The following is a guest post from Kate Doubler who blogs over at Real Food RN. If you haven’t seen her blog, I recommend going to take a look! She really amps up the nutrient density and, as a nurse, she truly wants to help people heal their bodies through diet and lifestyle changes.
I grew up eating Bill Cosby’s Jello cups that were pretty much made of sugar, corn derivatives and artificial coloring… but there was always room for more! There is no denying they were tasty and oh so easy for my parents to provide for snack time. If only there were a way to recreate them, but with health giving benefits and no artificial ingredients. Well, I decided to come up with that recipe on my own, mostly because I wanted to make snack time easier for myself, being the busy working Mom that I am!
This recipe also includes added vitamins, minerals and probiotics which makes them a great food to consume when your little one is under the weather. They are lunch box friendly and ready to go for back-to-school!
Homemade Jello Fruit Cups
This recipe makes 6 8 oz. gelatin cups
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup organic juice of your choice (vitamins)
- ½ cup kombucha (probiotics & B vitamins)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (vitamin C)
- Pinch sea salt (trace minerals) (where to buy)
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 1 Tbsp gelatin (protein) (where to buy)
- 1 cup fresh fruit cup up into bite-sized chunks. You can also use frozen fruit.
Directions:
- Divide fruit evenly between 6 small glass containers. (Note from Homemade Mommy: You can use 8 oz. jelly jars or these great glass snack containers that I use)
- Pour juice, kombucha, sea salt and lemon juice into a medium bowl.
- In a mason jar add 1/3 cup cold water and 1 Tbsp gelatin, stir until combined. It will thicken.
- Next, add the 1/3 cup hot water to the jar and stir. This will thin it out.
- Pour contents of jar into the juice mixture. Stir and pour into individual gelatin cup.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before eating.
These homemade jello fruit cups will last up to one week in the fridge and work great in school lunches or as a dessert, topped with fresh real whipped cream or coconut whipped cream. Whip the old fashioned way in a mixer or simply pour chilled raw cream or dairy-free coconut cream into this handy whipper and spray!
My kid’s favorite flavor combinations (get more ideas here: amazing kombucha flavors your kids will love):
- Orange juice, mango kombucha, orange segments
- Blackberry juice, gingerberry kombucha, blueberries
- Tart cherry juice, strawberry kombucha, raspberries (very berry!)
- Mango juice, mango kombucha, mango chunks
- Peach juice, mango kombucha, peach chunks
Meet Kate
Kate is the author behind the blog Real Food RN. A busy working mom of two young children, she manages to balance working as a Nurse in the Critical Care Float Pool, counseling clients in her nutrition business and finding time to write about real food. She loves experimenting in her kitchen and coming up with all sorts of new and creative real food recipes with the hopes of bettering the health of her family and anyone who follows her blog. She wholeheartedly believes that prevention is the best medicine.
I’d love to make these but sadly we don’t use gelatin. My daughter is a vegetarian.
I’m vegan and I use agar-agar in place of the gelatin.
What is kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented tea product that aids the body in detox, digestion, boosting the immune system, and overall bodily health. Homemade mommy has a blog with a 2 part video that outlines kombucha – what it is, the history of kombucha, and how to make it. There are also recipes on how to flavor kombucha. http://www.homemademommy.net/2013/06/flavored-kombucha-recipes-your-kids-will-love.html#sthash.WM8CuoQ2.dpuf
We use coconut milk and almond milk, coconut butter and coconut oil, and, I think, almond creamer. But I’m not familiar with coconut cream. Can you tell me what the recipe would be for using it, assuming I’m going to find some right now ?!? Thanks so much, you may have opened up another whole new world for a sweet five year old who is totally allergic to dairy! <3
Just put a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight and then the ‘cream’ will be on the top. Just scoop it out and you can either whip it up in a mixer just like you would dairy cream or you can use the nifty pressurized device I linked to above.
When these go into a school lunch, will they stay firm without refrigeration for a few hours, like the commercial jello cups?
As long as they are not left to bake in the hot sun they will remain firm.
While I love kombucha, my boys are not fond of it. Would the recipe hold up the same if I subbed more juice instead of the tea? Also, the jar on the plate is one of those 4 oz jars. Does the recipe work in those smaller ones? Thanks!
You could likely sub some more juice but it wouldn’t have the probiotics in it at that point. Try it and let us know how it goes! Yes–I included a link to check out the types of containers I use – both those jars and another glass jar with a lid that I have. I am not sure I understand the question. Could you clarify what exactly you are asking about the jars?
Vegetarians can use agar-agar powder as a substitute for gelatin. It is made of seaweed. http://www.google.com/webhp?sa=N&tab=lw#q=agar+agar&tbm=shop&spd=3297247656626922020
When you add the hot water to the mixture of kombucha will that kill off that probiotics in the drink? I thought the bacteria did not survive at high temperatures? I could be totally confused, that happens all the time with my mommy brain! : ),
You are adding the hot water to the gelatin mixture – not the kombucha. Once you mix it with the cold gelatin mixture, it cools it down to pretty much warm room temp (if you put your finger in it, it would not burn you). Then you add to the kombucha and juice mixture. So you are not killing anything.
this sounds great. a word of caution, don’t try to use fresh pineapple, the gelatin won’t set up. if you process it or used canned, it will be fine. there is an enzyme in it that, left raw, will not allow it to coagulate. big word means you end up with messy “jello”
Thank you, I love Jello and have missed it !