Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 20.12.24
Ho, ho, ho! Your FESTIVE BUFFET edition of the Weekly Pinch of Shopping is delivered. We can’t believe this is the final list before we say hello to 2025. To make sure it’s extra-special, we’ve packed our sleigh with heaps of goodies Yule love!
They’re all lighter than you’d expect, just like the Mini Sticky Toffee Puddings we’ve found for you – we’re talking only 127 calories for a couple of microwaved, sticky-sweet cakes!
Plus, we could never resist adding Yorkshire pudding Christmas trees to our basket. They look and taste amazing with the scrummy trimmings on any roast dinner plate! Don’t worry, we’ll tell you where to find them…
Deck the halls with PINCH OF NOM: ALL IN ONE! We know so many of you haven’t just picked up a copy for yourself, you’ve gifted one to someone you know…and that’s just MAGICAL to us!
With All in One, you’re wrapping up all of this to put under the tree:
- 30 slow cooker recipes (more than we’ve ever put in one book before!)
- Over 90 brand-new recipes, organised into the Nom chapters you know and love
- Fuss-free, flavourful meals, without a mountain of dishes to clean afterwards
There’s even a festive recipe inside on page 248…our Cranberry Poached Pears. It’s a Christmas gifting dream!
Tap the banner below to bag one for yourself, or treat someone else. Merry Christmas!
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! The members in our incredible Facebook group are always happy to have a good old chat about lots of these shopping items. You can join the group by clicking here.
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!**
M&S Hot Honey Pigs in Blankets Crisps – 134 calories per serving
Our advice? Don’t crack open a pack of M&S Hot Honey Pigs in Blankets Crisps unless you’re prepared to see the bottom of the bag! So unbelievably moreish, the medley of smoked chilli, sweet honey and bacon is a proper Christmassy flavour combo.
While we’re obsessed with classic Pigs in Blankets, we love to whip up a batch of our Halloumi in Blankets just as much – they’re a delicious way to mix things up a bit, and any vegetarians at your dinner table will be chuffed!
The savoury halloumi slices are wrapped up nice and tight in a cosy courgette blanket, sprinkled with paprika and then roasted until golden brown.
M&S Hot Honey Pigs in Blankets Crisps are available from Ocado and M&S, priced at £1.70 per bag.
Morrisons Salted Caramel Munch Mix – 135 calories per 25g portion
Why choose between sweet and savoury when you can have both? This Morrisons Salted Caramel Munch Mix offers the perfect balance, with caramelised peanuts, salted toffee popcorn, blonde chocolate buttons, red malt balls and salted pretzel knots.
Add the bag to a bowl for an easy-peasy shareable snack while you’re watching your favourite Christmas film – we’ll probably snack on ours while Elf is on!
Speaking of snacks, turn to pages 142-143 of our Air Fryer book, and you’ll be able to choose one of our simple Air Fryer Chickpea recipes to prep at home.
On the savoury side, we’ve got Smoky Paprika, Garlic and Herb or Moroccan-Spiced, or you can go sweet and whip up a Sweet Cinnamon batch.
Morrisons Salted Caramel Munch Mix is available from Morrisons, priced at £2.00 per bag.
Specially Selected Christmas Venison and Cranberry Chipolata Sausages – 75 calories per chipolata
We’re loving the Christmas range at Aldi this year. These Specially Selected Christmas Venison and Cranberry Chipolata Sausages are just one of the indulgent-tasting treats that landed in our basket!
Venison, cranberries and pork make for a deliciously-sweet meat medley that’ll complement all the other buffet bits at your party like a dream.
For a showstopping centrepiece that screams ‘fancy’ for minimal effort, why not bundle them into light puff pastry to make our Pigs in Blankets Wreath? Ready-rolled light puff pastry is good to go and easy to work with, especially if you use it straight from the fridge while it’s nice and firm.
Make sure you move quickly if you fancy a bite! Once this one’s out on the table, it won’t last long…
Specially Selected Christmas Venison And Cranberry Chipolata Sausages are available from Aldi, priced at £2.49.
