Milk Kefir and Strep Throat

My daughter recently came down with strep throat.  Kefir has shown in studies to combat the strep bacteria.  It has never been tested on humans but we have relied on drinking kefir twice now when a person in my household had strep and I have never caught the infection.

Here is a great link about kefir.
Also a link to more benefits which go far beyond combating streptococcus bacteria.
And Another Link.

Milk Kefir Troubles

Over the past months I hadn't made milk kefir.  I simply left my grains in the fridge and changed the milk every once in a while in hopes the grains would survive until life settled down and I had time to make it daily.  When left in the fridge the kefir grains go into a type of hibernation.  If left in the cold too long they will lose this ability to culture properly and will eventually die.  I finally got around to wanting to make my milk kefir on a regular basis but my grains didn't seem to want to come back to life.  I had taken them in and out of the fridge a few too many times and so my milk kept spoiling.  Rather than the sweet smell of kefir it would smell like horrid sour milk.  It wouldn't thicken properly and simply separated rather than becoming thickened first.  It also would have a yellowish colour on the top.  I pitched my grains and got some more that I had given my Mom.  SHe had also left hers in the fridge but had never taken them in and out as I had.  At first the grains didn't want to culture properly.  I decided it might help them activate if I added some existing healthy kefir.  So I purchased some from the local store, which is what I had been doing while they sat in the fridge all those months (what a waste of money).  I added my grains to the store bought kefir and also added milk.  My measurements were approx 2tsp grains (3 average size grains) to 1/3c store bought kefir and 1/3c organic milk.  Within a few batches it smelled beautiful!!  It was thickening nicely and tasted as it should.  I am now getting about 2c of milk kefir every 24hrs.  I do believe that the store bough kefir helped the grains get back to their regular culture.  They are growing rapidly and I am back into full swing!

Blueberry Nut Loaf

Feeling a little overwhelmed today after the crazy busy weekend I decided to make some warm comfort bread.  We still have bags of frozen blueberries from the summer in our freezer.  I pulled out my better homes and Gardens cook book for a basic recipe and tweaked it for a healthier spin.  I found a recipe for blueberry nut bread and decided to run with it.  I made sum substitutions and was pleased witht he results, and the kids even like it.

Ingredients:
11/2 cups AP flour
11/2 cups whole wheat flour  
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 teaspoon lemon zest, depending on preference
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
2/3 to 1 cup cupmilk kefir (depending on thickness; can also use yogurt, sour cream or regular milk)
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil 
1 heaping cup of blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (reserve half for topping)
1 tablespoons sugar (for topping)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 1 large or 2 small loaf pans.
3. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and create a well in the center. (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest)
4. Mix wet ingredients in separate mixing bowl.  (egg, milk, kefir, coconut oil)
5. Pour wet ingredients into well of dry ingredients and gently mix until moistened, batter should still be lumpy.
6. Gently fold in blueberries and nuts (reserving 1/2 the nuts for the top)
7. Pour into greased loaf pan/s and top with leftover walnuts and 1 tablespoon sugar
8. bake in oven for 1 hour (or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the loaf comes out clean)








Variation Suggestions:       Cranberry Nut Bread- replace lemon zest with orange zest, blueberries with coarsely chopped cranberries and walnuts with almonds.
Apple Nut Bread-replace lemon zest with cinnamon and blueberries with coarsely chopped apple slices.
Banana Nut Bread-replace lemon zest with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (incorporate into wet ingredients) and blueberries with chopped banana slices.
Peach Nut Bread-replace lemon zest with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or allspice, blueberries with diced peaches (fresh or canned) and walnuts with pecans.

Shake Shake Shake!

I purchased a Oster My Blend Blender for Christmas this year so we could make shakes and simply grab and go.  So far it works great.  My only complaint would be the lids for the travel ups.  The mouth is very wide and the liquid is often on the lid and isn't covered by the lids flip cover.  Aside from that, it is a great little blender and very convenient and easy to clean and I would definitely recommend getting one if you enjoy shakes.

So I have been dabbling with different shake recipes with our milk kefir and now our homemade yogurt.  There are so many different combinations and ingredients you can add to shakes, there really is no right or wrong.  Between our milk kefir, kefir cheese (which is more like yogurt) and now our homemade yogurt... I can make any number of healthy, probiotic booming concoctions.

Here are a few recipes I have tried so far in my new shake addiction, measurments are approximate... simply eyeball it... there is no wrong recipe.  Simply mix your ingredients, blend and enjoy!

Strawberry Vanilla Shake:
1/2c yogurt (I used homemade)
1/2c milk kefir
1/4c fresh or frozen (preferably organic) strawberries
1tbsp honey (I used local)
1/4-1/2tsp vanilla extract (depending on your preference)

Strawberry Avacado Shake:
1/2c yogurt
1/3c kefir cheese
1/4c milk
5  fresh or frozen strawberries
1/4 of an avacado, sliced
1tbsp honey
1/4tsp vanilla extract





Bluberry Burst Shake:
1c milk kefir
1/2c kefir cheese
1c fresh or frozen blueberries
1tbsp honey

Strawberry Banana Shake:
1c milk kefir
1/2c yogurt
1 small banana, sliced (or 1/2 of a large banana)
5 or so large strawberries (10 small)
1tbsp honey
1tsp vanilla extract



Clearly we have frozen local blueberries and strawberries on hand since that is my most common ingredient so far.  We do have some organic frozen raspberries and mango that I will play around with soon.  I also need to purchase more Matcha to add to my shakes for an antioxidant boost!

