Recipe: Homemade Yogurt

Yogurt is one of the easiest fermented foods there is. You can make it at home, yourself, with no special equipment and no fancy ingredients - all you need is good old milk (whole milk works best), and a cup of storebought yogurt (be sure to get the kind that says "Active Live Cultures" were added after pasteurization).

Homemade yogurt is not only simple to make, but it won't contain any of the sugars or thickeners that are added to store-bought yogurts, so it's much healthier for you. If you want a sweeter yogurt, you can add berries, or other fruit, honey, maple syrup, or granola to the finished product when it's ready to eat. Homemade yogurt is also great in smoothies!

There are lots of things you can do with homemade yogurt, and it's generally easier on the stomach than non-fermented dairy products, plus it's full of healthy probiotics that many say can aid digestion and improve your overall health.

Here is a simple recipe to get you started:

Homemade Yogurt
(Makes 1 quart (4 cups) yogurt.)

Photo courtesy of Mister GC at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (1 quart) milk
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (purchased or homemade)* or powdered yogurt starter (amount specified on package)**
• Flavorings such as jam, honey, dulce de leche, molasses, fresh or dried fruit, garlic, herbs, etc (optional)

Notes: *If using store-bought yogurt, choose a yogurt that tastes good to you. It's important to select an unsweetened version that contains live cultures, but the fat content doesn't matter. 

**Powdered starters can be found at some grocery and health food stores and from online sources such as the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. Read the package instructions to determine how much starter to use for a batch of yogurt—many come in small envelopes or packets perfectly sized to make a single batch.

Equipment Needed: Candy thermometer; yogurt maker (optional) or other incubator, such as a thermos; cheesecloth for straining (optional); Mason jars or other container for storage.

Visit Epicurious.com for full instructions...

Recipe - Strawberry Banana Yogurt Pops

Beat the heat this summer with this tasty frozen treat the kids will love! Sweet bananas and strawberries mixed with yogurt offers a healthy alternative to ice cream and sugary ice pops - it'll keep them from getting hungry but without hyping them up on sugar.

These are great to take in the cooler for short trips or picnics as well. Just pack ice around them to keep them frozen until ready to eat.

 (Photo credit: Growing a Green Family)

Banana Strawberry Yogurt Pops
(Yields 6 pops.)

Ingredients:

2 cups strawberries, washed and hulled
1 banana
1 cup vanilla yogurt
½ cup milk (whole milk has more nutrients, is easier to digest, and will keep them full longer)
1 tbsp honey

Instructions:

• Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into the popsicle molds and freeze until firm.

5 Time & Money Saving Breakfast Ideas

It is the first meal we eat when we get up in the morning. After a long night of sleep, we can’t do without it if we want to get our bodies going. No, I’m not talking about coffee. I’m referring to breakfast. Here are some ideas for a quick and healthy breakfast that don’t require a drive-thru window.
Image via Wikipedia

1. Have a piece of casserole. It takes time to cook eggs and bacon for breakfast. No one wants to ruin their clothes with the mess it can create. On Sunday night, get breakfast done early. Put together a casserole using your favorite ingredients. Fewer eggs are needed in a casserole than when frying or scrambling them for breakfast each morning. Depending on the size of your family, the casserole may last two to three mornings.

2. Yogurt. Yogurt is a healthy and economical breakfast choice. When you are eating on the run, grab a container of yogurt and some dried or fresh fruit. Cutting up fruit on top of the yogurt adds carbohydrates to fuel you for the morning in addition to the calcium and protein in the yogurt itself.

3. Breakfast shake. This is even quicker and can be ingested while driving without taking your eyes off the road or both hands off the wheel. Put together some frozen fruit favorites, ice cubes, yogurt, and unsweetened juice in a blender. Pour into travel cups to keep it cold (the kind with lids and straws makes it easy to avoid spills in the car). Everyone can grab a cup on the way out the door. The nutritional effect is about the same as yogurt (or better if you add lots of yogurt), but without the spoon.

Image by Dead Air via Flickr

4. Pigs in a blanket. This is the homemade version - much healthier without all the preservatives and trans fats of the store-bought kind. Whip up a batch of pancakes and freeze them in short stacks of three. A package or two of frozen link sausage is needed to create this quick and economical meal idea (local and hormone-free if at all possible). Thaw out a stack of pancakes. Heat up three sausages in the microwave. Wrap a pancake around each sausage. Voila! You’ve got an instant pig in a blanket. Eat it as you watch the last of your favorite morning show or as you walk to the bus stop. It can be eaten in the car without too much fuss or mess. For a sweeter taste and less mess, add a little maple syrup or honey to the batter when making the pancakes.

5. Breakfast sandwiches. In the evening, while you are getting things ready for the next day, grill up a few breakfast sandwiches. Choose whatever you like: natural turkey slices, sulfate-free ham slices, cheese, tomato, bacon, etc. When the sandwich cools, cut it into bite size pieces and put it in a container. In the morning, just grab a container; pop it into the microwave for fifteen or twenty seconds and breakfast is served.

These breakfast ideas are time saving and money-saving too. They make use of items you might buy normally and also whatever you have around the house to create delicious fare for a morning rush. No more excuses for skipping breakfast or swinging into the fast food restaurant every morning!