Health Benefits of Gelatin and a Recipe: Maple Vanilla Marshmallows

I never thought I would be interested in making homemade marshmallows, but after seeing a few recipes online I decided to dive in. Once I started my internet search, I found a wealth of resources about the health benefits of gelatin. Some of the top benefits I discovered (check the bottom of this post for references):

• Decent source of protein
• Beneficial for joint health and has been shown to help re-grow joint cartilage in mice.
• Potential to improve cellulite (woohoo!) AND tighten skin (woot!)
• Supports digestion

These are more moist than normal marshmallows, but they are sweet and squishy and fun to snack on. Inspired by this recipe at Purely Twins, I give you:

Maple Vanilla Marshmallows

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 6 tbsp gelatin
• 5 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Add the gelatin to 1/2 cup water and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water in a medium sauce pan.
3. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and heat to just to below boiling.
4. Add the gelatin/water slurry to the pan and stir until all of the gelatin is dissolved.
5. Remove from heat and beat with an electric hand mixer for a very, very long time (really, it is ~10 minutes, but it seems like forever). The end goal is a foamy mixture that does not settle out, and the pan will likely not be warm to the touch when you reach this point.
6. Pour into a lined or greased glass dish. I greased my with some coconut oil.
7. Pop it into the fridge and wait for the magic (gelatin setting) to happen.
8. Slice into “marshmallow-sized” pieces and store in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
9. Eat them with your breakfast! Now that you know the many health benefits of gelatin, feel justified in eating marshmallows with breakfast…just make sure you also eat something else.

I captured a few photos during the process…

References

http://wellnessmama.com/3380/why-ive-been-drinking-green-jello-well-almost/

http://www.naturalhealth365.com/food_news/gelatin.html

Gelatin: A Healthy Protein Powder

http://gold-silver.us/forum/showthread.php?44731-10-Health-Benefits-of-Gelatin

WIAW – February 13

Today was a “special” day for me with food. I started my morning with some leftover butternut squash lasagna, a marshmallow, and some blueberries, followed by coffee with coconut oil.

And then for lunch I had MORE LASAGNA. It was just one of those days where eating whatever was in the fridge had to happen 🙂 This time I had it with some broccolini.

I was so snacky in the afternoon/early evening. I had an avocado, an orange, some fruit from an edible arrangement, and some potato chips (delicious, cooked in sunflower oil).

Dinner was a random veggie mix of cauliflower rice, brussels sprouts, asparagus, sweet potatoes, onions, and mushrooms.