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My philosophy....homemade is ALWAYS healthier, is ALWAYS cheaper, and is therefore BETTER!

When you make things homemade you will naturally never put in as much sugar or salt as the companies do-you just won't. Plus homemade means no preservatives and you know the common rule-your food should be able to go bad or its not real food!

When you make things homemade you're always saving money! Who wants to pay the manufacturer, shipper, store, etc. each for a box of cookies!?!?!

Once you go homemade-you'll never go back! Fresh food that YOU produced for your family will not only leave you feeling accomplished and proud, it tastes incredible and you'll never be able to eat the packaged stuff without comparing-and homemade will win!

Have fun, experiment, and Enjoy!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Fruit Snacks!

If you're a skilled gardener you may be looking for things to do with your copious amounts of zucchini!  I'm not.  I'm terrible!  Seriously, I once was given a pot that regulated the watering for you and I killed the plant in 3 weeks!  I'm that bad.  But...I saw this on pinterest and HAD to try them out!  The fruit FLAVORED gummy fruit snacks aren't even real food-they're gumified sugary stuff-yes they're good but....these are Amazing; and they're actually made from Zucchini!!!  They were so easy and you can do your own flavors and my kids love them!  Zucchini is in abundance right now at the beginning fall so you should be able to find great deals and stock up for the school year.




You'll need:
4 c peeled, chopped zucchini (I found that 1 med/lg zucchini is about 1 c)
3 c water
1 1/2 sugar
2 kool aid mix packets

Peel your zucchini really well (so there's no signs of healthy :)

Scoop out all the seeds with a spoon
Slice into long strips and then roughly chop into inch (or so)  pieces







Bring water, sugar, and kool aid in a pot and add zucchini right when sugar is dissolved.  Lower heat, cover, and let simmer for 30 min.











Drain and let cool for about 10 min
Layer in a dehydrator OR on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and dry in oven on lowest temperature (140-170 degrees-if your oven doesn't go that low leave the door open)  In my dehydrator I started them at about 11pm and they were perfect about 12 hours later!


These things are so good!!!  They're kind of like fruit leather consistency.


You're going to love these!!! 

Be Creative and Enjoy!

STATS:
Better? totally! These are sweet and delicious and they don't have a weird aftertaste like other fruit snacks.  *check*
Healthier? Do all moms have a secret stash of candy just for their enjoyment?  *check!*
Cheaper? Zucchini is cheap-especially right now and your only extra cost may be kool aid which can be purchased for $.10-$.20/packet.  *check*

2 comments:

  1. Have you tried using agave nectar as a substitute for refined sugar?? Try it and let me know how it works for you ;)

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  2. I have used agave and really like it! Sugar is just cheaper, still natural and in my pantry so that's what I usually fall to, but agave would be a great option if you prefer it!!

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