Money Saving Monday: DIY Yogurt!

On my quest for saving money, I was told DIY baby food costs the fraction of the price compared to commercial baby food. Another mama recommended Super Baby Food, which takes you step by step on how to make your own baby food. I bought the book and ended up LOVING it! It has so much more than DIY baby purees. One thing I found in the book was how to make your own yogurt. I having been doing this since Cody was old enough to eat yogurt (which was when? I can’t even remember!). It is not only super easy, but it is inexpensive, you save on plastic, and you know what’s in it! Super Baby Food goes into GREAT detail about different ways and methods to make yogurt. I am going to share the way I do it… if you have ever been interested in making yogurt, maybe this will help!

What you’ll need:

• Milk (I use whole milk for Cody)
• Starter yogurt (you can use yogurt from a previous batch of homemade yogurt or buy yogurt at the store- my fav is greek yogurt!)
• Non-fat Dry Milk (optional- you can find it at any grocery store)
• Yogurt Maker (Euro Cuisine Automatic Yogurt Maker – YM100: this is the one I bought. I like that it has an automatic shut-off)

Step 1
Kill all the “bad” bacteria in the milk by scalding it:
** I use stove top scalding. You pour the milk (my yogurt maker calls for enough milk to fill all seven of the jars that come with my machine) into your pot, set your stove to med-high and let it sit until you reach 185 degrees (you can use a yogurt or candy thermometer which is only a few dollars) stirring often. If you heat it too quickly or you don’t stir enough the milk may scorch the bottom of the pot. (I never have the time to make sure I stir it enough so I just don’t touch my whisk to the bottom of the pot.)

Step 2
Cool the Milk to Incubation Temp- 112 degrees
**Once your milk reaches 185, take it off the burner. You can let is sit until it reaches 112 or you can put it in the fridge to speed the process.

Step 3 (OPTIONAL)
Add the Nonfat Dry Milk
**I use a pitcher because it makes for easy pouring. I pour in around 1/4 cup of nonfat dry milk (this adds extra nutrition and thickens the yogurt).

Step 4
Add the Incubated Milk
**Pour the milk from your pot into your pitcher. If you have added the milk powder, stir briskly with your whisk until all lumps are dissolved.

Step 5
Add the Starter
**Add the yogurt starter. My yogurt maker calls for enough yogurt to fill one of my glass jars. Stir until all is smooth.

Step 6
Pour Mixture into Glass Jars
**Once you pour the mixture into the jars, you set the timer. The longer the timer, the thicker the consistency of the yogurt. I like mine to sit for around 12-14 hours.

That’s it! It may seem like a lot of steps but once you do it a few times, it really becomes super easy and something you can just add into your routine. Super Baby Food does a complete breakdown on money saved, but she basically says that store-bought yogurt costs about 3 times that of homemade!!! N-I-C-E!!

Here are some yogurt flavoring suggestions (Cody will eat anything if you mix it with yogurt!):

• fresh pureed fruit or veggies
• tofu
• jam or jelly
• canned fruits, drained/chopped or pureed
• jarred commercial baby food
• applesauce
• blackstrap molasses
• maple syrup
• honey (for babies over a year)
• nutritional enhancers: wheat germ, brewers yeast, flax etc.
• lemon or lime juice
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• ground nuts (ask doc when baby is ready for that)
• peanut butter or other nut butters
• finely chopped fruits or veggies