Banana Gelatin Snack

Banana jiggly snack made with grass-fed gelatin

While growing up in Russia, my mom would make from scratch simple treats for only special occasions. One of my memories is of her making a basic fresh fruit, Jell-O-like pie: thin crust, topped with raw sliced fruit, covered with a clear gel. Little did we know, it was actually nutritious. Unlike the American store-bought layered cakes made with artificial food coloring, corn starch/syrup, and thick sugary white frosting, my mom's basic gel pie actually contains vitamines from whole fresh fruit and good source of protein from gelatin.

When I saw Great Lakes Gelatin making its rounds with real food book authors/bloggers recently, my recollection of those delicious gel pies from childhood came back. I instantly ordered the gelatin and asked Mom to help me replicate her signature recipe. But since my mom hasn't baked treats in over 17 years, she actually didn't know what I was talking about for the longest time, and I don't blame her. Soon after we moved to America, to a land of plenty, we opted for the convenience of buying already-baked treats from grocery stores, and on a regular basis. Fortunately, over the last couple of years, we opened our eyes to how the food industry operates and been receptive to how food choices impact our health. 

While I'm modifying my mom's gelatin pie recipe so that it's completely gluten-free and paleo-friendly, I wanted to share in the meantime this gelatin fruit snack that only requires three ingredients: 

2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (preferably from grass-fed beef like Great Lakes)

1 cup boiling water

1 organic banana 

Mash banana into a bowl. Stir to dissolve 2 teaspoons of gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Pour the galatin mixture over the banana and cool, refrigerate until set. 

Enjoy the delicious and nutritious protein-rich treat!