Your Slimming Essentials – The Weekly Pinch of Shopping 15.12.23
Christmas is right around the corner! Today’s brand-new Weekly Pinch of Shopping is overflowing with festive joy, with all kinds of seasonal snacks and sweet treats, as well as a couple of ideas for your Christmas dinner plate.
Fancy a change from turkey this year? We’ve spotted a Marvellous Chicken Parcel with Redcurrant and Cranberry Stuffing with a Cranberry Drizzle in Asda – it’ll go down a treat with all the usual trimmings!
If there’s any room for dessert, we’ve also found a show-stopping meringue wreath with an indulgent mulled wine cream…and it’s only 192 calories per serving. You’re guaranteed to have a merry little Christmas with that on the table!
Pinch of Nom: Express is out NOW! Keep your eyes peeled in the shops, because you can finally pick up a copy of our brand-new book (and it’s PERFECT for Christmas gifting).
Dedicated to bringing you all the food you love in even less time, Express is jam-packed with 100 brand-new slimming-friendly recipes. If you pre-ordered a copy THANK YOU!
Don’t forget if you’ve already made any of the new dishes, we’d love you to share photos with us on our Facebook group or on instagram @pinchofnom.
You can order a copy here if you still need to grab one!
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. This week we’ve given you a reminder of the current selection, so hurry down to Aldi to pick up some bargains before a fresh selection goes on offer next week!
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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!**
Sainsbury’s Fish Pie Puffs – 86 calories per pie puff
If you’re looking for a buffet bite that’s a bit different, these Sainsbury’s Fish Pie Puffs make a nice change to a prawn cocktail. Each flaky pastry roll is filled with king prawns, white fish, mashed potatoes, leeks and spinach.
With only 86 calories in each mini, buttery pie puff, they’re just the right size for when you want a taste of everything the festive feast has to offer!
We love a midweek fish pie as an alternative to a meaty meal, and our latest version has an unusual topping! This Cauliflower Cheese Fish Pie is a lighter take on the comfort food classic – but it’s every bit as hearty, satisfying and delicious.
Sainsbury’s Fish Pie Puffs are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £6.00 for a pack of 8 (or £4.00 with a Nectar card).
Candy Can Wonka Sparkling Toffee Apple Zero Sugar Drink – 1 calorie per 100ml
Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry, but you don’t need to miss out if you prefer a non-alcoholic tipple. This Candy Can Wonka Sparkling Toffee Apple Zero Sugar Drink is a soft drink option that’s also low in calories.
The caramel-apple beverage has been released to celebrate the cinema release of the Wonka movie, although there’s also a Candy Cane version on the shelves if you fancy ramping up the festive flavour.
If you want Christmas in a cup, there’s only one thing for it – our Eggnog is alcohol free, and far lower in calories than traditional recipes. Lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, it’s guaranteed to spread joy and cheer.
Candy Can Wonka Sparkling Toffee Apple Zero Sugar Drink is available from Tesco, priced at £4.00 for a pack of 4.
Morrisons The Best Gammon With Glaze – 163 calories per 100g
A good Christmas ham is a thing of beauty, and this Gammon With Glaze from Morrisons’ The Best range takes all the hard work out of the preparation. Infused with a luxuriously rich and sticky black treacle and cola glaze, it’s ready for the oven or slow cooker without any mess or fuss.
Remember not to add the sticky glaze right away – it only needs to be drizzled over towards the end of cooking (there are handy instructions on the pack to help you time it just right).
A slice of the sticky-sweet ham will go down a treat with our Christmas Hasselback Potatoes. Each crispy spud is loaded up with bacon, cheese and cranberry sauce – what more could you ask for?
Morrisons The Best Gammon With Glaze is available from Morrisons, priced at £18 for a 1.5kg gammon joint.
Specially Selected Katsu Chicken Sliders – 110 calories per 38g serving
Picky bits are the order of the day for festive buffets, Christmas parties and lazy post-Christmas days, so we’ll be stocking up our fridge with these Specially Selected Katsu Chicken Sliders from Aldi.
The miniature sesame seed buns are stuffed with crispy breaded chicken, smothered in a Katsu-style sauce. They’ll heat up in just 15 minutes in the oven (or even less time in the air fryer!).
We’ll take any excuse to tuck into the mild, fragrant flavours of a Katsu-style curry. Our own Katsu Chicken Curry recipe works out at 516 calories per serving (which is WAY lower than the version you’ll find in a restaurant).
Specially Selected Katsu Chicken Sliders are available from Aldi, priced at £3.99 for a pack of 8.
Sainsbury’s Snowy Road Mini Bites – 65 calories per bite
Move over Rocky Road, there’s a new treat in town, just in time for the festive season! We spotted these Snowy Road Mini Bites in Sainsbury’s this week, and we can’t stop thinking about them.
The white chocolate-covered nibbles are made from pieces of digestive biscuits, mixed with juicy sultanas, glacé cherries, crisped rice and mini marshmallows. At 65 calories per bite, don’t mind us if we go back for a second (and third) helping!
