Healthy Eating

A few weeks ago, I wrote an entry talking about the high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, and also in yogurts that we are feeding our kids. It's no wonder our children have so many autoimmune diseases, younger and younger!

Well, I came across some homemade food recipes, that I am definitely going to be trying. These will help not only cut some of the bad sugars, but also be healthier all around.

The first one I am going to try is this recipe for Crockpot Yogurt! It comes from a Year of Crockpotting.

8 C. (half gallon) pasteurized milk, suggested whole milk but not necessary
1/2 C. store bought nature live/active culture plain yogurt
- frozen or fresh fruit, if desired
- thick bath towel
- pkg. of unflavored gelatin (if desired, it helps thicken it more)

Directions:
This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. (If you are choosing to use the gelatin, you would add that now, whisking it in the mixture.) Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine. Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation. Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---without the gelatin, it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt. Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren't a big deal, and will settle eventually. Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

I will be trying this one next week, after I go grocery shopping! Another healthy recipe I will be trying next week also is this Granola Recipe.

6 C. Old Fashioned Oats
3 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 C. Olive oil
1/2 C. Water
1 C. honey
- Can also add nuts, cinnamon and vanilla

Place on baking sheet & cook for 50 minutes at 250 degrees, turning mixture 4 times during the baking process. Cool and add dried fruit if desired. Keep in zip lock bags.

Yummy!!!! I can't wait to try these! The cost of making that is going to be around $2-3., I think. You can get a 6 cup container of oats for around $1 on sale. And the rest of the ingredients are very minimal. I get my honey from my uncle who raises bees. He is probably as close to organic as you can get, without saying you are organic. If anyone is interested, I can get you his information. I got a 2 lb. refillable jar for $5. If you take it back to be refilled, it will cost you $4.50. Mmmmm.....

I am also going to try to make one day a "Baking Day" like is shown here. I think that will save me lots of time, when I don't have lots of time!

What do YOU think?