DIY Yogurt

We eat a lot of yogurt, so this summer I tried making it.  I tried the crockpot wrapped in a towel, and big pot in the oven and determined that it works best for me to heat the milk in the microwave and then put it in my big crockpot.  I use a Pampered Chef thermometer that has the probe attached to a cord so it can stay in the pot the whole time and I can monitor the temp easily.  I watched the video when I was getting used to it, and now I just use the cheat sheet to remind me.  The links to both are below.  We did discover that while we appreciate the economy of making yogurt, we do not care for plain yogurt at all...so we've been using the yogurt and the whey in place of buttermilk in pancakes and waffles.  It's fabulous and since I make the yogurt from skim milk it's much lower fat.  I can eat pancakes and waffles without guilt.  And the links to our favorite recipes for those are below as well.

Yogurt Video Instructions
http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/skinny-secrets/now-showing-how-to-make-healthy-homemade-greek-yogurt-fat-free

Yogurt Cheat Sheet
http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/homemade-greek-yogurt-a-cheat-sheet-and-a-cookies-and-cream-treat

Cinnamon Belgian Waffles
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamon-belgian-waffles/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=cinnamon%20waffles&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Truck Stop Pancakes
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/truck-stop-buttermilk-pancakes/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=truck%20stop&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

DIY Oatmeal Packets

So I'm getting really tired of having to find my favorite recipes and tricks over and over and over again.  A blog I was looking at this weekend had "a master list of all my favorite recipes" in the tagline, and I knew I needed to have one too!  So starting today, I will be posting recipes and links to recipes that my family loves.  Old favorites, new favorites, and even mixes and tricks I use to make our money go farther and work harder.  

That's where we begin today.  My kiddos love instant oatmeal packets, but a box of ten packets is only one breakfast around here!  I needed something more frugal, and love that I get to avoid a lot of the chemical preservatives when I make my own, so we taste tested several different DIY oatmeal packets and came up with this favorite version.  It's not the same proportions I found anywhere else, as we like ours pretty sweet, and we only ever eat the one flavor.  

DIY Oatmeal Packets
1/2 c. instant oats-you can zip rolled oats in the blender a little if you want to use them instead
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp nonfat powdered milk powder
pinch of salt-boosts the flavor but doesn't take much
snack size ziploc bag

Combine all ingredients in a bag.  To prepare, add contents of bag to bowl-big enough for it to bubble up some-with 1 cup water.  Microwave for about 2 minutes, watching for boil over.  (Cooking time will vary depending our your microwave.)  

I make these up by the dozens.  We keep and reuse the baggies.  Occasionally, I will add a few drops of maple extract too, or some diced apples.  YUMMY!