Is it just me or was there a Jello dish at every family function of your childhood?
One aunt would make the white Betty Crocker vanilla cake, use a straw to poke several holes in the cake, dissolve and stir together strawberry Jello and pour it over top of the cake so the Jello would sink deep into those moist glutinous caverns, marbling the white with red. To top if off, Cool Whip was spread as icing and sliced strawberries were laid upon the top.
There was a green Jello dish that I recall having marshmallows, pistachios, and Cool Whip in it.
Sometimes it was just plain orange Jello with a tub of Cool Whip on the side to use as we wish
And occasionally there would be another cake-like endeavor, almost always with strawberries.
Served alongside meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner, hot dogs and mac ‘n’ cheese for lunch was J-E-L-L-O.
And then I grew up and had my own children and the thought of Jello gave me the heebie-jeebies. I’m not a texture freak, so I think it came down to the reality of this jiggly stuff being more of an anti-nutrient.
Of course our girls have had Jello at said family functions, and though I’m unwilling to duplicate that “treat,” I am absolutely willing to create my own.
Enter Great Lakes Gelatin. You can order it on Thrive Market or Azure Standard (use code MyInc1). With this amazingly nutrient-dense goodie, we make fantastic broth to drink, gummy chews, and — gasp! — Jello.
Just for sh#^s and giggles, let’s do a little compare and contrast of nutrition facts:
Ingredients: water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, red 40, artificial flavor (which could mean gluten)
4 tsp sugar per cup, and a dollop of food dyes and artificial flavors that are linked to hyperactivity in children
Homemade Version:
Trader Joe’s cranberry juice ingredients: cranberry juice, 2.5 tsp sugar per 8 ounce cup
Great Lakes gelatin ingredients: “Gelatin is the purified protein derived by the selective hydrolysis of collagen from the skin, the connective tissue, and/or bones of animals” includes 6g protein per tablespoon
Healthy Homemade Jello
Ingredients
- 4 cups Trader Joe's cranberry juice or other juice of choice
- 2 tbsp Great Lakes Gelatin
Instructions
- Pour 4 cups cranberry juice into small saucepan with heat on low.
- Once warmed, stir in 2 tablespoons Great Lakes Gelatin until dissolved.
- Pour into glass pyrex dish. Chill in the refrigerator until firm (or jiggly — whatever term you prefer).
- My girls like this served with whipped coconut cream in lieu of Cool Whip.
