Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Easy Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups

I feel like I am still in the beginning of this journey to cut out the crap from the foods we eat.  I am not as strict with my kids or hubby.  They are more or less being forced to go with me on this.  Haha!  One of the things, since summer, that I am trying to most to cut out from my kids everyday foods is crackers.  I still make them Snack baskets filled with Granola Bars and other healthy options, along with fresh fruits and veggies.  Just trying to cut out the extra stuff they just don't need and try to save a little money in the process. 
My kids, all three of them, love fruit snacks!  As long as I find the ones with less sugar and made with juice, I don't mind them having them.  The problem is that they can get pricey!  I tried making homemade fruit snacks.  They turned out, but were not winners.  My kids didn't really like them too much and with the amount of gelatin I had to buy to make a decent amount of them, I don't think it saved any money at all.
So, plan B was to try Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups or (fruit leather.)  And they were so simple, so easy to make and everyone LOVES them!  I made strawberry the first couple times and just over the weekend I made mango and they seem to be just as good.  They are 2 ingredients and turn out great!

Fruit Roll-Ups
from Baked by Rachel

Ingredients:
Ready to puree
about 4 cups of ripe fruit (be sure to hull, peel, core whatever fruit you are using)
1/2 honey

Directions:
  • Preheat your oven to 170 or as low as it will go
  • Line 2 sheet pans with silicone baking mats, parchment paper or plastic wrap (the last time I made them I used plastic wrap and I like it better then the parchment.)
  • Blend until smooth.
  • If it is a seeded fruit, like strawberries, feel free to strain the seeds if you don't think you're kids will like them.  I did.
  • Pour puree onto each lined baking sheet and using an off-set spatula spread it out into a thin layer.
  • Bake for about 3 hours, rotating pans 1/2 way through.  They are done when the middle is no longer soft or too sticky.
  • Allow to cool then remove from sheet and place onto wax paper. 
  • Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into strips or squares.
  • Roll up with the wax paper and store in refrigerator or air tight container.

Cutting into strips

These won't last long!

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