photo from {live simply}.
did you know you can make homemade yogurt in your crockpot? this has been on my TO DO list for over a year now. my kids and i LOVE yogurt and spend quite a bit of money every month on the small walmart yogurt cups, my favorite Zoi honey vanilla greek yogurt and the larger "boring" (as my kids call it) tubs of peach, strawberry or vanilla.
although my kids still prefer the small flavored yogurt cups (and i love my Zoi), i am trying to tighten our grocery budget over here. living in utah is quite a bit more expensive than idaho. we were really spoiled with cheap, good food in idaho!
a tub of yogurt here costs almost $5!!!
a gallon of whole milk cost around $3.15. the yogurt recipe calls for a half gallon of milk and a half a cup of plain yogurt (i use Mountain High). to get started you need to buy plain yogurt, but then you can save out a 1/2 C. from your batch of homemade yogurt to use for your new batch.
by your second batch you'll only be paying around $1.57 + tax for about 8 C. of nourishing yogurt!
photo from {may purr}.
it also helps to know that i know the exact ingredients in the yogurt we are eating. no sugars, dyes and preservatives!
i know, you may be thinking. eww- plain yogurt is sour and disgusting. i thought the same thing. this homemade yogurt is still tangy, but it is much milder than store-bought. i add some fresh berries and a slight drizzle of honey and it's a delicious snack. add in some granola and you've got a healthy and filling breakfast!
my kids even ate this with fruit and granola! i was impressed. usually my kids are total yogurt snobs and can detect when i've tried to give them plain yogurt.
benefits of plain yogurt:
1) to quote fitness magazine, yogurt's got power-boosting protein and bone-building calcium.
when you eat yogurt, the calcium in it signals your fat cells to pump out less cortisol, making it easier for you to drop pounds and especially belly fat when you are following a healthy diet. cortisol is the hormone that triggers your body to store more fat, specifically around the waist.
2) yogurt has "live and active cultures," which means that it has probiotics, beneficial "bugs" that live in your digestive tract and help crowd out harmful micro-organisms that can cause intestinal infections. the probiotics also strengthen your immune system
3) yogurt is loaded with vitamins. one serving is a significant source of potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamins B5 and B12. an 8 oz. serving of yogurt contains about 60% of the vitamin B12 that an average adult woman needs daily. B12 is the vitamin which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly.
4) a cup of yogurt a day can help you recover faster after a workout. with the right ratio of protein to carbohydrates, yogurt makes an excellent post-workout snack. eat within 1 hour of a work out and the proteins provide the amino acids your muscles need to repair themselves. the carbohydrates replace your muscles' energy stores, which are depleted after a hard workout. it's a bonus if you drink a full glass of water along with it; the protein in yogurt may also help increase the amount of water absorbed by the intestines, improving hydration!
5)not all yogurt is equal!!! fruit yogurts have less calcium than plain because of the sugar content. yogurt is NOT a healthy snack or meal when it has tons of sugar loaded into it!!! and light or sugar-free are not great options either; the aspartame or other fake sugars added in instead are even worse for your body than sugar itself!
6) yogurt may prevent high blood pressure. every day, 70% of people consume more than twice the recommended amount of salt; over time that can lead to hypertension and kidney and heart disease. the potassium in yogurt, almost 600 mg per 8 oz. may help flush out some of the excess sodium from your body!
7)a daily serving of yogurt keeps colds away! the healthy bacteria in yogurt help to send signals to the immune-boosting cells in your body to power up and fight off harmful bugs. allergy sufferers may also find relief by adding yogurt into their diets.
8) the lactic acid in yogurt appears to give your gums protection and helps build stronger teeth.
in researching yogurt i have found so much information! according to the site {eat local grown}i found preservation of yogurt starter information and different ideas for flavoring yogurt:
how to preserve yogurt starter:
if you don't want to or can't make a new batch of yogurt every week or so, you can reserve your 1/2 cup of yogurt, or more if you cannot eat all of your yogurt before it goes bad and FREEZE it!!!
yogurt freezes well and the active live cultures in yogurt will survive for many months in the freezer.
simply freeze in a clean ice cube tray or small plastic container equal to a half a cup portions.
more ideas for flavoring yogurt:
flavor with the seasons! flavoring plain yogurt is always to taste. try adding seasonal fruits, cinnamon, honey, vanilla or other natural flavor extracts.
puree fruit in a blender or add in a bit of jam or even try blending it up with some fruit juice or concentrate. you can add in chopped nuts, seeds, mini chocolate chips, protein powders, and coconut flakes.
photo from {paleo leap}.
fall/winter: apple, cinnamon/spices, peach, pear, apricot, cranberry, pomegranite
spring/summer: strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, cherry, raspberry, blackberry
year-round: banana
photo from {let the baking begin}.
if you preserve your own fruits you can enjoy them year-round as well!!!
there are tons of resources if you're interested in learning more about yogurt!!!
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