Berry Watermelon Jigglers

Okay so I admit, I don’t know if “jigglers” is a word, but that’s what my mom always called the Jell-o squares she made us, and it’s just fun to say! We are still hanging out in the triple digits here in Texas, and I basically wish I could live in the refrigerator next to these refreshingly cool jigglers. These tasty little gelatin squares are made from fresh fruit, water, honey, and unflavored gelatin. That’s it! They are cool, fresh, and healthy! You get plenty of hydration from the fruit juice, antioxidants from the berries, and collagen from the gelatin. Not to mention, your kids will love them, and you can offer dessert without dripping sweat into a bowl of brownie batter. I hope these yummy fruit treats hit the spot for your family and keep you nice and cool!

• Servings: 16 squares
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Ingredients

• 1 cup of fresh berries of your choice, or thawed from frozen.
• 1 cup of chopped fresh watermelon
• 4 cups of water
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 1 oz of unflavored gelatin

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine fruit, water, and honey.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Strain juice through a nut milk bag
4. Follow the directions for your gelatin on how much juice to boil, but for the Knox brand (linked above), I boiled 3 cups of juice and sprinkled the gelatin over 1 cup of cold juice.
5. Pour boiling water over soft gelatin, and stir until all gelatin is dissolved.
6. Pour gelatin into a 9×9 pan or these cute silicone molds
7. Refrigerate for 2+ hours, until firm.
8. Slice (or use cookie cutters for fun!) into individual jigglers!
9. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

If you, like me, are not a fan of unnecessary sweating, check out some of my other no bake treats like Dairy Free Chocolate Milkshakes, No Bake Chocolate Date Cake, and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. And for more berry treats, try my Berry Lemonade or No Bake Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust – which is divine topped with fresh strawberries. Whatever you end up making, I hope you enjoy! Stay cool…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost to you; it is just a small commission for me. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!

 

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Berry Lemonade

Since late summer of 2014, I’ve been frolicking on beaches, dipping my feet in the cool water, enjoying the ocean breeze coming through my open windows, and never had to worry about bug spray. That was in sunny Oceanside, California. Cut to now, late spring 2019 in Dallas, Texas. I have sweat dripping from my elbows after an hour outside – I didn’t even know your elbows could sweat! The sun is so hot it feels like I’m living on it, my body is covered in bright red mosquito and chigger bites, and the humidity makes my hair look like a small dog that just rolled in the mud.

But nothing beats summertime here with our family. Everyone is a sweaty mess so we just let it slide while we sit around, watching the kids play outside, eating watermelon and sipping lemonade. Lemonade is a must around here – cool, sweet, tart, and refreshing – it’s a welcome treat in the hot summer sun. I decided to make my own refined sugar free version and add some berries for an antioxidant boost! It turned out to be a hit – well received by my daughter, niece, nephew, sister, and, most importantly, my husband – who isn’t a lemonade fan! In his words it was “the perfect amount of tartness”. High words of praise from a lemonade hater!

Zemirah and I had a blast having a tea party (well, technically a lemonade party) outside one hot morning, but because of those dreadful chiggers I put down our gorgeous Karastan rug from Rug Studio, and we drank our lemonade in peace from bugs! You can get my rug here – in different sizes to fit your needs. It adds such a cozy feel to our bedroom, and is luxuriously soft! Plus it makes a great bug protector 😉

However and wherever you choose to have your lemonade party, I hope you make this Berry Lemonade for a refreshing and immune system boosting treat!

Makes 2 quarts.

Ingredients:

• 7-8 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of  fresh or thawed (if frozen) berries (I used a blackberry/blueberry/raspberry combo)
• Juice of 4 large lemons
• 1/2-3/4 cup of raw honey

Directions:

• In a blender, combine berries with 2 cups of water
• Blend just a few seconds until combined
• Strain berry juice through a nut milk bag and mesh strainer – squeezing all the juice out into a large pitcher (this is the most time intensive step, but it’s worth it so you don’t have berry seeds stuck in your teeth all day!)
• On the stove in a small pot, combine honey (to taste) and 1 cup of water, whisking until combined
• Add honey water to the pitcher with the berry juice
• Squeeze all four lemons directly into the pitcher
• Add remaining 4-5 cups of water (to taste)
• Chill until cold or serve over ice
• Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to a week

For more “berry” delicious summertime recipes, check out my Berries and Greens Smoothie, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Chia Pudding, and No Bake Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust! For some scrumptious treats to accompany your lemonade, whip up some Chocolate Banana “Nice” Cream, a No Bake Chocolate Date Cake, or a batch of  Wholesome Chocolate Chunk Cookies! I sincerely hope your summer is off to a great start – filled with family, healthy food, laughter, and happy movement. Soak up your family this summer…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost for you, just a small commission for me – funding my experimental cooking. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!

Berries and Greens Smoothie

 

It’s officially summertime! Which to me means pool parties, late nights, fireflies, and fresh berries. Growing up, we would pick blackberries and blueberries every Father’s Day; it was always hot, and there were bees everywhere, but we would run and hide in the bushes, sampling all our berries while filling up buckets full! That night, we would come home sticky, tired, and covered in thorn scratches, but we would sit down to a cool, refreshingly sweet bowl of berries and cream. This smoothie is an homage to the berries and cream of my childhood summers – berries and greens! Also cool and refreshingly sweet, this smoothie is delicious and packed with antioxidants (which gives it the pretty purple color), vitamins, healthy fat, and fiber. It’s as easy as tossing some ingredients in a blender, and I guarantee your whole family, kids included, will gulp it down! Your toddler may get super messy and turn purple, and may even have some chia seeds stuck in her hair the next day (true story), but messy, healthy fun will be had by all!

Serves 4-5.

Ingredients:

• Two large bananas – ripe with brown spots
• 1.5 cups of frozen berries – I used a blackberry/blueberry/raspberry medley
• 1 cup, packed down, of fresh spinach leaves
• 2 tbsp of ground flax seed
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds
• 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened coconut milk

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender
• Blend and enjoy!
• Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator and give it a shake/stir before drinking

I hope you give this short and sweet recipe a try – smoothies are a great breakfast or snack in the summer heat, and you’re giving your kiddos essential vitamins and nutrients! Without them complaining about eating veggies…which is an extra bonus 😉 If you like breakfasts in a jar/cup, be sure to check out my Chocolate Covered Strawberry Chia Pudding and my Peanut Butter and Chocolate Overnight Oats, and for more summer-y treats, check out my No Bake Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust, No Bake Chocolate Date Cake, and Chocolate Banana “Nice” Cream. Wishing a happy start of summer to everyone! Get your antioxidants and vitamins in, stay cool…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost to you, just a small commission for me – helping me earn extra money to keep making recipes. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!