Vanilla Ice Cream Christmas Trees – 63 calories per Christmas tree
We can’t get over how cute these Vanilla Ice Cream Christmas Trees are. You’ll find them in the freezer in Iceland priced at £2.50 for a pack of 6 – plenty to ‘spruce up’ parties with friends or family!
The silky vanilla ice cream is coloured green and decorated with rosy red baubles made from white chocolate, all for 63 calories per lolly.
You’re doing Christmas right if you’re rockin’ around our Fruit Christmas Tree! Bright, colourful and bursting with juicy chunks of fruit, we’ve made our tree gorgeously green with a surprising ingredient: kale leaves.
As long as you’ve got a star cutter handy, you can use just about any fruit for your eye-catching tree topper (ours is made of melon).
Vanilla Ice Cream Christmas Trees are available from Iceland, priced at £2.50 for a box of 6.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Ice Ice Bao-by Penguins – 83 calories per bao bun
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range is back with a brand-new invention: Ice Ice Bao-by Penguins. Bite into the lovely little penguin-decorated buns, and you’ll be greeted with a veg and mushroom char sui filling – they’re bound to be the ‘coolest’ picky bit at the table!
At just 83 calories each, it’s well worth grabbing a pack to pop in the microwaves for a few minutes.
They’d make for a beautiful decorative side dish next to our yearly Turkey Curry. It’s always our first answer to the question, ‘What should I make with my Christmas dinner leftovers?’
We’re all for reducing food waste where possible, and you can’t get a much tastier reinvention than this festive spin on a classic Indian fakeaway. It’ll make good use of what’s in your store cupboard too; it’s just the clearout you need before the New Year starts!
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Ice Ice Bao-by Penguins are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £6.00 for a pack of 8.
Specially Selected Black Truffle and Barbers Mac & Cheese Bites – 58 calories per bite
Add a merry crunch to the celebrations with Specially Selected Black Truffle and Barbers Mac and Cheese Bites. Wrapped in a tasty black pepper breadcrumb, the macaroni inside is oozing with an irresistible four-cheese sauce.
Add black summer truffles into the mix, and as you can imagine, you’re onto a mouthwatering winner!
If you’ve been good this year and Santa brings you a copy of All in One, you won’t regret turning to page 150 for our Harissa Chicken Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe. It’s the comfort food classic you know and love, with a North African-inspired twist.
There’s no need to mess around making a sauce in a separate pot. Stir in some spreadable cheese, sprinkle with Parmesan, grill until golden and you’re ready to serve!
Specially Selected Black Truffle and Barbers Mac & Cheese Bites are available from Aldi, priced at £2.99.
The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co. Christmas Tree Yorkshire Puddings – 183 calories per pudding
We know from asking the question on our Instagram feed recently, you lot LOVE a Yorkshire pudding on your Christmas dinner plate – and rightly so! That’s exactly why we couldn’t ignore The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co. Christmas Tree Yorkshire Puddings we spotted in Asda.
For 183 calories per fluffy pud, you can turn the fun up a notch by loading up your favourite trimmings in an adorable tree-shaped Yorkshire. They look as good as they taste!
On the other hand, if you’d rather whip up your own, our Mini Yorkshire Puddings take just 8 minutes to rise to perfection in the oven.
With or without a good glug of homemade gravy, they’re also a fraction of the calories you’d find in shop-bought versions.
The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co. Christmas Tree Yorkshire Puddings are available from Asda, priced at £2.00 per pack.
Ballycastle Blonde Flavoured Extra Thick Cream – 115 calories per 30ml serving
There’s always room for dessert, even after Christmas dinner! This Ballycastle Blonde Flavoured Extra Thick Cream will add a scoop of decadence to any dessert you’re planning to serve.
Please note: this boozy, thick cream is strictly for grown-ups – what a shame!
A dollop or two would make for a heavenly pairing with our Microwave Mince Pie Pudding. A seasonal steamed treat, it’s just the thing to make if you’re not a huge fan of a traditional Christmas pud.
