Easy, Cheap and kid friendly homemade yogurt

All of know that yogurt contains an impressive health benefits!!!
I shall not go into explaining all the benefits (Mr. Google it)

I've been making home made yogurt ever since baby Sienna was 6 months old when she started solid food and have been continuously making it up till now (4+ years) for my 2 babies (baby Si and baby Skye) + mummy + daddy!!!

I have to thank my mother-in-grace (Mr. Hubby's mom) for teaching me how to make yogurt aka Indian yogurt which the Indians have been making it for generations...

Good, yummy, nutritious yogurt:

The secret is to use a stainless steel container...keeps the warmness n temperature constant.
(But if you don't have a stainless steel container, boil milk normally in a pot and pour it into a thick glass container and wrap it with a thick hand towel to keep the heat in)

Do this at night before you go to bed...

1) boil (the amount you want) full cream/UHT fresh a.k.a in the USA as vitamin D (red cap) milk in a stainless steel container till bubbles is form almost to the top.
(Medium to low flame).
I usually set my timer and come back just in time it forms tiny bubbles then I stand by the stove to babysit it till it bubbles to almost the top... this takes practise but after a few tries, you will get it right!!!
(or else it will easily spill over and cleaning up "split milk" is no easy task!!!)...
Another "safe" inefficient way is to stand by the stove the entire time... Lols!!!

2) turn off flame n leave to "temperature that is warm enough to touch"

3) take one spoon of store bought plain yogurt (can be straight out of fridge)... Just ONE table spoon is needed... And stir it gently into the warm milk. Cover it with a plate/cover.

4) leave it overnight and voila the next morning u will get solid yogurt...real solid!!! More solid/thick than store bought yogurt!

5) keep in fridge (usually last up to 2 weeks). Once you are running low on supply, repeat same process for a new batch using ONE table spoon of your current batch of home made yogurt. Make sure you take the more "solid"/thick yogurt part. We call this the "starter" aka culture... and then start making your new batch with it!

No more buying expensive store bought yogurt!!! Your wallet n Mr. Hubby will thank you for saving lots of $$...then use that savings to go shopping... Lols!!!
P/s: Store bought yogurt is filled with high sugar content, coloring, preservatives, etc!

If your yogurt is not formed, in a pot, warmed up water (water level should be to the level of ur yogurt). Put the closed container containing the yogurt into the pot until your yougurt forms. Make sure water is not too hot or else it kills the "good" bacteria...

Ideas with using yogurt:
~Add pureed fruit, baby cereal, etc to yogurt.

For older kids:
~add kids cereal, muesli, granola, raisins, chopped fruits, honey, chia seeds, sesame seed, oatmeal, crushed graham crackers, etc

~overnight oats (just substitute milk with yogurt or do half milk- half yogurt).
Here's my simple 5 mins recipe:
Http://karmie080808.blogspot.com/2016/09/breakfast-ready-in-5-mins.html?m=1

~substitute the unhealthy mayonnaise with your healthy homemade yogurt!

~curry chicken!!! Substitute unhealthy coconut milk with your healthy homemade yogurt!

~yogurt rice aka curd rice Indian style...

~Blend it with any of your kids favorite food to make smoothies...
Sienna & Skyler top 3 favorites are mango smoothie, strawberry banana smoothie, peanut butter chocolate banana smoothie. (Be sure to freeze the cut fruits beforehand).

~You can freeze the smoothies and serve it as ice cream on hot summer days!!!
I GUARANTEE you that your kids will cleaned up their bowl in no time n asking for MORE!!!
All these are great for adults too...the whole family can enjoy nutritious yummy food..

Tip:
~ if you are travelling (or wanting a yogurt break) keep a tablespoon of yogurt in the freezer n once you are ready for a new batch defrost it overnight in fridge n it's ready as your starter!!!

~ don't panic if a layer of liquid forms on top when your yogurt is ready. It's called whey. Although it consists mainly of water, whey also contains a little bit of protein, potassium, and calcium.

~make a small batch if it's your first time. Once you are an expert, you can make a big batch using the same steps!

Enjoy!!! ;)

Let me know if you have any tips or how your yogurt making goes... 

Lets 'IRON" it out

Ever since becoming a mom, I have put more thought into the things that go into my mouth, and especially my 2 kids' mouths!!!

When the opportunity came for this momma to learn about the new range of Nestlé’s newly improved Cerelac Cereals, I didn't turn it down! Instead I looked forward as I never want to stop learning...to better myself as a mom... one can never stop learning, can we?

Photo credit: Nestlé Cerelac

So what's so special with this new range? Not only does it have a new look, it is also the only brand in Singapore that has a new baby cereal recipe that contains soya in it. But the best part is it's packed with a load full of IRON!!! 

How much more? 30% more than the previous cerelac cereals range... Which meets more than 50% of my baby's daily iron requirement (just in 1 serving!!!)

Photo credit: Nestlé Cerelac

Photo credit: Nestlé Cerelac

Why is it that iron is SO important especially in the first 2 years of a growing baby? 

That's because their brain develops rapidly and iron is needed to ensure that the body has enough red blood cells to transport oxygen to all body parts especially the brain, to facilitate growth...Iron also supports your baby's natural  defences.

Since this momma is still fully breastfeeding my 2 year old son, I have always made sure to try to eat a well balanced meal and to take supplements to make sure my baby is getting more than enough ("kiasu" much??? Lols...) !!!
But now that he's turning 2 years old in a few days time, he's been eating mostly solid food and is getting more choosy n fussy by the day...  he used to eat EVERYTHING...especially his veggies!!! But now that his tastebuds have fully developed, it's not the case anymore... Time for this momma to IRON things out!!!

I gave baby Skye the cerelac cereal "Oats, Wheat, Prunes" to try. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive giving it as baby Skye is at the age of rejecting ALL things MUSH aka baby food!!! To my surprise, he took to the taste immediately and soon after, "jie jie" Sienna joined in the taste test too n the rest is history... both of them cleaned up the whole bowl.... they must think that it's a yummy dessert pudding... this momma is a happy momma... 

IRON = checked!!!
Healthy babies = happy momma = happy family!!!

Who says baby food is dull n boring...
I have since added it to all their favourite food... yogurt, made it into overnight oats, Milo, fresh milk, smoothies, home made ice cream, etc... let ur imagination run wild... my 2 kids ate "Cray Cray" over raisins... so add raisins to it, it'll be gone in no time...

One can never get enough of IRON... the most is a little problem with doing ur big business... constipation perhaps???

So how do we know if our child is getting enough iron??? Thank God for technology... the peeps at Nestle have come up with an IRON calculator!!! It's so simple, user friendly and interactive...

1st: click on the link below
https://www.nestlebaby.com.sg/cerelac-iron-calculator/
2nd: select each tab from every food category and select their respective servings
3rd: it generates the estimated iron intake for your child.

So here's baby Skye's RESULT!!! 

76% iron intake "you are good"...

He barely passed...Lols...

Nestle CERELAC IRON Calculator is a quick and convenient way for mums, and even dads, to find out exactly how much more iron your child needs or evaluate if they are already meeting the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI).

Photo credit: Nestlé Cerelac

Have fun with it!!!

Disclaimer: This is a Media invite. All opinions are solely ours. We were presented with a gift basket for the purpose of this review.