All Homemade, even homemade yogurt!

Today at spinning, I was reminded by the instructor just how important REAL food is. She told us all that the best post workout snack is cottage cheese, some fruit and 10 almonds. She told us how last year she decided to stop eating fake food (protein shakes, granola bars, protein bars, etc.) and start eating REAL food. I think she's onto something. I've been trying to decrease my consumption of packaged food and have several recipes I'd like to share. I even make my own yogurt now! (you can make your own too, I promise!!!) So here are some recipes for things I make at home now. Some of these are things I grew up with and didn't even really know you could buy at the store, so thanks Mom!

Homemade Yogurt


Ingredients:
1 quart of milk (the higher fat content, the tastier the the yogurt- whole milk is the bomb but obviously high in fat. Skim milk works great too, it just doesn't stick to your bones the same way

1/4 cup plain yogurt OR a few tablespoons of yogurt culture purchased from a health food store. I always use plain yogurt. You can buy small, 6 oz. sizes of plain yogurt, just make sure it says it has active cultures on the label.

If you like a thicker yogurt, you can also add powdered milk (1/2 cup)

This process is 100% dependent on proper temperatures. If you mess with the temperatures your yogurt won't turn out. You MUST MUST MUST have a candy thermometer to guarantee results. You can purchase one at the dollar store or for $2-$3 dollars at a normal store. Just make sure it has been calibrated.

You will also need some individual containers- anything from little mason jars, old yogurt containers, small tupperware containers, or just one giant container for all the yogurt.

1. In a large pot, bring 1 quart (4 cups) of milk to almost a boil. You'll know it's at the right temperature when the milk begins to froth (about 185 degrees) To make sure your milk doesn't scald, make a double broiler by filling a larger pot with a couple inches of water and then place the pot with the milk on top of the larger pot. This makes it easier so you don't have to stir it constantly.

2. After the milk reaches 185 degrees you need to cool it. You can cool it more quickly by putting the pot in a sink filled with cool water or in a large bowl filled with cold water. You have to keep an eye on the temperature- once it reaches 120 degrees it's go time! According to the book, "French Women Don't get Fat," 120 degrees is when you can barely stand to keep your finger in the milk for 20 seconds. You just can't let the milk get below 90 degrees or else your science project will be ruined!

3. Once the milk cools just below 120 degrees, add 1/4 cup of plain yogurt or 2 tablespoons of yogurt starter. If you're using plain yogurt, just make sure it's room temperature. I suggest getting it out of the fridge and letting it sit while you boil the milk. Stir in the yogurt throughly with a whisk. You can also add 1/2 cup dry milk to the mixture at this point- whisking thoroughly.

4. Transfer the milk mixture to your individual containers with lids or into a large glass bowl covered with plastic wrap. Heat your oven to 110 degrees. Place a dish towel on the oven rack and then place the containers on the dish towel. You will incubate this mixture for 10 hours. Some argue you just need 7-8 but the French keep it in there for 10 hours, so do as the French do and wait a little longer!

5. Remove the yogurt from the oven and place it in the fridge for another 8 hours. Voila! You can drain the whey that may form on top- it's that clear-yellowish liquid that forms in large containers of yogurt.

6. It's best to add your flavorings AFTER the yogurt has set- Add honey, a little sugar, fresh fruit, or even pureed berries to your yogurt for an awesome treat. This is a trick I like to do with my yogurt. I place it in a funnel lined with a few coffee filters and then put it inside a tall glass or jar. Over time the whey and other liquids drain from the yogurt and you are left with homemade greek yogurt! It is much higher in protein and is kind of the rage right now but if you've ever purchased it, it's way more expensive. It will have the consistency of laughing cow cheese wedges- super thick and creamy. SO delicious, especially if you add some honey (microwave it first so it's really runny, it will mix in much better)

For those of you who want a REAL tutorial with a video, here's the best website with a video I could find. Enjoy!

Homemade Syrup- WARNING- this is not "healthy" but still better than store bought


If REAL maple syrup was in our budget, I would buy it and drink it by the tablespoon full, but since it's not, I make my own, just like Mamma Di.

Bring to a boil:
2 cups of water
2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar, NOT packed
1 teaspoon mapeline exrtract

Voila! Store in the fridge or in your pantry. If you want it a little thicker,  Substitute a cup of sugar for a cup of corn syrup. Do NOT try making this with splenda- splenda is gross anyway but when you heat it, I can't even tell you how disgusting it is. There's no such thing as tasty sugar free syrup, deal with it and eat the real stuff in a smaller amount! Even REAL maple syrup has antioxidants, so don't be shy.

Homemade Pancake Mix (Wheat or white flour options)

Now I wish that I had dehydrated eggs and dry milk so this was really a "just add water" kind of recipe, but I don't so it's not. Go ahead, pull out the eggs and milk for this one, it will be ok. We have tried dozens of pancake recipes over the years and have decided that this one is our absolute favorite. If you want to try it out once before making a huge batch, make the "single" batch first

Single Batch Recipe

1/2 cup self rising flour (I actually use all purpose bc that's what we buy!) OR whole wheat or buckwheat flour, depending on your mood
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk (If you don't have butter milk, add a scant tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice  to chilled milk and let stand for 10 minutes.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

combine dry ingredients. In separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients until just barely combined and then let stand for 5 minutes. This is important, as it gives the baking soda and buttermilk time to do its bubbly thing, yielding fluffy pancakes. Skip this step and you'll have flat, crepe like pancakes. This makes four 1/4 cup servings. If you have a normal person appetite, You might want to consider doubling or tripling this recipe.

Big Batch for storing recipe

10 cups of flour of your choice- white or wheat
10 tablespoons of sugar
5 teaspoons baking soda

Shake this all up in a bag or bucket. Each rounded 1/2 cup of mix makes 4 servings of 2 pancakes made with 2 tablespoons of batter each. For each 1/2 cup of mix, you will need to add:

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon of oil
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional if you're in a hurry)

There are billions and gajillions of homemade pancake recipes out there but this one is are absolute favorite and comes from the ChangeOne book published by Reader's Digest.

Homemade Sweet and Salty Granola Bars
Ingredients:

1 cup almonds, raw, chopped in food processor until fine
3/4 cup flax seed, ground in coffee grinder
2 3/4 cups oats
1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract (if you have it, if not, don't sweat it)
1 cup pretzels, chopped in food processor

Combine oats, flax seed, and almonds in a bowl. Spread out on a cookie sheet and toast for about 10 minutes

On the stove, boil the honey, sugar, butter, vanilla, and almond extract.

Transfer oat mixture to a large bowl and then add the bubbly sugar mixture. At the very end add the pretzels if you'd like an extra crunchy delight. Mix well and then keep mixing. Transfer to a CAKE pan (do not use pyrex, the edges are too round and they won't lay flat) that is lined with wax paper or foil sprayed with cooking spray. press all the ingredients firmly into the pan and then if you want roll with a mini rolling pin or other rolling pin looking object like a glass until all the ingredients have been compacted into the pan. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Remove from refrigerator and transfer granola side down on a cutting board. Slowly peel off wax paper or foil. Cut into 12-16 pieces and wrap individually for a quick grab and go healthy snack. Each granola bar according to this recipe has:
Calories: 200
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 5g
Carbs: 29g
Sugar: 14g

You can tweak this recipe to your likeness- adding different kinds of nuts, dried fruit, chocolate flakes, or even less sugar. The key is making a sticky enough mixture to keep it all together. This recipe is even modified in the sugar/honey/butter department and is a tad crumbly but hey, we pick our battles right?

These are just a few recipes you can easily do at home that are made of REAL ingredients!