As much as I can, I try to avoid feeding my son with readymade snacks and meals. My reason why I do that is because of the large amount of sugar and salt in this pre-packed food. Don’t get me wrong; I do have a few packets of ready-made snacks like crackers and rice cakes, which I also give my son. What I try to avoid is to give it to him regularly. I want him to get used to eating food made from vegetables or those that are not too sweet or salty. Besides, I believe that babies are born without knowing anything. It is our duty as their primary caregivers to teach them about what they need to know in order to survive. One of those things I wish to impart to my son is for him to learn to eat healthy and make healthy choices in the food he eats.
To me eating healthy does not mean we need to shut all guilty pleasures like cakes or crisps. Moderation is the key, and now that I am a mom, I try to moderate giving these items to my son. Or if I am creative (or have the time!), I try to make it my own. I don’t want my son to grow up without knowing these yummy treats, anyway.
One of those sweet treats regularly given to kids as snacks is jelly. I can remember I used to finish a whole bag of those brightly colored jellies in just one sitting! I don’t think there is any kid who doesn’t like jelly! It is sweet, soft, and best served cold! Some jellies even come with brightly colored spoons!
Now that I have an idea just how much sugar can get into a single pack of those ready-made jelly, I try to make my own version so I can lessen the sweetness and allow me to use natural sources of sugar.
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| Homemade Jelly! |
Recipe:
1 packet ALSA gelatin, unflavored and unsweetened OR 1 pack agar powder
Water (read the instructions that comes from the packet how much water is needed)
½ c pressed juice (not from concentrate!) – if you have the time, you can make your own juice!
2 tbsp cooked apples, unsweetened
1. Read the cooking instruction that comes with the gelatin or agar powder. Check how much water is needed for the jelly to set. If the instructions calls for 1 ½ c of water, only use 1 cup. The reason is that you are going to add in more liquid because of the juice.
2. Mix the water and gelatin together. Stir until it is dissolved.
3. Put in a pot and warm it under medium heat. Continue stirring until just about to boil.
4. Once it reaches almost boiling point, remove from heat and set aside. Add the juice and apples. Stir a bit more to combine.
5. Wait for about 10-15 minutes and you will notice an opaque-ish film on top of the jelly, remove that film so you have a clear jelly after.
6. Test the jelly after every 15 minutes to see how cool it is. For my case, I had to wait for about 30minutes because the container I am using is made of plastic.
7. Once cool, transfer to jelly moulds or any container you wish. I didn’t have mini jelly moulds so I re-used the Popsicle containers I have. It still looked quirky, but it won’t hold the shape in the stick.
8. Place the jellies inside the fridge and wait for about an hour before serving.
9. Serve cold and enjoy!
2. Mix the water and gelatin together. Stir until it is dissolved.
3. Put in a pot and warm it under medium heat. Continue stirring until just about to boil.
4. Once it reaches almost boiling point, remove from heat and set aside. Add the juice and apples. Stir a bit more to combine.
5. Wait for about 10-15 minutes and you will notice an opaque-ish film on top of the jelly, remove that film so you have a clear jelly after.
6. Test the jelly after every 15 minutes to see how cool it is. For my case, I had to wait for about 30minutes because the container I am using is made of plastic.
7. Once cool, transfer to jelly moulds or any container you wish. I didn’t have mini jelly moulds so I re-used the Popsicle containers I have. It still looked quirky, but it won’t hold the shape in the stick.
8. Place the jellies inside the fridge and wait for about an hour before serving.
9. Serve cold and enjoy!
Note: Here are the ingredients or items I used to create this:
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