Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 29.10
It’s officially the spookiest Friday of the year, and we’ve got a spooktacular Weekly Pinch of Shopping to match! From BOO-tiful bao buns to gooey, gory goodies, we’ve got your Halloween shopping list covered.
It’s a treat-heavy week this week, but don’t worry! We’ve got a few tricks in store to keep your spooky celebrations slimming friendly too.
We’ve even found the ultimate creepy cocktail for you! Scroll for the recipe…
We’ve also dropped in a reminder of this fortnight’s Super 6. Every fortnight Aldi discounts a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, so we’re giving you the rundown of last week’s selection.
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.
Make sure that you make a note of your favourite products so that you can pick them up with your weekly shopping. Our new Quick & Easy 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.
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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!**
M&S 4 Boo Bao Buns – 133 calories per bun
Boo! How cute – sorry, terrifying – are these Boo Bao Buns from M&S? The blood-curdling buns are a little bit different from what you’d normally expect to eat at a spooky buffet!
Each bao bun skeleton head comes prefilled with a sticky sweet and sour centre, so there’s no faffing about whatsoever. It’s as easy as heating them up and popping them on a plate. There’s also nothing to fear about the calories here, as each fluffy bun comes in at only 133. Perfect!
Bao buns pair well with a tasty ramen dish or broth, so we think serving these sticky skeleton baos up with our Chicken Shiitake Mushroom and Chilli Broth would make for a fearsome family feast. We love this recipe because it’s so easy to put together in our Instant Pot. Throw in the ingredients, set the pressure and let the heat tenderise your chicken thighs until they’re easy to shred.
After your broth is sautéed and seasoned with chicken flavours, serve it in bowls over rice or noodles. It’s a perfect winter warmer!
M&S Boo Bao Buns are available from Ocado, priced at £4.50.
Baking Buddy Pumpkin Puree – 23 calories per serving
It wouldn’t be Halloween week without its bright orange mascot – the pumpkin! This Baking Buddy Pumpkin Puree is definitely one for lovers of seasonal flavours. When the longer, colder nights start sending our sweet cravings into overdrive, slimming friendly sweet treats are a must.
Even if it is delicious all-year round, there’s something extra special about eating Pumpkin Pie on Halloween night. Our recipe will warm you up and satisfy your sweet tooth for only 104 calories per slice. Instead of a high calorie pastry base, our recipe uses a baked base of low calorie tortilla wraps. Trust us, it works a treat!
To avoid any wasted puree, why not blitz it with cinnamon, mixed spices and coffee to create the blend for our Pumpkin Spiced Latte recipe? The spiced puree blend will keep in the fridge from Halloween all the way to Bonfire Night, so it’s on hand to warm you up when you need it.
Baking Buddy Pumpkin Puree is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.60.
Asda Ghost Crumpets – 90 calories per crumpet
Start your Halloween right and with a fright by serving up these ghoulish Ghost Crumpets from Asda. Perfect for breakfast, or as a spooky snack, you can enjoy these with sweet or savoury toppings. Why not have a creepy contest decorating ghost faces? You could use jam, syrup, fruit or even gooey cheese. Any topping goes – the scarier, the better!
Speaking of ghost-themed family fun, how about some boo-tastic Boonanas? The kids can definitely get involved with this one. They look so impressive with very little effort – perfect for a Halloween buffet spread.
Once the boonanas’ yoghurt coating has set in the freezer, use a piping bag and melted chocolate to transform them into friendly ghosts. They look so good!
Ghost Crumpets are available from Asda, priced at £1.00 per pack.
M&S Oven Baked Cheese & Pumpkin Seed Crispbread – 120 calories per crispbread
How about a seriously cheesy crispbread? Yes, please! These Oven Baked Cheese and Pumpkin Seed Crispbreads from M&S come pre-baked with cheese and topped with pumpkin seeds.
Savoury crispbreads are a quick and easy snack you can enjoy at home or on the go. Pumpkins are a cold weather superfood, and pumpkin seeds themselves can be enjoyed as a topping or on their own (with or without their high fibre shells). They’re high in zinc and other bacteria-fighting minerals too. Winner!
If you’ve got some leftover pumpkin after Halloween night, why not use them to whip up our Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe? It’s super simple to prepare and has an irresistible Lotus Biscoff base that works so well with pumpkin flavours.
It might taste scarily indulgent, but it’s incredibly light at only 140 calories per slice!
M&S Oven Baked Cheese & Pumpkin Seed Crispbread is available from Ocado, priced at £2.00 per pack.
Soreen Chocolate & Blood Orange Mini Loaves – 106 calories per loaf
Breaking up the day with the same old snacks doesn’t always cut it. Sometimes, you want something with a little more bite! These Chocolate and Blood Orange Mini Loaves from Soreen (spookily rebranded as ‘Scream’) are a terrific treat that will excite your taste buds. For 106 calories per squishy loaf, you can enjoy chunky chocolate chip flavours combined with terrifically tart blood orange. Yum!
