While Christmas ‘tis the season to be jolly’, lots of people find the festive period can leave them feeling far from merry about their weight.
And evidence suggests it takes up to three months to lose any weight gained between November and January. However, Westbury Slimming World consultant Juliet Morgan says there’s no need to give up on Christmas cheer this year because you’re stressed about your weight and, thanks to a delicious, healthy recipe book she’s got lots of tempting and tasty ideas to share.
A Slimming World Christmas will show people how to enjoy a super-slimming seasonal spread so they can keep their weight loss on track and look forward to a lighter, brighter new year.
It features more than 60 recipes to help slimmers dish up a very happy – and delicious – Christmas, including traditional festive dishes, Christmas-party platters and great ideas for leftovers.
Juliet, who runs the Leigh Park Community Centre Slimming World group said, “Christmas Day is centred around food and sitting down to a satisfying, delicious meal with your loved ones. Slimmers might think that they can’t enjoy turkey with all the trimmings but, as this book shows, by making just a few small changes to the way you prepare and cook your dishes you can enjoy all your festive favourites without gaining pounds.”
When it comes to catering for the ‘big day’, A Slimming World Christmas includes starters, mains, sides and sweets – think Deluxe prawn cocktail, Roast turkey with Hedgehog potatoes and Braised red cabbage, followed by Cherry Christmas trifles. And the clever book includes a pick ’n’ mix menu which will enable even novice cooks to create a fabulous three-course menu in just 60 minutes – what greater gift could a Christmas-day chef ask for?
Juliet added, “Even though Christmas is just one day, we know it has a habit of lasting the whole of December which can bring additional challenges for slimmers.
“A Slimming World Christmas is also bursting with festive bakes such as Star biscuits and Mince tarts, tempting seasonal tipples to get the party started like mulled wine and lime spritzers, and clever ways to give leftovers a lift from quick Christmas curry to turkey risotto, making it a Christmas cracker of a companion for anyone wanting to manage their weight all December long.”
Each of the recipes has been created to work with Slimming World’s Food Optimising healthy eating plan, which is based on the science of energy density and satiety, meaning slimmers can fill up on healthy, everyday foods that are low in calories yet satisfying.
Foods like fruit and veg, pasta and potatoes, lean meat and fish can be enjoyed freely, while slimmers can still have measured portions of the foods other diets forbid – meaning they don’t have to miss out at Christmas or on any occasion!
Juliet said, “Paired with the care, friendship and shared ideas that they’ll find at the Leigh Park Community Centre Slimming World group, A Slimming World Christmas really will help people to make their festive weight loss wishes come true. Everyone’s welcome at our group every Monday at 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.30pm at the Leigh Park Community Centre.”
For a taste of A Slimming World Christmas, try these mouth-watering Mince tarts: makes 32, ready in 45 minutes, plus chilling and cooling: 225g plain flour • a pinch of salt• 110g butter or margarine, cut into small cubes • low calorie cooking spray • 16 level tbsp mincemeat
Make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, reserving one teaspoon of the flour for dusting, then add the butter or margarine and gently rub it in with your fingertips. Add cold water until the mixture is wet enough to mix into a ball that leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5 and lightly spray 32 bun tin holes with low calorie cooking spray.
Sprinkle the reserved flour over a work surface then roll out the pastry thinly. Cut out 32 rounds with a 7.5cm fluted cutter and use to line the bun tin holes. Reserve the trimmings to make the pastry stars.
Divide the mincemeat between the pastry cases, using about half a tablespoon for each one.
Roll out the remaining pastry trimmings and make some little stars with a cutter. Use these to decorate the tops of the tarts.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and lightly coloured, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
Dust with a light sprinkling of icing sugar if desired.
A Slimming World Christmas is available for members to buy at all the Westbury Slimming World groups now, priced at £4.95.
