Making Yogurt
Posted by cassie on Monday, 10 March, 2008 @ 8:57 am
I love giving Anthony yogurt in the morning - it is a quick way to get food into his tummy when he first wakes up, it is full of calcium, etc. What I don’t love is the price of purchasing the individual bottles of grab & go yogurt drinks. I did it for awhile and justified the cost but the flavors got old, and not every grocery store carried the brand I prefer (Stonyfield). I tried substituting the Dannon Danimals but they gave him a horrible diaper rash. So…what’s a mom to do!?
Equipped with my handy blender (or food processor) I make a batch of yogurt once a week and store it in a plastic cereal storage container in the fridge. This may seem like more effort or more cost to you, but some days this is all I can get Anthony to eat, especially if he doesn’t want what we are having for dinner. Before you start ~ I make him try the food and sit through dinner. If doesn’t eat it or doesn’t eat a lot I *sometimes* offer the yogurt. I don’t want him depending on it so he doesn’t eat what he is given, so it is not an “all-the-time” occurrence.
Recipe:
- organic whole milk
- 1 container of Stonyfield vanilla yogurt
- 1 container of Stonyfield plain yogurt (I make sure that one of the yogurts is whole milk based on what my grocery store has in stock that week)
I whip this altogether and pour into storage container. There are no exact measurements, I just base it off the pour-ability factor. Take fruit(s) of the week and batch process fruit into puree. Strain if necessary and add to storage container. Mix well and viola!
I try to use in-season fruit but that is not always possible, especially obeying the taste of a toddler. If I must use frozen, I make sure it is from the USA. Fruit we’ve tried (individually or in-combination):
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Peaches
After this week’s batch is done I’m planning on trying apples, pears and pumpkin in the future.
What other fruits would you suggest?