Second yogurt, misadventure :(

The first greek yogurt made of dairy with ingredients we had in the house (5 meat-eaters and vegan-ish me) was such a spectacular success that I got cocky.

I couldn't find a really good recipe for vegan yogurt so I tried to cobble one together from ideas I liked in several different YouTube videos.  

This was the hilarious in one way, so frustrating I wanted to rip my skin off in another way, misadventure with vegan yogurt.

I put 1 cup of cashews for creaminess in the Vitamix

Then 3 cups of gluten-free rolled oats. 

Then 7 cups water and let set for 20 minutes.

Blended for 30 seconds. 

Poured in saucepan to cook on medium high for 20 minutes.  <--this is where the fun starts. 

As I stirred the thick mixture on the medium heat with a wire whisk I was horrified by how thick it was.  I kept saying "It's like pancake batter!"  I kept whisking it over heat and it kept getting thicker, so I started adding cups of water.  Each time, it thinned it, but as I whisked it jut got thick again.  It seemed to make no difference.  I know I added three cups of water but I think it was actually four cups, until there was no more room in the saucepan.

Then I let it cool and asked for help on Facebook.   One friend posted a video about making cashew milk and oat milk and I noticed the ratio was one cup cashew/oats to four cups water.  Also they presoaked the cashews for a full day.  And they used ice cold water for the oat water.

So I put my pot of coconut vegan yogurt in a bowl and added some of the cashew/oat pancake batter, as well as two capsules of probiotics.  Then I added two more cups of cashew/oat pancake batter and three cups of water and blended them with an inversion blender after each cup.  The result was thick like cream liquid.   

Then I put the cover on the pot and put in the incubator and set it for 10 hours Greek yogurt setting.

I'm a little afraid it will be more like bread than yogurt, but fingers crossed it will work out all right.

Result:  In the morning I opened the yogurt and it was like a thin milky liquid, it had not thickened up at all.  I tasted it and it tasted tart yogurt though.

I put it in for 8 hours more and when I came home from work it has a layer of thicker like yogurt on the top but underneath was still liquid like water.  I threw it all outside after drinking about 1/2 cup of it.

Back to the drawing board.

First Yogurt, Success!

 Using the Bear Yogurt Maker, I successfully made first batch of yogurt.  Its a  great success!!

Only had on hand the ingredients to make dairy yogurt.

First I put the lids and jars in dishwasher to sterilize them.  Dishwasher takes 3 hours.

I cooked 4 cups of 2% organic milk on the stove medium heat, stirring with a whisk for 20 minutes, then let cool to room temperature while waiting for the dishwasher.  

I do not have, so did not use a thermometer to make sure it was 180F. Put the lid over the saucepan while it cooled to keep it sterile, also do not know the temperature when it cooled to room temperature.

When  the dishwasher was done I added two capsules of probiotic digestive enzymes and almost one container of lemon Choboni yogurt to the milk, stirring with a whisk to make sure it was well combined.

Then poured the milk/yogurt in the sterilized container and set the Bear Yogurt Maker for Greek-style yogurt which is 10 hours incubation time.

When I woke up this morning it was done so I opened the lid and the yogurt had set and was completely solid, really nice and thick. I'm so pleased!  Set as thick as custard!  I tasted it, and it is very sour like lemon. Then I re-covered it and put it in the fridge.  It will need to be sweetened before eating.

It was a complete success!!  

Yogurt so thick a spoon stood up in it!  And it was tart but I added sugar and jam to those who wanted fruit flavors, and added maple syrup to mine because that's my favorite flavor.  It was spectacularly good!

Next I will buy the ingredients to make non-dairy yogurt!

Yogurt Maker

 In the book French Women Don't Get Fat, Mireille Guiliano encourages women to cook more and specifically to make your own yogurt.   

For some reason I really loved that suggestion.  I've always loved yogurt and the idea of making healthy yogurt at home, vegan or dairy, has captured my imagination.   I started watching YouTube videos on the best ways to make yogurt.  

The basic two ingredients are milk and live active culture. Simple.  

But the instructions looked fiddly, time consuming, and annoying.  

Basically to make yogurt you need to heat milk to 180°F and hold it there for 20 minutes (to kill bad bacteria).  

Next wait for it cool to 110F,  then you can add the live active culture. Incubate the yogurt for several hours undisturbed until it sets/thickens, but the temperature must remain 108°F to 112°F (never below 100F) for yogurt bacteria to grow properly. The longer it sits the more tart the yogurt is.

I definitely get the impression if you want the yogurt as thick as you buy it in stores then you need to refrigerate the yogurt for several hours, as the last step.

Mireille Guiliano has a video using a Donvier Yogurt Maker with eight individual glass pots that doesn't look much easier than using a Crockpot or Instapot, because you still have to boil the milk then cool to a certain number of degrees before adding the active live culture. Then you pour that in the eight little pots and keep them undisturbed as the machine keeps them at a lukewarm temperature for several hours until it sets/thickens.

