Make Homemade Yogurt

Besides the obvious benefits of yogurt: calcium, vitamins, protein--eating it is also really good for your digestion! The live cultures used to turn milk into yogurt create lactic acid from the lactose, making it easier for people who are moderately lactose-intolerant to consume. It's a very healthy snack and a great thing to feed to little ones (whole milk/fat) and mommies (non-fat) trying to lose weight!

I have been researching different methods of creating homemade yogurt and finally found one that seemed like something I can handle. I think that the process of heating the milk and then cooling and incubating can be a little bit overwhelming, but this one is actually very doable!

This method uses a food cooler to incubate the yogurt in 4 quart jars. Basically the process involves heating the milk in the jars to 180 degrees, cooling it down to 110 degrees and then stirring in a couple Tbsp of yogurt starter. Once you've done that, you have to leave the yogurt in a warm environment for 4-24 hours (in this case it's a cooler with a pot of steaming water and a towel wrapped around it all). The longer you leave it, the tangier it will be. Please visit the original site where she has great directions and pictures posted.

I was able to make the yogurt throughout the day on Saturday and on Sunday morning I gave some to the baby for breakfast! I tasted a bit of it and it was pretty good! This coming from a girl who grew up on VANILLA yogurt and wouldn't touch the plain stuff.

During lunchtime I gave some to my pre-schooler and mixed a little bit of homemade apple butter in it. He loved it!

I am so excited that for about $3 I have 4 quarts of yogurt in my refrigerator that is healthy and yummy!

Please comment if you make your own yogurt, what method you use, etc! Would love more ideas!