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! :)