I really wanted a one-stop shop because if its too fiddly I won't actually use it.  So I watched all the videos of all the available yogurt makers and the simplest and most convenient, well designed of glass and stainless steel yogurt maker for my money is the Bear Yogurt Maker. The reason is because all you have to do is make sure the glass pot is sterilized by putting boiled water in it, then adding  the milk and live active culture. 

If that turns out to be wrong, if I still have to heat the milk first to 180F for twenty minutes and then cool it to 110F before putting it in the machine then I probably will not use it very often.

I bought it.   I''m excited for it to arrive so I can try it.  Below are some pictures.  

(p.s. Another good choice might be the more expensive Luvele Yogurt Maker, which like the old plastic Williams-Sonoma Yogurt Maker ha a timer up to 24 hours, as well three specific heat settings.)

Bear makes two different yogurt makers and I'm glad I got the one I got but I wish I'd seen the other one, because its less expensive and I would have liked it just as much or more, because it makes more yogurt.

Below is a comparison of the two models.

The first makes 32 oz and has a strainer, as well as the stainless steel heater. It's compact. (To buy a yogurt strainer separately costs from $14-40)

1. Bear Yogurt Maker, Greek Yogurt Maker Machine with Strainer and Timer Control, Yogurt Maker with Stainless Steel Inner Pot, Automatic Digital Yogurt Maker with 2 Glass Jars 1 Quart/32oz for Home Organic Yogurt, Cheese Maker, Fruit Wine Maker, Black (black) $54.99

The second is the one I might prefer because it makes 40-42 oz of yogurt, but the heater is all plastic, and one person complained in the reviews that the temperature gauge stopped working after a year.

2. Bear 2-in-1 Yogurt Maker, Plant Yogurt Maker with 10 Cups (2 * 21oz Glass Jars & 8*Ceramic Cups),Yogurt Maker Machine with Timer & Temperature Control, Automatic Digital Display Yogurt Maker $34.99

Rough Sketch

 

While cobbling together ideas for how I'll proceed to create a good, healthy diet,  I'll list what has worked and what has stymied me in the past. 

-If counting calories then all simple fruits and veg are free, unlimited, uncounted calories.  Even if they are mixed together in a salad or a smoothie.

-Need to figure out how to get enough iron and protein.  Dark chocolate every day will help with the iron, but the protein is a big deal.

-Taking MSM everyday seemed to alleviate loose skin while losing a lot of fat, but I wonder/worry if it also contributed to the gall bladder issue.

-Motivation to make good food choices everyday was really helped by focusing on the goal of being slim and healthy.  The unexpected joyous consequence was being included in the unofficial slim girls club . Among women who give you unsolicited tips on delicious treats that won't ruin your diet.  Like the cashier at the gas station/grocery store telling me about buying little mini cups of ice cream in from Wal-Mart that were only 120 calories each.  She made me feel included in the most wonderful club in the world.   And guys who he told me I was "out of [his] league".  It was weird and wonderful to be treated like a special person for nothing more than being slim. Although the negative part of that was like being rich, it made me feel like I didn't trust guys really liked me, I thought that I just fit the image of someone who would increase their perceived value.  That creeped me out.

-Motivation to make good food choices everyday was really helped by focusing on the goal of looking good in clothes like pretty underwear, sexy footwear and stockings.  Being able to shop at second hand shops and find the cutest little clothes that look adorable.Trying them on in the dressing room and being a smaller size than the last time I went shopping.

-Need to figure out how to get more exercise in everyday. Two problems: my job is sitting down all day for 10 hours. Used to walk my dog everyday but taking care of an elderly person now means they get anxious if I'm not at work and also not with them.  They are very needy/dependent on my company to keep their emotional equilibrium.  This is a burden when I already have the burden of sitting all day.

-Need to figure out a good daily menu that is easy to bring to work, and make when I get home. Lack of time to care for self is the real issue, caring for others whether its work or caretaking means time away from self-care.

-Favorite diets are Dr John McDougall low-fat diet -as well as High Carb Hannah who uses Dr McDougall's plan. Also Medical Medium's daily celery juice and focus on fresh fruit and veg are great.  Hoping that Mireille Guiliano's Fat Women Don't Get Fat ideas will be helpful too.

-Mireille Guiliano suggests making yogurt everyday and I like that idea but I have to figure out the way that would be easiest for me, and how to make non-dairy yogurt. 

-I'd also like to learn how to make kombucha that I love. Dr Pepper, Root Beer, Ginger Ale, and Cola flavors. For some reason I'm nervous about making kombucha, maybe if I just start it will be easier than I imagine it would be.

-Vegan yogurt, kombucha, frozen fruit smoothies, vegetable juices, and fruit juices to flavor water are my favorite fast foods that feel at least not unhealthy.  My favorite physicians argue they are junk food but I think if homemade they are easy and deicious, and much better than ice cream, and soda pop.

