(No. I’m not in NYC. Yes, I’m still a litte sick thus the delay in yesterday’s exploring post. But we’re getting closer to our regular days for which I am grateful.)
Our kitchen has been cranking out one thing regularly and one thing very well. Yogurt.
It is Bobby’s obsession right now, thanks to the help of his maker. We’ve also been enjoying greek yogurt, which requires more patience and a lot of whey straining. (The base of that container above will be totally filled with beautiful whey and leave thick greek yogurt.)
I’ve begun a new hobby of looking for ways to use all the healthy, probiotic whey that is leftover. In smoothies? In breads? In healthy lemonade? To make homemade ricotta? I’m experimenting. It can replace water in so many recipes and adds so much more nutrition than water can provide.
{My afternoon snack of greek yogurt, pecans, and a drizzle of maple syrup}
In other experimenting, we tried making a cookie I pinned. No flour, sugar, or eggs. It literally is oats, 3 mashed bananas, unsweetened applesauce, cocoa, vanilla extract, and some peanut butter.
We made our batch with a little more natural peanut butter and some added shredded coconut (for more sweetness). The original recipe is here.
They definitely aren’t a chocolate chip cookie but are actually mildly sweet and surprisingly hearty. My girls actually were crazy about them. Definitely a cookie, in terms of ingredients, that they can have multiples of. And only roughly 50 calories a cookie. They really should be called fruities.
We’ve veered from our usual homemade granola and made Feeding the Whole Family: Recipes for Babies, Young Children, and Their Parents‘s Maple Butter Nut Granola.
It is faster to throw together than our usual and with a few replacements (flax seeds for pumpkin seeds for example) it was mixed, baked, and enjoyed immediately after.
So this morning we enjoyed the granola and last of the greek yogurt over peaches. We are all ready to remind Daddy that we’re out of yogurt. Annabelle is hoping for a pink batch of yogurt (I’m thinking strawberry) and Ainsleigh wants blue.
What is happening in your kitchen this week?
the sleepy time gal
yay for homemade yogurt! i’ve been experimenting myself these past few weeks and am looking to try some greek yogurt soon! yes, i read the whey can be used in place of buttermilk even in so many recipes!
Yes! It is thrilling, isn’t it?
Just added the yoghurt maker to the wedding registry!!! Is it super easy? I’d love to see some of your favourite recipes
Lisa- the yogurt maker is super easy to use. We bought the greek yogurt strainer separate so we could make both. I’ll definitely update in this space of some of our favorite recipes!
Everything looks so good! I’ve made yogurt plenty of times before – in a yogurt maker and my crock pot – but it tends to be pretty watery and I’ve been impatient with the process so I’ve started buying it again. *sigh* When I WAS making yogurt and straining it, though, I would save the whey and use it in pancakes, for soaking oats and so forth. Here’s an article I pinned about ways to use it: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/06/16-ways-to-use-your-whey.html.
I also made those cookies! I like them, but I liked these better (similar concept): http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html. Every time I went to make it I only had 2 bananas, so I reduced the almond meal measure (and actually used white wheat flour instead, since I don’t typically have almond meal on hand). I omitted the salt because it tasted too salty and used 1/2c dark chocolate chips. I’ve also doubled the recipe to make bar cookies – really good! Of course you can add other things, like dried fruit or whatever.
A similar variation on the above recipe that I have yet to try is Carrot Oatmeal Cookies: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/carrot-oatmeal-cookies-recipe.html. I also love playing around with the healthier desserts on Chocolate Covered Katie (http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com) – there’s a deep dish cookie pie that uses chick peas and a brownie recipe that uses black beans, and I almost always reduce the sugar. She has some good oatmeal recipes, too, and I add applesauce as a sweetener.
Thanks for the awesome links. I do think I’m going to try your variation of the cookie. Thanks!
This is so, so cool!
My kitchen is completely taken over this week by sewing projects that I have been dying to get done. I’m giving myself one crazy week. Counters are full and the table is overflowing with scraps. It’s a disaster, but I love it and I am getting so much done. I can’t wait until I’m done and I can see the fruits of all my labor. 3 coats and 6 hats is the goal.
I am still thinking about your post from yesterday. It was so beautiful and haunting, and such a perfect example of why both of us have chosen to educate our children this way. Love you.
How ambitious! Good luck burning the midnight oil!