Mmmmmmm....yogurt. I love it. I never eat it because my body hates Dairy. Which is sad, really, because I love to dealve into a hunk of cheese or drink a creamy latte. I’m lactose intolerant, like many others, Nature
did not intend for me to slurping back milk after I was
done nursing. Many bodies are unprepared for the onslaught of creamy milk products. My digestive tract certainly isn’t lined up for it!!
Fortunately, there are many good lactose-free products on the market. I often substitute my milk with a dairy alternative, my favourite being, coconut. I drink my coffee with coconut milk and honey. I buy lactose-free yogurts at the grocery store, or I avoid Dairy all together. It’s not all that difficult to avoid and I feel healthier when it’s out of my life, but I miss it. Not anymore!! I’m done paying a premium for lactose-free!! I just made yogurt. Lactose free yogurt!! All you require is an organic high fat yogurt and some whole milk.
As I write this blog, I’m munching on blueberries drizzled with honey, sunflower seeds, craisins and granola all wrapped up in one of my favourite substances, plain yogurt. It’s tart, it’s creamy and delicious. It’s also incredibly versatile. It blends well into soups, Indian dishes, is a perfect sour cream substitute and makes a yummy high protein breakfast bowl!!
While meandering through Pinterest, I found a yogurt recipe for my Instant Pot. I don’t know if you have an Instant Pot but I got one on sale, right before Christmas. I love to cook delicious meals for my family. I actually refuse to slip onto that slope of convenience. Though convenience food might lower my stress level around dinner time, as I’m frantically trying to fill bellies before evening activities, I’d lose sleep. I’d rather provide my family with minimal ingredient dishes, healthy fats and nourishing meals than a store bought alternative. The Instant Pot makes this easier. One pot meals, full of whole ingredients, in a fraction of the time. I’ve made a whole chicken in 35 minutes, rice in 10 minutes, bone broth or bolognese sauce in a couple of hours...these meals used to take me all day.
If you’re not convinced by now, that you should probably throw out your slow cooker and buy an Instant Pot (the Instant Pot also has a slow cooker option), then let’s talk about homemade yogurt. I was intimidated to make yogurt. I tried a few years back and it was a complete and utter failure. My issue was lactose. I went out and bought lactose free milk and followed the instructions to make my yogurt from a yogurt stater. If you know anything about yogurt making, this makes no sense. The cultures in yogurt eat lactose. The trick to lactose free yogurt is a longer incubation period. Let the bacteria eat all of that lactose for you! If you’re not lactose intolerant then you can make yogurt with your Instant Pot in about 8 hours, if you are lactose intolerant, you let it incubate for 24 hours.
Here’s the link to the yogurt recipe I followed, it worked out perfectly!!
Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts! Feel free to comment below with any questions, concerns or if you just liked this Big Idea!!
