We’re eating chemicals. Anybody got a problem with that?

Sugar-free Pistachio flavor Jello pudding is our favorite so far. It contains real pistachio bits!

We’ve recently discovered Sugar Free/Fat Free Jello 5-Minute Pudding. A box is 93 cents at our local Wal-Mart (there’s also a house brand, with identical ingredients, for 50 cents) and makes four half-cup servings. You mix it with milk: skim is recommended for the true fat-free experience but we used whole. You whisk it in a bowl for three minutes, after which time it will be significantly thicker, then transfer to a refrigerator dish or just leave it be and it will reach pudding consistency within five minutes.

We’ve tried half a dozen varieties so far and they’re all good. (They also taste pretty much the same, at least the french vanilla/white chocolate/cheesecake flavors.) The sweetener is Acesulfame Potassium. Some find it bitter but it tasted fine to us, maybe because it’s cut with another artificial sweetener, aspartame. As usual, there are studies indicating these chemicals are bad for you, but if you’re concerned about toxicity you should worry more about the salt content: if you eat the whole bowl (and you probably will) you’ve just absorbed your entire daily sodium allocation.

An imperfect parfait assembled with Greek yogurt, Trader Joe’s coconut granola, strawberries and sugar free pistachio. Really good!

You could enhance the basic recipe by layering with granola and berries–voila, parfait! Amazon reviewers have more ideas including freezing into popsicles, mixing with yogurt or cream instead of milk, or sprinkling on popcorn. You can also find creative recipes on Pinterest by searching for “jello powder recipes”.