Wow the Kids in Your Life with Jello

The younger generation is accustomed to more store bought items these days than having them homemade. It always amazes them when Mom, or Grandma, can make something they previously thought could only be purchased already put together. So why not wow the kids in your life with some homemade jello and fruit cups this weekend? We all know and love those yummy little treats (especially those of us who want a little sweetie without carrying a lot of calories with it) and they are one of the easiest things to make. Enlist the kids and it's a family event! Plus, making these at home are half the price AND you get to choose the fruit/jello combo. Now for the first batch of these there will be a slightly higher cost if you do not already own the small half-cup (or cup) size plastic storage containers. At our local retailer the Glad brand is $2.88 for 8 half-cup containers. Once you have your containers all you do is fill them as little or as much as you want with fruit. (If you choose to fruit that is sliced, you will want to cut it into small pieces. Something like fruit cocktail or pineapple tidbits are ready to go right in.) *When you open your can of fruit, reserve the liquid.* Use this when adding the cold water to the jello. (Ex: if your can yields 1/2 cup liquid, add 1/2 cup cold water to it when adding it to the jello.) This just makes for a yummier jello as most fruit can be purchased canned in juice. Prepare your jello and pour it over the top. Place the cups into the fridge to set and that's it. I have found that one can of fruit and one box of jello will fill either 8 half-cup or 4 cup size containers.

This breaks down, cost-wise as follows: for store brand fruit and jello, $1.36 for 8 half-cups homemade while a four-pack of the ready made store variety is $1.68 for only 4 smaller cups. For the name brand fruit and jello, $1.86 and $2.00, respectively.

Note, these do need to stay refrigerated so if you pack them in a lunch (for school or work) you will want to be using an insulated lunch bag.