You can bake a similar chocolate orange treat at home with our super quick Jaffa Cakes recipe. We’ve lightened the calories compared to the shop bought version by using granulated sweetener and sugar free orange jelly crystals. The spongey, orangey, chocolatey goodness tastes just as good – we promise!
Soreen Chocolate & Blood Orange Mini Loaves are available at Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.00 per pack.
McVitie’s Halloween Freaky Jaffa Cake Bars – 97 calories per bar
We all know what Jaffa Cakes taste like, but this special spooky edition is a little bit different! Coated in dark chocolate, the trademark orangey centre rests on a fun purple sponge that the kids will love. These creepy cakes are a great spooky addition to your kitchen cupboard, whether you have them on show at your Halloween buffet or enjoy them with a cuppa.
On a cold, dark morning, there’s no better pick-me-up than a sweet, indulgent breakfast. Our Chocolate Orange Baked Oats use a dreamy flavour combo to sweeten up your morning. They’re super filling, so they’ll give you the boost you need to get to lunchtime.
There’s no limit to when you can enjoy baked oats either. If you don’t fancy this recipe in the morning, it’s just as good as a chocolatey dessert!
McVitie’s Halloween Freaky Jaffa Cake Bars are available from Tesco, priced at £1.00 per pack.
Cadbury Goo Heads Cake Bars – 105 calories per bar
Is it even Halloween without gooey treats? These cake bars from Cadbury’s are an easy, snacky chocolate option. They’re a dream for fussy eaters as there’s no citrus or spice-based seasonal flavours or fillings here. Just a chocolate sponge coated in milk chocolate with a white fondant centre. Simple yet delicious!
Speaking of chocolatey fillings, how about a slimming friendly chocolate sandwich? Yes, really!
Our Chocolate French Toast recipe is a chocolate-filled breakfast you can have ready in under 15 minutes. Make sure the toastie is allowed to soak in the egg mixture for at least 1 minute before frying. This is where it soaks up the vanilla syrup and cinnamon flavours.
Fry the toastie on each side for 3 minutes until it’s golden and crisp with a warm, melty chocolate centre. Delish!
Cadbury Goo Heads Cake Bars are available from Asda, priced at £1.00 per pack.
Cadbury’s Goo Head Chocolate Cream Egg Minis Bag – 110 calories per 2 eggs
Gory goo heads, anyone? Bite into these and watch the signature cream egg white fondant centre ooze out. The kids will absolutely love them. There’s no reason they should have all the fun though, especially when they’re only 110 calories per serving. Go on, then!
With the bright, colourful spooky character packaging, these eggs will look so good on the buffet table or in trick-or-treating buckets. These goo head minis aren’t the only eggy characters you need to watch out for. Our Red Pepper Deviled Pumpkin Eggs can be made as devilish as you like by adding more or less fiery paprika to the mixture. They’re so quick and easy to have on the buffet table.
We’ve made these deviled eggs look like little pumpkins using paprika and a chive ‘stalk’ – so cute!
Cadbury’s Goo Head Chocolate Cream Egg Minis are available at Sainsbury’s, priced at £1.00 per bag.
Mr Kipling Toffee Apple Pie 6 Pack – 221 calories per pie
Toffee apple flavours are a fixture at autumn events and festivals, and for good reason! Cooked apples are syrupy, sweet and comforting on chilly nights. We love these Toffee Apple Pies from Mr Kipling because you can get all of those flavours in a quick and easy bite. You can warm these up nicely with just 10 seconds per pie in the microwave. Why not sweeten the deal with a dollop of ice cream or a drizzle of custard?
We cook our apples low and slow for 15-20 minutes when we’re prepping our Toffee Apple Pies recipe. The ideal appley filling is tender but not mushy, so keep an eye on your apple slices as they simmer.
We’ve used filo pastry instead of the high calorie, crumbly shortcrust you’d traditionally get, so our portion sizes can be much bigger than Mr Kipling’s for similar calories (222 per pie!).
Mr Kipling Toffee Apple Pies are available from Tesco, priced at £1.50 per pack.
Beefeater Blood Orange Flavoured Gin – 66 calories per 30ml serving
Vampires and gin lovers alike will appreciate this one. How about an alluring sip of sumptuous blood orange? We love the combination of citrus flavours with gin, so adding this Blood Orange edition from Beefeater to our basket was a no-brainer. The punchy blood orange means it is tasty enough to enjoy on the rocks, but we’d mix it with a hint of ginger ale or slimline tonic.
Why not use it to add a bloody twist to your favourite gin cocktail? We think you could create a killer Halloween party tipple by adding blood orange to our Elderflower Gin Fizz recipe. Elderflower flavours are typically paired with summer fruits like raspberries or strawberries, so the strong, berry-like notes in blood orange will go down a treat.
Beefeater Blood Orange Flavoured Gin is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £14.00 per bottle.
REMINDER 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 our reminder of this fortnight’s Super 6 selection:
- Brown Onions – 40 calories per 100g
- Mango – 60 calories per 100g
- Baking Potatoes – 63 calories per 100g
- White Mushrooms – 22 calories per 100g
- Royal Gala Apples – 52 calories per 100g
- Chocolate/Toffee Apples – calories may vary
**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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