Marshmallow Madness

I find myself looking for vegan alternatives to SAD foods frequently, because my children want fun orange cheese crackers, marshmallows or gummy bears, too. I promise you, there is a healthier option for everything now.

We do try to avoid processed foods and lean heavily toward raw foods. However, JOYFUL living is my priority and I would rather my children have a tiny amount of less healthy vegan food than feel like the sad, left-out kid at the party. (In fact, my kids eat whatever they want, vegan or not, at parties…It’s taken me a while to become comfortable with it…A journey for another post, perhaps).

Why don’t I want them to eat marshmallows or other products made with gelatin? Well, for one, gelatin could be about the most disgusting thing EVER EATEN by humans. Only bugs or poop could top it. Well, maybe not bugs. Read about it. To make gelatin, the manufacturers boil skin, bones, ligaments and tendons from pigs and cows to give your marshmallows and gummy bears that familiar, chewy texture. Tasty, huh?

Think about it. YUM!…Do you REALLY want to feed your kids artificially dyed and flavored boiled dead animal parts? How’s that TENDON, dear? YUCK!

(By the way, before Halloween, I’ll post about how we (kind of ) solve the Halloween dilemma in a world full of such nasty candy without killing the joy.)

Oh, and, just so you know, Kosher gelatin still has fish stuff in it. Why bother? They can use agar agar or pectin to make many wonderfully yummy junk foods.

With that said, here are some examples of marshmallow alternatives my children prefer to chewing dead pig and cow ligaments disguised with fake flavors and colors.

Marshmallow alternatives:

1) Ricemellow Cream is great for making rice crispy treats, for putting in hot cocoa and other fun things, like fabulous fluff-n-butter sandwiches (this fluff plus your fave nut butter).

2) Vegan Vanilla Marshmallows by Sweet & Sara. We found these in Whole Foods one day (I’ve seen them at Mother’s Market and Sprouts, too). My kids just like these plain.

3) The best for roasting on a stick over a fire are Dandies Air-Puffed Vegan Marshmallows by Chicago Soy Dairy. They even catch on fire, just like the nasty skin-and-tendons version! The brain surgeon and kids LOVE these (too sweet for me!).

You can find all of these online and in some natural food stores.

Now, remember, I’m not calling these healthy, BUT they are much healthier than traditional marshmallows, and WAY WAY WAY LESS DISGUSTING.

Toodles!