Slow Cooker Greek Yogurt Recipe

We go through a truck load of yogurt at my house, and now that the teen and I have discovered yogurt protein smoothies we can't get enough. I use plain yogurt a lot in baking and cooking as well and probably spend close to $20/month on plain yogurt. So it's worth making my own for approx $5.00/month. I didn't want to nurse a batch of yogurt every couple of days so when I discovered the Slow-Cooker method I jumped for joy, especially when the first batch, not to mention very first time making my own yogurt turned out fabulous!! 

SUPER EASY FOLKS! Don't be intimidated, let the lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus do all the work!

RECIPE: 

1. Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into your crock pot (I use skim, but you may prefer a fatter milk). Heat on high with the lid on until hot and steamy, just before boiling. This takes approx. 1.5 - 2 hrs in my Crock-Pot but varies pot to pot
2. Once it's piping hot and steamy take off lid and let cool for approx. 2 hrs, or until warm to touch not hot. (I know I'm so precise, but if you're attempting to make yogurt and can't wing it with intuition in the kitchen then you're on your own. :>)
3. Once yogurt is warm whisk in  1/2 cup of plain yogurt (see note) Place lid back on crock pot and this is where we get super high tech. Wrap a nice warm blanket or towel around the entire crock pot.
4. Let it sit overnight up to 12 hours or as little as 6hrs. It will look so cozy your toddler will want to sleep with it. 
5. In the morning or 6 - 12 hours later spoon yogurt into containers and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
6. VOILA yogurt!
7. For Greek Yogurt take the refrigerated yogurt (after the 2-3 hours) and pour into a strainer lined with a cheese cloth or coffee filter and place over bowl. Approx 30 mins - 1 hour. warning this process will reduce your yogurt by half. (which is why Greek yogurt is so dang expensive, but not anymore!! mawhahaha take that Walmart!)

reserve 1/2 cup of your batch of homemade yogurt in the freezer for the next time  you make yogurt, repeat this every time you make yogurt and you'll never have to buy it again. 

My valuable friends

DEAR FRIENDS..

I'm so grateful for the friends I have in my life, and as I get older, and life gets harder, and dream realities get shorter, I need my friends even more, even closer. It's hard because it's so easy to let friendships take a back seat  when things get crazy, like my life right now; but it's like all things that are good for you, diet, exercise, marriage, parenting, reading my bible. They all are for my benefit, they are all hard to maintain and keep up, but they're for the benefit of my soul!

I have all sorts of friends in my life, fun friends, one sided friends, spiritual guider friends, laugh till I pee friends, eating out friends, tea friends, and "avoid them!" friends, and then my besties that I can share the good, the bad, and the down right fugly with!

Remember those teen days when you ran crying to your friend, or they came crying to you because their boyfriend broke up with them, or you failed your math test? We comforted our friends by taking their side, and calling there boyfriend and math teacher a royal butt headed loser! They told us what we needed to hear. 

Now as life gets meaner, shorter, and even more confusing, the friends we have in our lives can get us through some pretty dark times and I couldn't do it without them.

It's hard to be vulnerable with others, especially with other women. Women can be wired to be competitive with one another and struggle with keeping up and comparisons. However, when we open ourselves up we realize we are not alone, and that our struggles are not foreign and we can rest in one another. 

Have I mentioned how much I love the friends God has placed in my life!?

I am really blessed.

What makes a soul saving friend? Someone who truly loves you for you, has seen your worst, has grabbed the broom from your closet without asking and swept up the breakfast you didn't have time to clean up before she came over. The friend that wants your marriage to succeed, no more "he's a royal butt headed loser"(which my husband has never been BTW),  but my friend helps me to learn to love my husband better! A friend who will tell you the truth in love for your benefit, after they have taken a lot of time listening to your craziness of a mind unload and after the truth is spoken you feel accepted not judged. A friend who will help you be a better mother, who will encourage your children, and take interest in them. A friend who shares her life with you, her failures, dreams and success. A friend who will give you the warmest hug and ask how you are and when you say "good", they pause and ask again "how are you" and wait for the truth. A friend who looks up your Pinterest account for your pinned recipes to make you what you'd like because your mother is in the hospital. A friend who will pray for you and with you, and share what God has walked them through so you can learn from them, How great our God is. Friends that will let you put on that bikini and sport those bleach white stretch marks and tell you how hot you look! Friends that will ask you, "how is your marriage, how's your heart, how are you finances, how's your diet going?" A friend that will help you keep your eye on the horizon! FRIENDS! 

 I'm blessed because I have friends like these in my life right now!!!!

From the bottom of my heart, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for being such a loving friend to me. I truly couldn't do life without you! 

Emotional numbing low calorie Lasagna

Whenever I'm cranky I want a good hardy, filling, bust my buttons meal! Salads and rice crackers aren't going to cut it! I will deal with my emotional eating someday, but for now I will resort to tricking my body and feeding it goodness disguised as emotional numbing food!

So check out my latest creation! 

Emotional numbing LASAGNA!

2 lbs ground turkey

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1 green pepper diced

1 cup of your favourite filling, mushrooms, carrots, spinach, whatever your taste.

