Make Your Own Yogurt

I make my own yogurt on a regualr basis and often get lots of folks asking me how to make it. Here are the simple instructions so you can also make your own yogurt!

I like to use whole or 2% milk because I believe it is better for you than fat free. I buy raw milk at the Farmer's Market whenever it is available and make each batch of yogurt with a 1/2 gallon of milk.

First heat the milk to 180F, this takes about 10 minutes on my small gas stove. I set my timer so I don't forget about it and have it boil over! If it does by chance boil then it is OK to let it cool down and continue.

Once it is at 180F take it off the stove and pour it into a big mixing bowl. I only do this because I think it will cool down quicker this way and it is easier to stir in the starter yogurt.

Cool the milk down to 110F, I find this usually takes about 45 minutes and again I set the timer because I tend to forget about it!

Next  add some yogurt from a last batch as a starter for the next batch, 

usually 6 or 8 ounces for a 1/2 gallon of milk

Mix in the yogurt so it is smooth and not lumpy

Ladle the mixture into containers for the finished yogurt. As you can see I like to use canning jars, they are economical, just the right size and easy for me to give to family and friends!

I put all the containers in a tray that will then go in to the 200F oven. 

Heat the oven to 200F and then make sure to turn it off. 

You want to keep the yogurt warm but not too warm! 

Sometimes I put the yogurt jars in a cooler with a warmed up heating pad

 any warm place will do.

I like to cover the jars with an old towel to keep in the warmth.

Notice what time it is when you put the yogurt in the oven

and 6 to 8 hours later take it out of the oven

You can see it is firmed up after the 6 to 8 hours in the oven

I like to eat it chilled with berries, cinnamon and sometimes 

with walnuts, almonds or oatmeal.

So now you know how to make your own yogurt!

Enjoy!

Quinoa Breakfast

I like to have a breakfast that leans toward sweet but have given up eating those processed muffins, cereals, scones and donuts.Instead I have a great breakfast full of whole foods that is easy to prepare, low calorie and very satisfying.

The ingredients are simple:

Red quinoa (just cause I prefer red quinoa to white quinoa)

Plain yogurt (I make my own with organic skim milk)

Blueberries (I eat a lot of organic frozen blueberries and buy fresh or best yet pick my own!)

Ground flax seed (I buy it already ground)

Cinnamon (I prefer Ceylon ground cinnamon from www.renegadehealth.com)

I usually cook up a couple of cups of quinoa at a time and then have it to eat and enjoy quickly and easily. I also make 4 pints of yogurt at a timewith a 1/2 gallon of milk so it is always easy to add to breakfast. Frozen blueberries are the easiest to have around, I put a bag of them in the refrigerator so I have them all thawed and ready to eat.

1/3 cup red quinoa

1/3 cup plain skim yogurt

1/3 cup blueberries

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Delish!!

This breakfast has 183 calories, 2.2 gr fat, 26 gr carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 7.5 gr protein