Homemade Healthy Gummies

If you are concerned about IC, Homemade Healthy Gummies are the way to go. Did you know store bought gummies or fruit snacks are full of sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes? Check out the labels! The long list of ingredients indicates the snack is not a healthy choice. They are so easy to make and you will feel great about giving your kids a super healthy snack too. These Homemade Healthy Gummies are made with real fruits and veggies, full of vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients! You don’t have to worry about high fructose corn syrup or dangerous artificial dyes anymore. Isn’t it great? Just whole fresh fruits and veggies. You can also get creative and add superfoods like chia seeds, ginger, probiotics, cod liver oil or kale to your blends.

A good quality Gelatin is very important. This is why it is recommended to use one made from 100% Pasture-Raised Beef. The collagen in this type of gelatin along with the many amino acids help regulate our metabolisms, have anti-inflammatory properties, strengthens hair and nails, and regulates hormones. Gelatin is also known to improve digestion.

From creativeandhealthyfunfood.com.

Homemade Healthy Gummies


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fruit and/or vegetable juice (ones that are tolerate), freshly made with a Juicer (cold press -best choice) or store-bought (making sure it is 100% juice and preferably not from concentrate). Smoothie blends are great too!

• 4 tablespoons gelatin (grass fed gelatin. A tablespoons is usually one gelatin packet, but just to be sure, empty the packets into a bowl and use a measure spoon.)

• 2-4 tablespoons Raw Honey depending on your preference and how sweet your juice is. You can also use pure maple syrup. If your juice has lots of veggies you will need more but it is up to your personal taste.

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, (recommended Organic Pure Vanilla Extract – optional for extra flavor)

• Any other ingredients you would like to incorporate like probiotics, elderberry syrup (to prevent or fight a cold, if tolerated), or cod liver oil (immune system booster). Remember you can make these gummies your natural multivitamins.


Directions:

1. Pour juice into a small-medium saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let sit for just a few minutes until it starts to “bloom” (it will get wrinkly looking on the surface and all of the white powder from the gelatin will absorb into the liquid). When all the gelatin is absorbed, mix it well.

2. Then place the saucepan over medium heat on the stove. Let the liquid warm, but don’t let it boil. You want all of the gelatin to dissolve and turn thin and runny (it will be grainy at the beginning but after a couple of minutes in the heat it should dissolve completely).

3. Add the honey, vanilla extract, and any other ingredients you will be using.

4. Put the liquid in a little jar (you can use a measuring cup) into a Loaf Pan or your fun gummy molds and refrigerate for about 2-3 hours. Some of my favorite molds are the Freshware 30-Cavity Silicone Mold, the Toy, Car, Block and Bear Chocolate, Gummy Mold and the kilofly Silicone Mold, Robot & Dinosaur

5. Remove from molds. They pop right out. If you used the loaf pan, cut your gelatin into small squares.

6. Keep your homemade healthy gummies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. If you leave them outside they will last but I recommend storing them in the refrigerator.

*Update. If you want to make smaller gummies, there are fantastic mini Gummy Bear Molds. They even come with a dropper for easy filling.


Ideas For Juice Combinations:

Red: beets, strawberries (if tolerated), carrots, raspberries (if tolerated), red apples (if tolerated)

Orange: carrots, oranges (if tolerated), clementines (if tolerated), mangoes (if tolerated), peaches (if tolerated)

Yellow: yellow pear, yellow apple (if tolerated), grapes (if tolerated), (DO NOT use pineapple juice, your gelatin will not set up due to the enzyme bromelain that’s found in pineapple).

Green: kale, spinach, peas, green grapes (if tolerated), cucumber, green apple (if tolerated), (DO NOT use kiwi, your gelatin will not set up)

Purple: purple cabbage, blackberries and blueberries (if tolerated)

If you want to change the colors and lighten up your homemade healthy gummies, you can also substitute some milk (dairy or non-dairy) for some of the juice in the recipe. You can also use almond milk.

Here are some other DIY Natural Food Coloring ideas that you might like to try.