Some yogurt troubles

            I have not written in a while, but let’s try to get back into it.

I recently made a failed yogurt. It seemed to be all right when it was done fermenting, but then it unexpectedly spoiled faster than any prior batch. I looked into potential causes of this, and I found that this can be caused by contaminated yogurt starter, improper storage of the finished yogurt, or the yogurt itself getting contaminated. It definitely was a bit discouraging, and I was disappointed to have to throw out about a third of a gallon of yogurt, but I am hoping it was a one-time fluke of the yogurt getting contaminated. Last night I made another batch, and it will be ready in a few hours. I hope I will have better yogurt this time.

I have been mostly using my yogurt in overnight oats that I eat for breakfast. I have also been using it to make a really quick homemade pizza dough that has been a favorite. I have also frozen leftover pizza dough for later use, and it froze, defrosted, and baked really well. I love decorating the pizza with all sorts of vegetables, especially onions, peppers, and mushrooms…yum…

Other exciting uses of yogurt are always fun to discover. It is such a versatile ingredient that can add protein and calcium to your diet.

Homemade Applesauce...Yum!

                I enjoy preparing my own food rather than buying things I can make myself. There are a few reasons for this. First, I actually enjoy preparing food. Second, I usually can make a healthier version of common packaged goods. And finally, I can often make the food for a lot cheaper than what it would cost to buy it in a store—though there is the increased cost associated with the time it takes me to make it. But again, usually I am enjoying myself in the kitchen.

                One food that I have been making a lot recently is homemade applesauce. Yes, it does take time to peel a bunch of apples. Yes, it does take time to chop them up. And yes, you have to occasionally mix it while it is simmering to make sure it does not burn. But it comes out so yummy and sweet, and it has no sugar!

                Here is how you do it. This will make a large-ish batch

1. Peel, core, and dice 8 medium or 4 humongous apples.
2. Put the diced apples into a large pot.
3. Add enough water to fill up to half the height of the apples.
4. You can add a cinnamon stick at this point. Then, you will get yummy cinnamon flavor and retain the light color. Or you can skip the cinnamon stick, and it will still taste delicious. 
5. Simmer on a low flame, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft enough that they mush when touched with a spoon and there is barely any water left.
6. Remove from heat and stir well until the apples become applesauce texture.

                One of my favorite ways to eat applesauce is on my oatmeal. It gives it plenty of sweetness without adding extra sugar.

 

you can barely see the oatmeal, but it is under the (homemade) yogurt and applesauce

                

Is breakfast really that important?

                Maybe it is. Is it the most important meal of the day? I’d say not. I think that any time we eat is important in some sense. There is research that shows that people who eat breakfast weigh less. That is not to say that breakfast will make you lose weight—perhaps eating breakfast is a behavior that people who weigh less tend to do. It is also not clear that breakfast “jumpstarts” your metabolism, as many believe. It does take energy to digest your food, but a lot less energy than is actually in the food. I have not found any studies that show that people who eat breakfast have faster metabolisms. I definitely encourage my patients to eat breakfast. The main reason is that it gives us energy to start the day. And you can eat such yummy foods for breakfast…such as oatmeal.

                On that note, here are my favorite ways to eat oatmeal. Please post additional oatmeal suggestions in the comments below!

• ½ cup oats + 1 cup water, cook on stove top. Pour into bowl. Add 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter (that is peanut butter that has only peanuts OR peanuts and salt as the ingredients.) Stir the peanut butter in.
• ½ cup oats + 1 cup water, cook on stove top. Pour oatmeal into bowl. Add to pot ¼ cup of applesauce; when warmed, pour over oats. Add ¼ cup cottage cheese.
• ½ cup oats + 1 cup water, cook on stove top. Pour into bowl. Add ½ cup yogurt. (Greek yogurt will provide more protein and regular yogurt will provide more calcium)
• Put ½ cup oats, 1 cup soy milk, ¼ cup water, and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon into a container. Leave in refrigerator overnight. (You can also use regular milk. I happen to not prefer the flavor of regular milk.) This is best eaten on the NYC subway, especially on the uptown A train.
• Other options are to combine a few of the toppings listed in the different recipes here onto one bowl of oatmeal. It will probably also taste delish!