A couple of these would go down well with a cup of tea or coffee, although the ultimate festive drink has to be our Christmas Hot Chocolate. Rich and luxurious, there’s nothing better to warm you up after a brisk, cold winter walk.
Sainsbury’s Snowy Road Mini Bites are available from Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.50 per pack (or £2.00 with a Nectar card).
Morrisons Rudi The Reindeer Crumpets – 110 calories per crumpet
Recently we asked everyone over on Facebook and Instagram what they like to have for breakfast on Christmas morning, and the answers were so interesting (and delicious!). If you want to start a new tradition, these adorable Rudi The Reindeer Crumpets can be found on the shelves at Morrisons.
Shaped like Santa’s trusty companions, each spongy crumpet is just 110 calories, ready to be toasted and smothered in your favourite toppings.
Make a real celebration of the day, by serving our Eggs Florentine with a glass of Buck’s Fizz on the side. Although our homemade cheese sauce is lower in calories, it doesn’t compromise on flavour. Pour it all over the egg-topped muffins for Christmas-worthy indulgence.
Morrisons Rudi The Reindeer Crumpets are available from Morrisons, priced at £1.25 for a pack of 6.
Tesco Finest Mulled Berry Meringue Wreath – 192 calories per 1/8th wreath
We’ve got three words for you…Mulled Wine Cream. As soon as we saw this Tesco Finest Mulled Berry Meringue Wreath, all thoughts of Christmas pudding went up the chimney!
The show-stopping festive dessert features crisp-yet-chewy meringue, topped with spiced mulled wine cream, hand-placed blackcurrants, sharp redcurrants and a drizzle of mulled wine sauce. As if that’s not enough, it’s all hand finished with chocolate shard decorations.
Half the fun is in the decoration, which is why we love to make our Pavlova Wreath recipe each year. Once the meringue has baked and rested in the oven, it’s time to dollop on the creamy topping, then get creative with juicy berries – or whatever chopped fruit you prefer!
Tesco Finest Mulled Berry Meringue Wreath is available from Tesco, priced at £6.50.
Plant Menu Sweet Potato Bites – 60 calories per 28g serving
These vegan-friendly Plant Menu Sweet Potato Bites from Aldi will make sure there’s something for everyone on your festive buffet table this year. Made from pumpkin and sweet potato wrapped in breadcrumbs, bake them until they’re crispy, then serve them up with the sachet of Katsu-style sauce that’s included in the pack.
At 60 calories per bite, they’re light enough that you’ll still have plenty of room on your plate to load up on cheese, crackers, mince pies and all the other festive good stuff!
For a bite-size buffet recipe that’s a bit different, our Mac and Cheese Bites turn the normally-indulgent pasta dish into a slimming-friendly snack. Turn to page 222 of our Everyday Light cookbook to get started.
Plant Menu Sweet Potato Bites are available at Aldi, priced at £2.99 for a pack of 8.
ASDA Marvellous Chicken Parcel with Redcurrant and Cranberry Stuffing with a Cranberry Drizzle – 425 calories per 1/4 pack
We can all agree that Christmas dinner is the main event, but if you’re not big on turkey, there’s still time to pre-order this Marvellous Chicken Parcel with Redcurrant and Cranberry Stuffing with a Cranberry Drizzle from Asda.
There’ll be no ‘dry turkey’ complaints with this on the menu – it can be ordered for delivery between the 21st and 23rd December, so it’ll arrive in perfect time.
If it’s traditional turkey you’re after, our Slow Cooker Christmas Turkey Joint takes all the hassle out of the dinner prep. As well as freeing up the oven for all the veggies and sides, slow cooking the meat guarantees it’ll be juicy and tender every time.
ASDA Marvellous Chicken Parcel with Redcurrant and Cranberry Stuffing with a Cranberry Drizzle is available from Asda, priced at £14.00.
Morrisons The Best Christmas Turkey Gravy – 50 calories per 100g
There’s nothing wrong with cutting a few corners on Christmas Day, so, if you’d rather skip the hassle of making your own, nip to Morrisons for a tub of The Best Christmas Turkey Gravy.
Ready to be heated up and poured all over your turkey and trimmings, it’s a step up from instant gravy granules, with rich flavour and perfect seasonings. If you’re all about getting ahead, you can grab this gravy when you do your next food shop, and freeze it until the 25th.
When it takes just 8 minutes to make our Cranberry and Pomegranate Sauce, there’s no need to buy a readymade version. We might be biased, but once you’ve tried the sweet, fresh flavour, you won’t go back to a shop-bought cranberry sauce!
Morrisons The Best Christmas Turkey Gravy is available from Morrisons, priced at £2.49 for 500g.
REMINDER 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 our reminder of this week’s Super 6 selection:
- Spring onions – 32 calories per 100g
- Savoy cabbage – 27 calories per 100g
- Lemons – 17 calories per 100g
- Salad potatoes – 75 calories per 100g
- Brown onions – 40 calories per 100g
- Easy peelers – 35 calories per 100g
**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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