Turn it out, slice it and serve it in a hurry, steam it in your slow cooker for hours, or pop it in the oven for 45 minutes – whichever suits your schedule on the big day best.
Ballycastle Blonde Flavoured Extra Thick Cream is available from Aldi, priced at £1.99 per pot.
Sainsbury’s Gingerbread Trifle – 193 calories per serving
When gingerbread is on the menu, there’s no need to ask us twice! This Sainsbury’s Gingerbread Trifle is layered with warming, wintery flavours thanks to a ginger sponge, gingerbread-flavour mousse, toffee custard and a topping of sweet cream.
Get cosy under a blanket and spoon some into a bowl – you won’t regret it, especially if you’ve got a mug of Christmas Hot Chocolate to wind down with too.
Call us biased, but we don’t think you can beat our Christmas Trifle recipe! To make things more slimming friendly, our recipe uses lightly-spiced fruit and their juices, instead of more traditional jelly.
It looks so impressive when it’s all topped off with fresh raspberries, sprigs of mint and toasted flaked almonds.
Sainsbury’s Gingerbread Trifle is available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £4.50.
Morrisons Mini Sticky Toffee Pudding Sponges – 127 calories per 2 puddings
These Morrisons Mini Sticky Toffee Pudding Sponges are sure to disappear almost as fast as you can make them – and for the record, they’re ready to enjoy after just a couple of minutes in the microwave!
The all-butter date sponges are already covered in a silky smooth salted caramel drizzle, so all that’s left for you to do is get stuck in.
If you prefer a warm pudding with cold ice cream, this is your chance to try our Ninja Creami Custard Cream Ice Cream recipe. While the crunchy-biscuit centre might seem luxurious, our recipe uses low-calorie swaps to keep things nice and light at only 127 per bowlful.
There’s still time to grab a Ninja Creami with our discount code ‘PINCHOFNOM’ by tapping the image below (it’ll knock the price down from £189.99 to £149.99 at the checkout).
Morrisons Mini Sticky Toffee Pudding Sponges are available from Morrisons, priced at £4.00 for a pack of 12.
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 Christmassy Super 6 offering, along with some recipe ideas for you.
Brussels Sprouts – 43 calories per 100g
When Brussels sprouts are in season, they’re one of our favourite leafy greens! You need to grab a bag to serve a side of our Creamy Garlic Sprouts recipe – trust us, you won’t regret it.
If you’ve got one of our Flava It! Creamy Garlic Chicken sachet mixes handy, why not use it to whip up an even more fuss-free batch?
Carrots – 41 calories per 100g
Sweet, nutritious and a dream to cook, we’ll always pick up a bag of carrots when they’re in the Super 6. Make sure you leave some room on your Christmas dinner plate for our Carrots with Honey and Orange – the sticky-sweet glaze is too good to miss!
Parsnips – 75 calories per 100g
You might not realise how versatile parsnips are. From spicy soups to cheesy-topped gratins, we love getting creative with their mild, sweet and earthy flavour at this time of year.
Our Spiced Parsnip Fries aren’t just a doddle to make, it’s also nutritious and delicious too. Bake a batch in your oven or give them a shake in your air fryer by tapping here.
Broccoli – 35 calories per 100g
When you need something hearty and warming, chuck some broccoli florets into our slimming-friendly Vegetable Stew with Orzo. Your Instant Pot does all the hard work in this recipe, so let it work its magic, then sit down to enjoy your cosy bowl of stew.
Cabbage – 31 calories per 100g
A veggie that’s packed full of vitamins and nutrients, cabbage is a great option for stews or soups and is especially delicious when sautéed. We prefer to use it as a creamy side dish, just like our Creamed Cabbage and Leeks recipe.
White Potatoes – 92 calories per 100g
There are so many different ways to enjoy the humble white potato, especially at Christmastime! Whether you have one kind of potato or a selection on your spread, it’s well worth picking up spuds for the Christmas period.
If you’ve got any left over from prepping your roasties, whip up a batch of Air Fryer Christmas Dinner Croquettes (if your air fryer is already full, pop them in the oven instead!).
**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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