Aldi Shuk Up v DIY alternative meal replacement/protein shake
Having decided to shed a few pounds, I recently started drinking an Aldi Cowbelle “Shuk Up” protein shake (59p) for breakfast.
This, together with a multivitamin and mineral tablet (£5 for 90 = 6p each) got me a Slimfast-style meal replacement shake (£11 for 6 or £2.15 each) for a fraction (under a third) of the price.
While it contains more calories and sugar than Slimfast and a lot less fibre, it was close enough for my needs – the missing fibre can be replaced by eating an apple.
What to do when I found these shakes weren’t in stock though?
Well, it turns out that if you add 2-3 teaspoons of cocoa powder to semi-skimmed milk (first mixed into a paste with a little of the milk) you get a better meal replacement and it even works out cheaper.
Per 100 ml, DIY protein shake (1 x 5g teaspoon of cocoa powder per 100ml milk) v Shuk Up:
Nutritional comparison
Fat = 1.7+1.1 = 2.8 v 1.7g
Carbohydrates = 4.8 + 0.6 = 5.4 v 11.5g
Protein = 3.6 + 0.9 = 4.5 v 4.6g
Fibre = 0 + 0.9 = 0.9g v <0.5g
Calories = 49 + 17 = 66 v 79 kcal.
So, same protein, more fibre, much less carb and fewer calories. Win!
Per portion it’s cheaper too (35p+3x5p = 50p v 59p), even buying milk in the more expensive 2 pint v 4 pint containers. Win!
And against Slimfast per 100ml:
Fat 2.8 v 1.6g
Carbohydrates 5.4 v 6.6g
Protein 4.5 v 4.6g
Fibre 0.9 v 1.5g
Calories 66 v 63kcal.
So a bit more fat (but fat calories don’t spike insulin like carb calories) and a bit less fibre – but eat an apple for 5g of fibre!
Yes, it’s more hassle to make and not as thick or sweet tasting (though I personally prefer that) but, taken with a vitamin and mineral pill*, a great substitute or even replacement and at a fraction of the price.
Check the many comments against this captivating piece of music, Dramamine by Flawed Mangoes, and the particular one highlighted when you click the link above.
Many of the comments are beautiful, and while this one happily nestles amongst the others, I’ve highlighted it here so that it might be discovered another way.
It narrates the journey this piece of music takes us on in a very poetic way and perhaps begins to reveal how and why music can move, affect, and even heal us.
0:00 The Opening Notes Life begins softly, a hum beneath the noise. No alarms, no blazing trumpets-just a quiet invitation to open your eyes and exist. Like the first note of this song, life often sneaks up on you, asking nothing more than to be noticed. There’s beauty in simplicity, in the way a moment can just be without needing to announce itself. Like the silence before music, the pause before you speak, or the breath you take when everything feels still. These beginnings may feel small, but they hold everything.
0:30 The Beat Finds You And there it is: a rhythm, steady and calming. This is where life starts to move, the heartbeat of your day-to-day. It’s the cup of coffee you sip in the morning, the first message you send, the footsteps you take out the door. The repetition of life can feel mundane, like you’re stuck in a loop. But loops aren’t prisons -they’re practice. Each beat is a chance to adjust, to try again, to find the flow that works for you. Think of how music needs repetition to create structure. Your life is no different. It’s okay if today feels like yesterday-what matters is how you approach it, how you let the beat carry you forward.
1:00 – The Layers Begin to Build The song grows richer now, doesn’t it? It’s no longer just a rhythm; it’s textures, melodies, and tones layering over one another. That’s life, too. It starts simple, but soon, it’s filled with responsibilities, relationships, dreams, and doubts. Sometimes it feels like too much, like you’re juggling so many parts of yourself that the weight might pull you under. But listen closely: it’s not chaos. It’s a symphony. Every layer-your struggles, your joys, your mundane moments-contributes to the music of your life. Think of it this way: even the most complex songs started with one note. Trust the process. Let the layers settle. In time, they’ll make sense.
1:30 The Groove Locks In By now, the track feels like a journey. It’s not just playing in the background; it’s carrying you somewhere. This is the part of life where you start to lose yourself in the moment. It’s the sunset walk when you stop thinking about where you’re going. It’s the conversation that flows so naturally you forget the time. These moments are rare but precious. They’re the reminders that you’re not just surviving- you’re living. When life offers you these grooves, these effortless flows, hold onto them. They’re gifts, proof that you’re exactly where you need to be.
