Simply Good Pudding Parfait

On three occasions last year I had a Friday Freebie from Kroger for Jell-O Simply Good Instant Pudding Mix. I got their two chocolate flavors and for kicks the vanilla bean, too. I had a feature article that had to be done on National Parfait day in 2017 so I waited to share this creation until today, a few days before National Pudding Day on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. These were simple to make and the resulting parfaits . I used my loyalty card to get these packets for free. Neither Jell-O nor Kroger knew I'd be writing this feature article to share with you all today so obviously no other form of compensation was received for my honest experiment and results.

Jell-O Simply Good Instant Pudding Packs
The first flavor I got was "Choco Late" made with cocoa processed with alkali. The second flavor was "Chocolate Caramel" also made with cocoa processed with alkali but with caramelized sugar and died molasses for the caramel flavor, I bet. Then when I got another freebie I couldn't find another chocolatey flavor so I went for "Vanilla Bean" to try and off-set the two chocolate flavors more distinctly.

I made all three flavors using skim milk so I decreased the amount I used from 2 cups on the label to 1.75 cups so it would be thicker. I mixed each by hand with a whisk for 2 minutes for each flavor. Then I spooned each into tall glasses. The pudding does set up very quickly so there was no bleed down of the flavors. The layers you see are chocolate caramel on the bottom, vanilla bean in the center, and topped with Choco Late on top. I think they look elegant yet took about 10 minutes total with washing up included to make. Warning: these are not low-calorie treats. If you want only the amount of calories on the labels you'll need to make 12 cups. Personally I see these as a treat and I don't feel too bad since I'm using skim milk and enjoying this once a year, twice at most.

Simple Good Trio Parfaits

The labels may make you think you'll easily recognize the ingredients and for the most part you will but there are chemical names. Look at the small print on back of the packet: "And you won't find any artificial flavors, dyes or preservatives." That is true but you will find "disodium phosphate," "tetrasodium pyrophosphate," and "diglycerides." Looking these up showed mixed opinions about them and I'm not sure I'd include them in something I promoted as "Simply Good" which strongly suggests natural and 100% safe for the body.

Have you tried these products? What did you think of them? Leave comments and let me know.

Comments

Emilie said…
Thank you for the very detailed post. How did they taste?
They were good for what they are, not great, particularly the middle tier but then I'm biased toward more chocolate as you all know.

Thanks for commenting, Emilie!