Today, before I get into the "how to" section of this post, I want to talk about a story. In Matthew 25 of the New Testament, Jesus tells us a story of a master and 3 servants. He gave all three servants talents (money) to steward, or be responsible for, while he was gone. The first servant was given 5 talents, while the second was given 2 talents and the third was given one. The first two servants invested their talents and doubled what they were given, while the third servant buried his talent in the sand because he was afraid of his master. When the master came back, he praised the first two servants, who doubled their talents. He told the first one, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much." However, he was very angry at the third servant for being lazy and not trusting his master enough to do as he was told. He called him a wicked and slothful servant.
I feel,as a homemaker, I can relate to this story in many ways. I don't know how to invest money, that is not one of my gifts. I do, however, know (or am learning) how to stretch money. In the last month, I have brought my grocery bill down from $150 to $100 a week. That's a saving of $200 a month!! I have to admit I can't buy organic, grass fed meat, and I have to be decisive on which produce items I can buy organic, but my family has access to whole, healthy foods and our budget is just a little bit easier to manage. I am trying my best to "be faithful over a little," even if it means taking the time to make some of our food myself. I don't want my slothfulness or laziness to cost my family money we could be saving or investing.
Of all of our grocery items, Greek Yogurt is one of my favorites. It is the most versatile ingredient in my kitchen. I use it to replace sour cream in everything, mashed Potatoes with a small amount of Greek Yogurt are fantastic!! A few days ago I made a wonderful broccoli salad using Greek Yogurt and honey. I use it to make salad dressing and my husband mixes it with Sriracha and puts it on everything!! It goes in my morning protein shake and my son wants it with honey every morning for breakfast. What can't you use Greek Yogurt for? I don't think there is a better way to add a little good gut bacterium to your diet.
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| My little guy could be a Yogurt spokesperson!! |
It's good for you, it's versatile, is there a problem?
It is expensive. A quart of Greek Yogurt at Costco costs about $5. With the amount of yogurt we consume, we could easily spend $20 a month on yogurt, if not more. I can buy hamburger for the month, or a gym membership for the same price. And this isn't even organic!! I believe my beloved Greek Yogurt is worth that much, but why pay so much for something when you don't have to. A penny saved is a penny earned. With this recipe, I can fill 2 Costco containers of FAGE Greek Yogurt for about $3. Yes, you heard me, three dollars. One Gallon of milk will make a little more than 2 quarts of Greek Yogurt.
"I don't want to buy a special yogurt maker," you might say. That's good. Yogurt makers don't make enough yogurt to feed my family's yogurt habit for a day, much less a week. All you need is a good old fashioned crock pot, an oven and a couple of towels and you are on your way to thick, creamy, wonderful Greek Yogurt.
How to Make Greek Yogurt with a Gallon of Milk and a Crock Pot:
Here is what you need:- One Gallon of Milk
- At least a 6 quart Crock Pot
- Thermometer - I use a digital thermometer that has an alarm on it
- 1 1/2 cups of starter yogurt ( I used FAGE Greek yogurt)
- Oven
- 2 Towels
- Very Large bowl
- Very Large Strainer
- Large piece of cheesecloth or muslin cloth (I use muslin because it's reusable and strains better)
- Spoon
- 2 one quart container to store your Greek Yogurt
- Pour milk into crock pot.
- Heat on high for 2 to 3 hours, until temperature reaches 175-180. This kills any bacteria in the milk and prevents the milk from forming curds.
- Once milk reaches 175 to 180 degrees, turn off slow cooker, uncover and allow milk to cool to 115-110 degrees.
- Once milk is cool, turn on you oven to lowest setting. Add your starter yogurt and stir all of the lumps out.
- While you are stirring the yogurt, turn the crock pot back on high until the outside of the pot is hot to the touch.
- Wrap your ceramic pot with lid in two large towels. I wrap one around it each way.
- Turn off you oven and place the pot wrapped in towels in the oven.
- Leave the pot in the oven for 12 hours. You may need to remove your oven rack.
- After 12 hours, remove the pot, it should still be a little warm on the bottom. Whisk the yogurt to get the clumps out.
- Put your strainer in your large bowl, line you strainer with muslin cloth and pour yogurt into strainer. Let it set for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. I usually let mine drain for several ours to get really thick yogurt
- Take out 2 1/2 cups of yogurt and put in a container for a starter for your next batch. Label it accordingly so it doesn't get eaten.
This is our bounty!! I turned 1 gallon of milk into
2 quarts of Greek yogurt and enough whey to
make another pie and feed my herb garden
for a couple of weeks. I more than doubled my talents!! - Put yogurt into your containers for storage. I have three FAGE containers that I clean and reuse. That way I can make it and store it if we haven't finished one from a previous batch.
- Enjoy your homemade Greek yogurt!!
I got these instructions from: Pounds for Pennies
Have any of you seen the new salad dressing trend? Fewer calories when you buy salad dressing made with Greek Yogurt!! Sometimes it costs over $4 a bottle. Here is a recipe from "Your Grocery Budget Toolbox" by Anne Simpson of Authentic Simplicity.
- 1 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup of buttermilk (I make my own, 1/4 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup, fill to 1/4 cup with milk. Let stand for 5 minutes.)
- 1 teaspoon of dried chives
- 1 teaspoon of dried dill
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Mix together in a bowl or blend in a blender(I like to use my magic bullet). Refrigerate several hours before serving. Use more milk for thinner dressing or less for a dip.
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| I also used some ricotta cheese from my mozzarella cheese making experiments on this salad!! |
Now that we've saved money on our Greek Yogurt, how else can we spend a little less frivolously? How can we be "faithful with few things?"
Thank You for reading my blog post. I hope you enjoyed it and took something good away with you.
May your joy be full,
Rachel
19 “Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more. 23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master."
Matthew 25:19-23
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