Sounds good Michael. I will try this variation out. I have to find some spenda first which is not available in my small town. I can't wait to try this as I miss having a sweet treat after a meal.
I was thinking of using extracts to add flavour instead of merely using lemon or lime juice (those two are great solutions). I went to a bulk food store and bought orange, cherry and banana extracts and I thought I would experiment with those. I assume it would only take a few drops of the extract and some splenda to sweeten. Therefore I would not remove any water from the original gelatin recipe. What do you think about this? Are extracts okay to consume? I could not find any nutritional information on these, but I have a feeling that the carbs would be negligible.
The flavor would be artificial, but so is it with regular Jello.
Give me some feedback on this.
As soon as I've picked up some splenda, I will start experimenting and give you some news.

The listerine strips are handy and quite effective for bad breath-)carbs too.

Donna,

Do you know how many (if any) carbs are in these breath strips?
I don't use the listerine ones, but I buy a no-name brand. I can't seem to find the information on these, and I'm afraid to take too many. Though, I think it's better than the aspartame-flavoured gum.

Hi Scully,

You may want to look carefully at the first ingredient on the extracts. Most flavors, such as vanilla are made with alcohol. The best vanilla flavor is made with the vanilla bean stored in 100 proof vodka. As for the others such as orange and citrus, if my memory serves me, it is made by extracting the cirtus oil from the fruit and if it is mostly oil based it may not mix well with the water in the gelatine. The real lemon or lime is 100% lemon or lime juice that has been pasturized. The best thing is to try different flavorings and see what works best for you.

Have fun playing around with it and let me know what works best for you. So far I haven't had any cravings for sweets. Today is day 11 in induction for me. My clothes are getting very loose.

Hi Scully,

Have you had a chance to try the lemon or lime gelatine yet? Just curious how you liked it. Let me know when you do try that recipe, have fun with it.

Hi Michael.
I've been experimenting, but not with lemon or lime. That's my next try.
I made the regular gelatin, added splenda and banana extract, with yellow food coloring, just to make it look nice. (I hope the extract and food coloring is not bad!!)
Anyway, that was my first prototype....not the best yet, though with a bit of whipped cream...I was licking my lips.
I need to measure out a bit more splenda, and try the lemon next. I will keep you posted.

Hi Scully,

Banana sounds interesting. Just remember, it takes more sweetener to get a sweet taste than you might think. Play around with it and you'll find the right taste for yourself.

Once you get a recipe down please post it for all of us that miss having jello.

Thanks

Once you get a recipe down please post it for all of us that miss having jello.

Thanks

I've been doing more experimenting, and this last one was even better than the first. I've sweetened it almost perfectly. Michael, you were right about having to put enough sweetener. I needed 4 to 5 tbsp. I also did this one with the concentrated lemon juice. Oh, it was so yummy. And just in time cause this weekend I was surrounded by delicious looking pastries. My jello was my way to sweeten my taste buds without cheating, or feeling guilty.
The only problem with this recipe is the carb count. There is a rather larger amount of carbs due to the juice. Half a cup of gelatin is about 3 carbs, and if you add some whipped cream (which I do) you're adding more. But, considering this is a sweet treat which is so necessary sometimes, the carb value is probably worth it. I'm not yet ready to publish my recipe (For those who would like it) because I would now like to experiment using unsweetened kool-aid.
Michael...you got me headed in the right direction for this, and I thank you...
Anyway, I figure this would add a good variety of flavours, and might reduce the carb count. I will keep you all posted.
PS...this is fun...

Hi Scully,

Glad the recipe worked for you. In order to lower the carb count, try using a fresh lemon for it's juice. I think you will notice a superior taste than using bottled lemon juice. Also, to get a different taste, instead of using whipped cream, try mixing heavy cream or half&half into the gelatin and leaving off an equal amount of water. That way you won't need whip cream and you'll be able to keep the carbs down. Or, you could take some cream cheese and whip it and use it in place of whipped cream. You'll get the protein and fat needed but not the carbs. Take care and let me know how those suggestions work for you.

Hi Scully,

Just wondering how you are doing with the recipes.
Have you tried anything new? I was playing around with a omelet and it turned into a pizza type dish. I cooked the omelet in a small frying pan and instead of folding it over, I let it solidify.
Then I put a table spoon of salsa on the "crust", then added ham, bacon, onions, mushrooms and pizza cheese. It turned out pretty good. I cooked it under the broiler which melted the cheese and it turned out tasting pretty close to a regular pizza. Thought you might like to try this. It is a good change for breakfast.

Hi Michael,

That pizza is not a bad idea. Sure would take the boredom off breakfast. Maybe adding a bit of Atkins flour to your mixture might make the omelet more crust-like. In any case, sounds good.
As for the jello...I have to say I have indeed been experimenting. I've bought Kool-aid unsweetened powder drink mix in many flavours and have been eating my fill of jello. It is a perfect way to both colour and flavour the gelatin, and doesn't add on too many carbs. This leaves the total carb count fairly low, compared to my other tries, but I haven't published the recipe yet as I am trying to locate nutritional information for the powdered kool-aid. Any suggestions?
I'm enjoying experimenting with this, and I believe if I put my thinking cap on, I could come up with great recipes using the gelatin. Thanks for the inspiration.

Hi Scully,

The trick to coming up with new items to prepare is to play around with them. Try variations of your favorite items. A lot of times new dishes have been created by "mistake". Changing one item in a recipe can create an entirely new dish. But the main thing to remember is to have fun with it. Some things will turn out great and then some won't turn out at all.

Hang in there and let me know what new recipes you are creating.

Hi Scully,

How's it going? Haven't seen any postings from you recently. Just wondering if you have come up with any new ideas for recipes.

I have been kicking around an idea. Whip up some egg whites with Splenda, add a little vanilla extract or Almond extract for taste. Use a tablespoon or teaspoon and portion out on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in an oven at about 350F. until golden brown. You may want to lower the temp a bit and bake longer to get the interior of the "cookie" firm and dry. They will be light and crunchy. You can use different extract for a variety of tastes. Try this and let me know what you think.