Yogurt and Carrots

My sister in law just taught me how to make my own yogurt, and it is so yummy and is way cheaper!

1. Put 1/2 Gallon of milk (any %)  mixed with 1/4 Cup dry milk in a crockpot and cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours on low.

2. turn crock pot off and let it sit for 3 hours.

3. take 2 cups of milk out of crock pot and mix with 1/2 cup of store-bought yogurt (with live active cultures)

4. Pour yogurt/milk mixture back into crockpot and mix well.

5. Cover crock pot with a thick towel and let it sit for 8 - 12 hours.

*The next time you make it, save 1/2 cup from the last batch to mix in...that's why it's so cheap!

 

These are a few of the last carrots from the garden. I just liked how colorful they are.

This one looks like something off of Star Wars :)

Sugar-Free!

So I know I hardly ever update this blog...I need to be better about that :)

My latest efforts have been with figuring out how to make desserts that I can eat. This not only means sugar-free, but also no refined flour (because that is just converted directly into sugar in our bodies). So, I've been getting creative with how to make crusts and cookies, etc.

My disclaimer is that many of my desserts do not taste normal! The ones that I've had the most success with are the pies.

The two that I have made recently are the Butter Pecan Pumpkin Pie and the Luscious Lemon Pie.


For the crust, I make whole-wheat cookies (with only half the sugar called for because pie crusts shouldn't be very sweet) and bake them in a pie pan, then make the pie. For sweeteners I use Stevia and Xylitol (I can't even have much honey or molasses!). I don't like Aspartame or Splenda, although I do end up using these sometimes when I don't have another option (like sugar-free ice cream, they still haven't put any on the market that are sweetened with anything else).

I also cut the butter in half and substitute apple sauce in all cookie recipes and they turn out fine.

Basically, for any sugar-free recipe, I just change out the sugar, all-purpose flour, and butter for these substitutes. Then I follow the recipe as it is listed.
I also use fat free or low fat dairy wherever possible (though it's not always possible).
I think that's all I do. I hope it's not too confusing! :)

Cream Sauces

To make cream sauces healthier you can use half the cream sauce that it asks for and half 1% milk that has been thickened with Ultragel. You get Ultragel at a health food store and it is good because it thickens things that are cold or hot. It's great for things like potato salad that aren't cooked. It has tons of uses.














In this picture I used it for a pasta salad dressing and I just seasoned the milk-gel mixture with garlic salt, pepper, and seasonings and it was great! It works for alfredo and any other cream sauce.

Wonderful Grains

Grains make up about 80% of everything we eat; we love them! Mostly because with a blood-sugar problem, like I have, grains are very fulfilling. When I had all my food allergies a number of years ago I did a lot of research on the different types of grains. There are SO many that most people never use and some that they've never heard of.
When you can learn the ways to use all these amazing grains, you will find a whole new collection of tastes and textures. There are the more familiar grains, like wheat, oats, and barley. Most people know how to use these.

One grain that is familiar, but underutilized, is millet. It has great health benefits and is way cheap! You cook it just like rice and it is a good substitute for cous cous and is great in salads and in casseroles.

Then you have buckwheat, which is good as flour in pancakes and used in moderation in casseroles. It has an interesting flavor that some people don't really like.
















Our personal favorite is quinoa. It cooks like rice and has hundreds of uses! It's amazing in soups, in waldorf salads, regular salads, in bread or pancakes (pre-cooked)...basically if we could afford it we would use it instead of rice in every instance. It's super healthy and tastes great. When cooked, it has these little 'tails', which is interesting.





















Then there's Amaranth. It's smaller than Quinoa and just as good for you. Both are considered 'supergrains'. With amaranth you just have to make sure it's cooked, because it's not good for you if it's not completely cooked.





















Teff is tied for favorite in my book. It's the smallest grain, not bigger than a grain of sand. I love this one because you can throw it uncooked in waffles and it is so small that it cooks along with the batter. It has a great, nutty flavor and adds to any dish. It can be easily hidden in any casserol or even taco meat.


















The key with all these grains is to learn how to incorporate them into your established dishes and diet. You can keep some cooked in your fridge so they can be added to your normal dishes all week. Throw them in salads, stir fries, waffles, casseroles, etc. Grains will make any dish heartier and healthier. I have to eat this way to manage my bloodsugar, but even normal people say they like the taste of my food better :)

Beans!

These are a staple around here. We use them in about everything. Dry beans are way cheap and so good for you.
I just cook them in the crock pot for about 6 or more hours and drain them and use them. I don't do all those extra soaking steps, and it works just fine for me. We use about every kind of bean...if you just buy a small bag each time you go to the store, you will have a good collection before long.
When the beans are done in the crock pot, I drain them and put them in the fridge. Then I use them all week in our salads, casseroles, quesadillas, etc. They add good protein and fiber.

Bread

Next Topic: Bread
We were blessed to get a sweet grain mill for our wedding along with the Kitchen Aid. This is how we make the flour that makes our bread. When you grind your own wheat, you lose none of the nutrients or virtues of the grain that are even lost in store-bought whole wheat flour. It's also a TON cheaper! We buy the bulk grain when it goes on sale at Wal-Mart and it lasts forever!
We got our bread maker at the local thrift store for $10 and it works perfectly. The key when buying a bread maker at a thrift store is to make sure the paddle is in there, and that it works when you plug it in.
We use molasses instead of sugar and use wheat gluten. The wheat gluten helps the bread to rise better because it strengthens the gluten bonds of the flour. Another key is to put the ingredients in the maker in the order that they are listed on my recipe. It's the best recipe I've used in all my years of making bread in a bread maker. (below)
It takes about 5 minutes at most to put all the ingredients in the maker, then 4 hours later we have beautiful, delicious bread! We seriously live on this stuff; we make 1 to 2 loaves a DAY! Our house always smells like baking bread, mmmm!

Butter, There Ain't No Other!

Lesson Number One: Butter
How to find a compromise between eating butter on your toast and being healthy.... well, we just mix it with canola oil (olive oil would be better, but we are poor college students). We mix 1 part butter to 1 and a half parts oil. It is runny at room temperature, but when you keep it refrigerated it is nice and spreadable. (The better you mix it, the more oil you can use. An electric whisker would work great...I just use Dan!).
We actually like the taste of the combination better than straight butter! The oil helps to carry the flavor more or something. Anyway, we are hooked. And it is WAY better than eating Margarine, taste-wise and health-wise!

So, first we take a large chunk of butter and keep it at room temperature until it is soft.
Then add the oil and whisk it together. Then refrigerate it until is firms up, and Wa-La! You have a healthier butter!