Don’t you just love yogurt? We do. I don’t like paying the exorbitant prices for it though, even though we only buy the natural yogurt it is still expensive enough for me to ration it out for the children. Unless… I make it myself! John takes a small tub of yogurt with him to work… and the boys snack on it during the day. Usually I don’t add sugar or honey to it before putting it in the Easiyo maker as I like the yogurt to be as natural as possible – when it is out and in the bowl for eating it can be flavoured according to individual taste. I put a teaspoon of raw honey into each bowl or container and then I also add frozen fruits like blueberries or mixed frozen berries. Even a teaspoon of apricot or raspberry jam is quite nice. And who doesn’t love homemade muesli with spoonfuls of yogurt rather than milk?
No added sugar. No added preservatives. No added flavours. Have you looked at the container of store bought yogurt? It has either sugar or worse still artificial sugar (poison) as well as preservatives and artificial flavourings. How is that good for the human body? I’m not a food purist but with something that is so easy and inexpensive to make at home it doesn’t make sense to buy store bought.
I used to make my own yogurt from scratch… but honestly, who has time and energy to do that when it doesn’t always turn out perfectly? Not so with EasiYo satchels.And if you keep a few tablespoons of the natural yogurt as a starter you can make another batch just using powdered milk! (See recipe below) How cheap and easy is that? I do understand that for some this method is not the most natural or organic or pure… but for me it is a matter of sometimes second best is really THE best.
Aside from it being fairly healthy, I can have a batch of yoghurt to go in 12 hours, flavoured to taste but the best part is the cost. It is SO much cheaper than buying store bought yoghurt! Apparently, it can keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge but I really couldn’t say… one litre doesn’t last more than 48 hours in this house.
Our favourite everyday salad dressing uses unflavoured yogurt:
Delicious Dressing
-
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1 ts Balsamic vinegar
- 1 TB Dijon mustard
- 2 TB Plain, whole yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 glove garlic or sprinkle of garlic powder
- 1TB (or to taste) Orange Juice
- 1ts Maple syrup or honey
Homemade Yogurt using an EasiYo yogurt as a starter
- You’ll need an EasiYo Maker
- 2 cups milk powder (either full cream or skim)
- 2 tablespoons natural yogurt from previous batch (this is the starter)
- Cool water (not too cold- room temperature is fine)
Half fill the EasiYo maker with cool water, add the milk powder and the 2 tablespoons natural yogurt. Put the lid on and shake well to combine. Make sure there are no lumps of milk powder left. Fill the jar to the top with more water, seal and shake well.
Place the EasiYo container in the EasiYo thermos. Pour boiling water around the jar until it reaches approximately 2/3 of the way up the sides. Put the lid on the thermos, sealing it tight.
Set aside for about 12 hours, depending on how thick you like your yogurt. Once it has reached the consistency you like, place the jar of yogurt in the fridge to cool.
Save 2 tablespoons of the unflavoured yogurt to act as a starter for your next batch.
Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey, maple syrup, jam, fruits, etc.
I love my EasiYo. My brother gave it to me many years ago and I still use it even though it’s only me at home now. I’m lactose intolerant so I make my yoghurt with some bought soy yoghurt as a starter and soy milk. I’ve used the EasiYo soy yoghurt sachet but really didn’t like it. I like oats and yoghurt, I mix them together and leave it in the fridge until the oats have swelled up, it is very, very creamy!! Mostly I eat it like this but it’s also nice with some fruit.