts, that’s packed with vitamins and nutrients but with a slightly milder taste.
You’ll often find that so many flavours will complement cabbage, like smoked bacon or even mixed into mashed potato with a pinch of salt!
Instead of serving up plain boiled cabbage alongside your roast, try Creamed Cabbage and Leeks for a slimming friendly yet indulgent side dish!
Little Gem Lettuce – 16 calories per 100g
We love little gem lettuce because it’s not only great in a salad, it holds its shape really well so makes a great ‘cup’ for piling on other ingredients!
We use it in our Turkey Bun Cha, or you could pile it on a Cajun Chicken Burger!
Brown Onions – 40 calories per 100g
Onions form the base to so many of our meals.
Flavourful and low in calories, there’s not many dishes that can’t be improved by popping in some chopped onions!
As they cook, they tend to lose their sharpness and turn a little sweeter, so don’t be put off if the smell of raw onions makes you cry!
Add diced onions to Chilli Con Carne or Cheese and Onion Pasties.
**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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