~ Strawberry Kefir Yogurt ~

My daughter loves dairy, specifically yogurt and kefir. I had a room temp yogurt culture, the Matsoni from Cultures for Health and loved it but then my supply of raw milk was inconsistent so I let the yogurt go and kept up with the kefir. I also purchased my kefir grains from Cultures for Health and love them. I even preheated them to 400 degrees and they lived. Kefir grains are not tolerant of high heat, but these little guys keep right on trucking. For more info on the products that Cultures for Health carries please see the link on the left sidebar.

Grace loves kefir and has it three to four times a day and she is rarely sick. In fact, this winter, when that horrible stomach bug was going around she was the only on that didn't get it. I believe that from eating all the kefir she does she has exceptional gut flora which in turn gives her an exceptional immune system.

Bowl, strainer, flour sack towel.

To make yogurt out of kefir I lay a clean flour sack towel in a strainer and pour my kefir in. I put the strainer on top of a bowl to collect they whey that drains out. As the whey drains the kefir thickens. I let it sit over night and it is perfect "greek" yogurt. Smooth and creamy. Past flavors have included Vanilla Maple and today we made Strawberry.

I blended a dozen half frozen strawberries in the food processor and then dumped in my strained kefir. I didn't add any sugar which I love and then members of the family who need a  little extra sweet can add some raw honey.

I was considering getting a yogurt culture again but I think I will order another batch of kefir grains and make a gallon of kefir at a time. We make a half gallon at a time at the moment but that doesn't last very long especially when it isn't just Grace that is eating the kefir yogurt.

Super simple and super good!

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Homestead Barn Hop
Traditional Tuesday Blog Hop

~ Spicy Sweet Potato Frittata ~

I make at least two baked egg dishes a week. It is an easy way to get everyone fed and they all love eggs (good thing because we get about 40 a day).

3 nitrate free grassfed spicy chicken sausage or 3 strips of turkey bacon (sausage removed from casing and crumbled)

1 large organic onion chopped

2 large organic sweet potato, 1/2 inch diced

1 organic red bell pepper, 1/4 dice

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp curry powder

8 pastured eggs

1/2 cup raw heavy cream

1 1/2 cup raw or organic sharp cheddar

salt and pepper

1 bunch of green onions, garnish

Saute your sausage/bacon, onion, sweet potatoes, and red pepper in some coconut oil until soft. Blend eggs and cream together. If you used a cast iron pan you can pour your eggs right into your sweet potato mixture, top with cheese and pop into the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.

Monday Mania

Real Food Wednesday

Simple Lives Thursday

~ Apple Date Nut Granola (grain free) ~

I didn't have any oats soaked and dehydrated to make granola but had all of my nuts and seeds soaked and ready to go so this is what I came up with.
1 c crispy almonds
1 c crispy walnuts
1 c crispy pecans
1 c crispy cashews
1 c of soaked and dehydrated sunflower seeds
4 Pippin apples, cored and peeled 8 whole dates, pitted and rough chopped
1/4 melted coconut oil

I have a small food processor so I did processed one cup of nuts/seeds at a time. Process them just enough to break them into small pieces. Dump all the nuts into a bowl. Process your apples till they are really small but not mush. Add apples to bowl. Process your dates as small as you can get them. Add dates to apples and nuts. Pour coconut oil in and mix well. Spread on a well oiled or parchment covered sheet pan and bake at 200 for 45 minutes. This turned out so well and because it is all nuts it is protein packed and the kids don't have to eat as much to get full. And, there is no added sugar, which is a bonus for the sugar sensitive people in this house. This post is shared at:

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Tuesday Twister

Real Food Wednesday

Simple Lives Thursday

Pennywise Platter Thursday

~ Breakfast on the Go ~

Long story short, I ran out of baking dishes so I had to get creative when it came to the baked oatmeal. Used my favorite unbleached paper liners (my pans are aluminum) and filled them to the top with oatmeal batter. They turned out prefect and would be a great quick grab and go breakfast. You could even bake a bunch at the beginning of the week so that you had them when you needed them.