I love homemade strawberry jam. My mom used to make strawberry freezer jam growing up and I always had the tastiest sandwiches in school and never ever traded them (but I definitely traded other items in my lunchbox on a regular basis).
Last summer I made some freezer jam with a friend and was completely shocked and surprised that the recipe we were making with pectin included 6 cups of sugar per batch... SIX cups of sugar. I still made it and enjoyed it, but a little less so knowing just how much sugar I was eating.
Recently, my friend Jessie posted a recipe on her blog about strawberry jam with just four ingredients... all natural. I gave it a go. (I'll admit, I made it wrong the first time because I bought prunes instead of dates... ha, that's what I get for not checking the recipe before going to the store. But I made it again the next day; the right way. Both were actually pretty good, but the correct way with dates is seriously AMAZING!)
To make a long story short, I'm glad I found a more natural and healthy strawberry jam that I feel comfortable making for my kiddos, because we all know there will be a lot of pb+j going on around here pretty soon. (p.s. mom, I still love you for making homemade strawberry jam!)
Here's the recipe:
-1 cup strawberries (This makes a really small amount, I usually double or triple it)
-5-6 large pitted dates or 10-12 small pitted dates
-1 tbsp chia seeds (I had these already from the green smoothies I make)
-1 tbsp water
Um, yes, that's it. (Crazy amazing, I know)
Directions:
Put chia seeds and water in a cup to begin gelling. Stir after a few minutes so they all get soaked.
Cut greens off strawberries and put in food processor or blender (I used a pound of strawberries and that tripled the recipe - made a mason jar and then a little extra).
Add dates and mix in food processor or blender (not over blending...)
Add gelled chia seeds and mix again.
Pour into mason jar and let sit for 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.
Pierce and I enjoyed this with homemade wheat bread and homemade peanut butter. We were feeling pretty healthy about that snack! Enjoy!!!