3 cups of tomato sauce add

3 -4 medium zucchinis

6 - Whole Wheat or Spinach Lasagna Noodles

3 cups shredded - Low fat cheese

spices - Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, basil whatever you like:)

1 cup low fat cottage cheese

1 egg white

 Scramble fry the turkey, onion, celery and green pepper until no longer pink. Add tomato sauce, and choice of favourite filling. Let simmer for 20 mins. meanwhile cook your lasagna noodles according to package set aside. Cut Zucchini length ways 1/4 inch thick, set aside. Mix 1 cup low fat cottage cheese with egg whites, salt and pepper to taste and 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Layer, starting with a layer of turkey pasta sauce

then a layer of zucchini slices, (they act as your pasta layer)

then continue...

sauce

zucchini

cottage cheese mixture

sauce

zucchini

sauce

prepared lasagna noodles

remaining cheese

Bake at 375 degrees in centre of oven

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit at least 15 minutes before serving.

Indulged with a glass of red wine, and a big salad and let yourself be anxious for nothing, not even your calories!

Educated guess....  250 calories per serving! Regular lasagna is approx 500 calories/serving!

Finding the Blessings in the Chaos

I once heard a comedian talk about having their 5^th child.. He said “picture yourself drowning, and then someone hands you a baby.” Yep, that’s it to a T! I knew that having a bigger family would be slightly more challenging than having the average 1.5 child plus golden retriever  average family but the more we live day to day with our family of seven the less accommodating things become and the harder it gets.

We can’t book one hotel room without sneaking the children in through Mr. Bundles dirty laundry hampers. We have to book two rooms. We have 5 children, we can’t afford two rooms! We over qualify for family passes, and we can’t book holidays online, we have to phone them in. We never get invited anywhere. People don’t know what to do with all of us to keep us happy. In our heads just being invited makes us happy, heck, we’ll even bring dinner to you just to get out. People assume you have it easier because you have older kids to help with the younger kids. Really!? We’re not the Duggars, go on ask your teen to put out the trash, see how fast they jump up to help.  Alone time does not exist in our home, it died after child 3. I don’t relate to mommy groups anymore because I’m so past the over analysing bowel movements and trendy amber bracelets. Where are the Mommy groups for moms with teen aged girls and toddlers? (maybe my bitterness is why we never get invited, hmm?) Everything is expensive with 7! Everything. When you want to charge us an extra $2.00 for 3D glasses that my 4 year old is just going to smear blind with popcorn grease in the first five minutes of the movie, that’s $14.00 just for the glasses.

Greasy glasses, friendless Fridays, sleepless nights, I wouldn’t trade it for a second. It has taught me so much about myself and life through having a large family. I have learnt and my children are learning that family is a team. We’re a unit that works together to make life easier. I have learnt to minor on the minor things, and major on the major. I know what injuries and behaviors can be looked over and which ones need too be attended to. I am a very calm mother. Which is contrary to what you would think with a big family. Rashes, vomit, blood, screaming, fist fights, they don’t phase me anymore.  It’s the quiet children that send me running “where are you, and what are you up to!?”

I don’t worry so much what other people think because I have had to let that go or else I would implode. People judge the behavior of our children, and my behavior as a mother way more harshly than a family of one. They think because you have more than 3 children you are in over your head.  It’s true, we are, so how about a little help and a little less eye rolling please. I am less materialistic and worried about creating an image, I lost that a long time ago in the Kallispell Walmart remember?  I have also learnt that I am blessed, that my future is set with family and blessing. I am learning that I have love all around me, and a family to huddle with when times get tough. I am learning that life is short, it goes fast and I have very little control over what happens. Learning to let go is leading me to greater freedom within myself and a deeper faith to trust that my needs will be taken care of and we’ll make it through this season stronger, better and blessed.

Salmon Pita Pockets w/ Dill Dip - YUM!!!

I've added some really great Clean recipes to my blog and they'll keep coming! So check often for updates But I'll feature our delicious dinner we had last night! SOOOOOOO good!

Salmon Marinade

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 (6-ounce) fresh skinless salmon fillets

Mix marinade in a bowl and marinade salmon in bag for approx 30 minutes - 1 hour

Dill Dip

2 tbsp fat free sour cream

1/2 tsp fresh dill (I buy it fresh but it freezes well)

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp chopped fine green onion

 Combine ingredients mix and set aside in refrigerator until served.

Fillings:

you can get creative with this but I added

greens

red onion

yellow pepper

avocado 

Push Through... Keep Going

Man, I  think this quote applies to a lot in life. Our finances, our faith, our marriages etc. Life is tough and we have to keep working at it and keep pushing to see the results. Ask my little guy, he'll tell you!

I am pretty sure that's how my pushups look when I do them!

Dentist for Disney

Speaking of pulling teeth I managed to haul 5 kids to the dentist today. I'm not sure what moron booked us in for 8:30am, I ranted, until I realized I was that moron who booked 5 kids for 8:30am on their Easter holidays.

My 4 3/4 year old was the talk of the office how excited he was to be there. He even asked for an x-ray and Fluoride. The dental assistant was shocked.

I installed a verbal point system called bravery points. it started with trying to encourage him to put his face under water at swimming lessons. I told him that if he wanted to go to Disney and ride on rides then he had to be brave. Once he collects so many bravery points he'll be brave enough to go on the rides. So he earned 50 at swimming and 1000 for the dentist! What ever works, right moms?