hello jello

a little update: after all the anxiety, the sickness, the long nights & multiple doctor/hospital visits... we are well on our way now to being well.  hallelujah! i don't believe in sickness.  it has no place in this world, in my home, in my children.  it was never God's design or plan.  i personally feel like it is my duty to rid the world of it & cast it right back into the pit it came from.  but with all that said, we are never to proud to take medicine when we need it. we should never feel condemned or like failures when we see those wise doctors.  being antibiotic virgins, we have found them a bit hard on our tummies but so thankful to put an end to this nonsense! steve flies home tonight & will hopefully find a peace-filled, health-filled home waiting for him.

one good thing that came out of this whole fiasco was i learned to make eat-clean jello!  after several failed attempts, i finally succeeded! {the recipe was a little hard to follow}  so here is jiggling jello recipe below from {your best body now by tosca reno, p. 285}:

OH NO JELLO
99 calories, sugar 12 g
ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh berries or your choice
• 8 cups of water
• 2 1/3 cups fresh apple juice * see recipe at bottom or use store bought
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 packets unflavored gelatin *i used Knox brand & followed directions on packets which turned out to be four packets if i remember correctly
• 3 tbsp honey or sucanat

directions: *this is where it confusing, hence the failed attempts to i added a bit to explain in italics

1. bring berries & water to a boil in a large pot. lower heat & let mixture simmer until berries are very soft (about 15 minutes). strain liquid through cheesecloth lined colander into a large bowl {i didn't have cheesecloth so i just used a fine strainer}. press on berries to release all juice. discard berries
2. in large saucepan, add 1/3 cup of fresh juice & 2 packets {or four depending on serving sizes noted on back of package}.  stir on low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved.  increase heat to medium & bring to boil, add honey or sucanat & lemon juice and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. the recipe didn't specify when to add the berry water back into the recipe so i did it during this step.
3. remove from heat and add two more cups of fresh juice, stirring constantly.
4. transfer to large glass bowl or tupperware, cover & refrigerate until set, about 30-60 minutes {mine took all night to set}. 
5. serve with fresh berries

this recipe make like 10 tons of jello.  in retrospect, i think i would have halved all of the ingredients.  i made this on monday & still have two full containers of it!

here is what i used for fresh apple juice
it taste pretty nice on a sore throat... kinda like cider! and it fills the house with a delicious smell... which helps to cover the smell of puke & fever sweats!

check out this other really cool way to serve jello in little doses or a neat way to present it at a party!