2:00 – The Subtle Shift Do you feel it? The song doesn’t stay the same-it evolves. There’s a shift in the tone, a quiet change in direction. Life works the same way. Growth isn’t always a grand revelation. Sometimes, it’s a whisper, a nudge, a moment so subtle you don’t notice it until later. You’ll look back on these shifts-the job you didn’t get, the friendship that drifted, the unexpected opportunity-and realize they were the turning points. Change is uncomfortable, yes, but it’s also inevitable. Let it happen. Trust that you’re moving toward something better, even if you can’t see it yet.
2:30 The Echoes Return Listen closely. Do you hear it? The earlier notes are back, but they’re different now. They’ve grown, evolved, transformed. That’s how life works, too. The past doesn’t vanish- it echoes. The things you’ve lived through, the lessons you’ve learned, they return in new forms. Maybe it’s a memory that resurfaces, a feeling you thought you’d forgotten, or a challenge you’ve faced before. These echoes aren’t here to haunt you. They’re here to remind you of your strength, to show you how far you’ve come.
3:00 The Build to the End The track is winding down now, but it’s not fading-it’s transforming. This part of the song feels reflective, like it’s asking you to take stock of everything you’ve heard so far. Life does that, too. It gives you moments of pause, opportunities to step back and see the bigger picture. Endings can feel bittersweet, but they’re also full of potential. A goodbye is never just a goodbye-it’s a chance to start again. The end of this track isn’t silence; it’s the start of the next one.
3:30 The Final Note And now, the song fades into quiet. The last note lingers, leaving you in a space that feels both empty and full. This silence? It’s not the end-it’s the beginning of whatever comes next. Your life is a playlist, and this track is just one of many. You’ll hear it again, find new meaning in it, and let it guide you in different ways. But for now, let this stillness remind you of one thing: you’re the composer. The next note, the next melody, the next song—it’s all up to you.
Life Lessons: In life, as in music, even the quietest start has the potential to bloom into something unforgettable. Repetition isn’t stagnation; it’s where mastery begins. Complexity is not your enemy-it’s where depth and meaning are born. When life syncs perfectly with your rhythm, don’t overthink it. Just let it carry you. Growth is quiet, but it’s constant. Trust the process, even when it feels invisible. The past isn’t a shadow-it’s a mirror. Look at it to see how much you’ve grown. Endings aren’t finales-they’re transitions to something new. In the silence between moments, you hold infinite possibilities.
Who doesn’t love a doughnut? A simple treat but one that St John’s in Druid Street, London SE1 has taken to another level.
A delicious sweet treat whose faintly crisp sugar-sprinkled outer conceals a yielding light fluffy but satisfyingly chewy centre filled much more than generously with a mouthwateringly fruity and citrusy seeded raspberry jam.
They’re certainly not cheap at £3.90 each – a packet of 5 bog standard jam doughnuts costs £1.30 in Sainsbury’s!
But even at 15 times the price of some other confections of the same name, I’d have to say these are such a qualitatively different experience that to call all of these doughnuts is just to reveal the paucity of the English language in this realm.
There are a LOT of meme videos stemming from the now infamous televised meeting of presidents Trump and Zelensky (/Zelenskyy) in the White House on 28th February 2025.
If you’re wondering what difference toggling the two icon buttons in the Grok 3 beta search box makes, it’s actually explained at the top of the Grok interface when creating a new conversation however it’s not obvious and their meaning is not shown thereafter.
Grok deep search and think
Touching the light bulb means Grok uses and shows a train of thought as it processes the text you enter in the input box which mode of operation lends itself to questions and problems whose resolution require a sequence of reasoning steps like mathematical solutions.
Touching the magnifying glass means Grok performs deeper ‘agentic’ (think ‘agency’ i.e. having the power to takeaction) real-time web search and step-by-step research as part of processing your input to deliver more up-to-date nuanced answers.
It looks like you can toggle either one or the other or neither – in which case it still seems to search current web sources as well as those it’s been trained on.
Grok toggle icons
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GI Chow 