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Fruit cup jello jigglers in everyday containers

Posted By Biggie On March 23, 2007 @ 12:27 am In for kids, glutenfree, lactose free, parenthacks, recipe, tips, tutorial or how to | 49 Comments

In a variation on the [1] homemade juice gelatin cups I made earlier, you can also put fruit into these for a nice visual touch (and better nutrition). These are thicker than regular jello, more like jigglers, so they hold up at room temperature for several hours in a packed lunch. I used 100% fruit juice (apple, pear and passion fruit) and Knox unflavored gelatin (1.25 cups juice or a little less to one envelope of gelatin for a firm but not hard texture), put pieces of fruit in the cups in the fridge container first, then filled with the gelatin liquid. Keep a stash of these in your refrigerator to grab and throw into a lunch in the morning when you’re short on time.

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I also wanted to show that you don’t have to have special Japanese food cups to make these: the clear plastic containers are 1oz and 2oz. [3] plastic “souffle cups” with lids that I picked up at Smart & Final (125 cups for about $2.25, 125 lids for about $1.75). I’ve also seen the same sort of thing from the Solo brand at kitchen or party supply stores. The white round plastic container with mango in it is actually a 1 oz container that held a single serving of cream cheese (from CostCo). You could also use cupcake liners (foil or coated paper) — be creative.

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The condiment cups with lids can either be thrown away or washed and reused, depending upon your dedication to waste-free lunches. A variation on gelatin would be to make mini-flans (or puddings), and pack them in these cups with lids and a cold gel pack (like the Japanese miniature pudding cups from Kiku that make an appearance in so many bentos).

Caution: Don’t add fresh or frozen pineapple, kiwi, papaya, guava, figs, or ginger root to these or the gelatin won’t set up properly.

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Article printed from Lunch in a Box: Building a Better Bento: http://lunchinabox.net

URL to article: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/03/23/fruit-cup-jello-jigglers-in-everyday-containers/

URLs in this post:
[1] homemade juice gelatin cups I made earlier: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/02/14/speed-bento-technique-jello-cups/
[2] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchinabox/430909374/
[3] plastic “souffle cups” with lids: http://astore.amazon.com/lunch-20/detail/B000GKAO96/104-0695095-8207146
[4] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchinabox/430909414/
[5] Need for speed: A mommy’s lunch manifesto: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/04/23/need-for-speed-a-mommys-lunch-manifesto/
[6] Food safety for packed lunches: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/05/08/food-safety-for-packed-lunches-updated/
[7] How to pack a bento lunch and use “gap fillers”: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/06/11/guide-to-bento-packing-and-gap-fillers/
[8] Choosing the right size bento box: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/03/07/guide-to-choosing-the-right-size-bento-box/
[9] Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews: http://lunchinabox.net/top-tips/
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