French Women Don't Get Fat, part 2

Part two is at least 48 hours of Magical Leek Soup

"For in America, I had gotten into some habits: eating standing up, not making my own food, living off whatever (n’importe quoi, as the French say), as other kids were doing. Brownies and bagels were particular hazards; we had nothing quite like them at home, so who could tell how rich they were?

Forty eight hours of Leek Soup.

Dr. Miracle, the family physician who helped me wake up and recover from my weight gain, was something of a gourmand. He gave me a number of recipes, but none more important than the one he gave me for the first, and only, “tough” weekend. On reflection, it wasn’t so tough at all, because of his “magical leek soup,” a trick used by many of the local women for generations. He had pscribed it to both my mother and grandmother at one point or another.

Leeks are a mild diuretic, and 48 hours or so of leek soup would provide immediate results to jump-start the recasting. For me, it was the start of a lifelong commitment to wellness as well as the beginning of my appreciation, my love, of leeks, about which there is much more to say. It is a trick I still use from time to time; do try it the first weekend.

It’s a pretty basic regimen: The juice is to be drunk (reheated or room temperature to taste) every 2-3 hours, a cup at a time. This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish (4 – 6oz.–don’t lose that scale yet!), with two vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or oil, and a piece of fruit.

Recipe for Magical Leek Soup 
Serves one for the weekend

2 lbs. leeks
Water to cover in a large pot

1. Clean leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut end of green parts leaving all the white parts plus a suggestion of green. (Reserve the extra greens for soup stock.

2. Put leeks in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer with no lid for 20-30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and reserve. Place the leeks in a bowl. Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season sparingly with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley if you wish, and voilà!

When completed part two, then move on to part three . . . 

French Women Don't Get Fat, part 1

 On Audible I'm listening to French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.

First Step is to keep a diary of food for three weeks. Here is an excerpt from "French Women Don't Get Fat" 

"Then something of a Yuletide miracle occurred. Or perhaps I should say, Dr. Miracle, who showed up thanks to my mamie. Over the long holiday break, she asked the family physician, Dr. Meyer, to pay a call. She did this most discreetly, careful not to bruise me further. Dr. Meyer had watched me grow up, and he was the kindest gentleman on earth. He assured me that getting back in shape would be really easy and just a matter of a few “old French tricks.” By Easter, he promised, I’d be almost back to my old self, and certainly by the end of the school year in June I’d be ready to wear my old bathing suit, the one I’d packed for America. As in a fairy tale, it was going to be our secret. (No use boring anyone else with the particulars of our plan, he said.) And the weight would go away much faster than it came. Sounded great to me. Of course, I wanted to put my faith in Dr. Meyer, and fortunately, there didn’t seem to be many options at the time.

DR. MIRACLE’S WEEKEND PRESCRIPTION

For the next three weeks, I was to keep a diary of everything I ate. This is a strategy that will sound familiar from some American diet programs, such as Weight Watchers. I was to record not only what and how much, but also when and where. There was no calorie counting, not that I could have done that. The stated purpose was simply for him to gauge the nutritional value of what I was eating (it was the first time I ever heard the word). Since nothing more was asked of me, I was only too happy to comply. This is the first thing you should do, too.

Dr. Meyer demanded no great precision in measurement. Just estimate, he said, stipulating “a portion” as the only unit of quantity and roughly equal to a medium-size apple. In America, where the greatest enemy of balanced eating is ever bigger portions, I suggest a little more precision. Here’s where the small kitchen scale comes in. (Bread, which sometimes comes in huge slices here, might be more easily weighed than compared with an apple, which seems bigger here, too!)"

When I complete part one I will begin with part two . . .

Indoor Fireworks

 Today's earworm is the Elvis Costello song Indoor Fireworks, about fighting with others and internal conflict.

I've held pretty steady at the weight of 215-219 for several years now.

Having an office job that requires me to sit 8 hours a day Monday -Friday and then come home to care for Mom where she gets hard to manage anxiety whenever I leave the house means that I don't take my dog for daily walks the way I used to.  It means both he and I get a lot less exercise and we both need it.

So where to start?   Weight loss always  means for me, to change diet.  Exercise just greases the wheels for steady weight loss, doesn't create weight loss; keeps body stronger and healthier to make it easier.

So to change diet the plan is to follow the "French Women Don't Get Fat" plan by Mireille Guiliano.   To first write down everything I eat for three weeks and examine it afterwards.

Then Leek soup (or onion soup) diet for 48+ hours.

Then focus on vegetables and fruit for all meals except one dessert per day.  Perhaps limit fats and grains to a yet to be determined amount.

Now - - - - on board for a lifetime journey towards wellness!

How many calories do I need?  Female 50+

Sedentary 1600.   Moderately Active 1800.   Active 2000 -2200.

Mayo Clinic Calorie Calculator  To maintain 125 lbs: 

Inactive 1450. Somewhat active 1600. Active 1750. Very Active 2050.