My First Attempt at Real Food

Thick Yogurt cheese after 48 hrs

Several months back I won a Donvier Yogurt Cheese maker from one of my favorite sites, www.RealFoodLiving.com .  It is used to make yogurt cheese, alternatives to cream cheese and sour cream.  It really depends on how long you leave it to drain as to what you end up with.  I had read a little bit about it on Real Food Livings website so I had already rushed out to buy WHOLE milk yogurt.  I received it and I washed it as soon as I opened the package.  After drying it I dumped my yogurt into it and left in the fridge for 48 hours.  After 48 hours I opened it and it still looked like yogurt except it was extremely thick.  I put a spoon into it and tried it, all I can say is Oh My Giddy Aunt!  It was wonderful!  I used the thick creamy cheese on everything from; toast, bagels, and on my Husband's homemade burritos. The last time I made it I added herbs and it just keeps getting better.  After taking the cheese and putting it in a glass storage bowl there was this liquid in the bottom of the container.  It was the Whey , which is evidently loaded with beneficial bacteria and can be used for loads of things.  At that time I did not know that there were uses for the whey so I tossed it, and have done so every time I have made my cream cheese since.  I am currently making another batch as I am typing this and will be saving the whey for another venture in my real food lifestyle, called fermenting.   (That will be a future post down the road.)  This is definitely an easy product to use.  For my current batch I used an entire 32 oz. container of whole milk yogurt and it came all the way to the top of the strainer basket as you can see in the picture above, the remnants of the yogurt on the top of the basket.  So far I have gotten a pint jar full of whey (in the lower right picture).  Once it settles it will look like the picture on the lower left.

Drained the Whey off (in the jar)

My problem is, I have found so much information and many wonderful sites related to the traditional Real, food way of life and I want to try everything at the same time and really do not know where to begin.  Hahaha!

Whey that I drained after 24 hours picture taken next day

Why I am blogging

Hi.  I am reading and researching real food diets lifestyles.  You see, I have seasonal allergy related asthma, my son is allergic to 2 types of grasses (how can we get around that, short of keeping him inside all the time) and my dear husband has acid reflux and Barrett's disease and has recently been diagnosed with diabetes.  I have been hearing and reading about whole, natural and fermented foods as a means to help, correct or alleviate these health issues.  I am writing this blog so I can keep my thoughts and information that I find in one place.  So this will be about my journey through loads of information about real foods.  I hope my confusion will eventually sort itself out and I will be able to put it all together to come up with a plan to help heal my family.  So far I have met (virtually) several wonderful ladies that I am learning things from via email, blogs and radio shows that they have.  I will link their blogs here once I learn how to do it.  Please bare with me as I will make mistakes and if you know how to do something that I do not I will welcome any tips you can give.  May God bless and keep you and yours.