Shakes... the possibilities!!

Milk Kefir Uses

So I was getting a bit bored with just drinking the plain milk kefir with some vanilla in it.  Aaron and I had went out form the WECSA dinner and they had a kefir dip which was a ranch style dip made with milk kefir using cream instead of a lower fat milk.  We got to thinking about other ways to make and eat the milk kefir.  I purchased a yogurt cheese maker for Aaron for Christmas and decided to give it to him early.

    

We used it to make kefir cheese!  It is smooth and delicious!  I add a bit of flavouring such as  extract, fruit and/or sugar/honey and the kids even like it.  I have not experimented with different recipes much yet but plan on getting creative.

I zipped up approximately 1/4c. frozen raspberries and 1/4c. of frozen strawberries with 1c. kefir milk and 1c. kefir yogurt and a tablespoon or 2 of honey (depending on your sweet preference).   It was fantastic.  We have some frozen blueberries that we had picked fresh this summer that I will whip up in a day or two.

I think if I had made it will 2cups of the yogurt kefir instead of half milk and half yogurt it would have been thicker and smoother.  It was good just the way I made it as well but I will experiment and change it up regularly.     


Then with the left over whey from the yogurt... I bring it to a boil and it separates and once I strain it I have a kefir cheese for on top of salads or in pasta dishes!  I have been using it as a replacement for feta on my greek salads.  The kefir cheese is more crumbly... a texture and taste  is somewhere between feta and ricotta.  The taste is bland until you add a pinch of salt which makes it is quite good.  We are going to try to get enough kefir cheese to make a lasagna with... I think it will be fantastic!

Goat Milk Kefir

If you are a lover of goat cheese you shall fall head over heels with goats milk kefir.  The milk already has the subtle goat cheese flavour but once fermented with the kefir grains it becomes like drinking liquid goat cheese.  I love goat cheese but find the goats milk kefir to be way to overpowering for me.  I tried adding some flavouring but the goat flavour could not be mellowed.  I am going to try pureed mango slices tomorrow; Aaron tried the mango and said it was much more palatable.  We have went back to making it with regular 3.25% milk.  Goat milk is fantastic to drink and very tasty but fermented with the kefir is just not for me.

Water and Milk Kefir

We re now overloaded with water grains.  Our flavoured batches turned out great.  They really took on the colour of the berries used.  We have been making a batch or two per day and now have way to many grains.  I think Aaron will just start eating our excess if we don't have someone who wants them.  Also, we have been storing our excess in a tupperware with sugar water in the fridge; the cool slows down the growth process.   We have also eliminated all sugars aside from the organic cane sugar (palm sugar had a negative effect on the rain forests).  The flavour that comes from the cane sugar is what we seem to prefer.  I have not made any more flavoured batches since the first two.  We have been sticking with just using the cane sugar and adding a date and an egg shell.  I then add about 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of each kefir water and regular water.  Aaron has been drinking his with prune juice, he seems to find it makes the prune juice far more palatable and is now enjoying it.  Our next venture is going to be to try to make a super fizzy batch!

We also received some milk kefir grains. 1 tsp of milk grains to every 1 cup of milk (homo, skim, goats, coconut, etc).  We added the grains our homo milk on hand within 24 hrs it was thick and delicious.  If you like the kefir (yogurt style) from the grocery store... this smells and tastes the same.  For different consistencies it depends on amount of grains.  If you stick with the 1 tsp per cup of milk you will see that 12 hrs later it will be sweet and thin, 24 hrs later it will be thicker and tangy and then 48 hrs later it will be thick like yogurt and very sour!

First batch of Milk kefir:

We have made 3 batches so far and the grains multiply slower but since you use very little it is easy to accumulate plenty.  We have only fermented our milk kefir for about 24 hours or so.  We have not been watching the clock too closely since it has plenty of leeway.  We simply go by the texture of the kefir to decide when its done.   I have also not become overly fond of the flavour of milk kefir, even the store bought.  I try it au natural each time but always add something.  I have 1 cup at a time and the first few times I tried about 1-2tsp sugar with 4-6 thawed frozen berries and it was very tasty.  Today I tried it with about 1-2tsp of vanilla extract and 1tbsp of strawberry torani syrup.... this was fantastic!  We do try to minimize our sugar intake but since the kefir has great benefits I think that a bit of sugar added to make it more palatable is worth it!

Vanilla and strawberry flavoured milk kefir

Aaron has noticed many health benefits so far with drinking the kefir.  He was having some digestion and elimination issues and has noticed a complete elimination of these symptoms.  I, on the other hand, have not noticed any changes.  I am not discrediting the stuff, I just think I have a very productive and efficient system.  I have never had any issues and so I may not notice the benefits as others have... but the benefit is still there and I am sure my internal flora is far healthier due to the kefir.

Kefir Benefit links:  http://www.kefir.net/benefits.htm AND http://www.yourkefirsource.com/kefir-benefits/health-benefits-kefir.
                     

Water Kefir: First Results

After 48hrs of fermenting (grains were asleep when we got them so they needed some time to get going again) our kefir water was ready for straining.

Kefir water after 48hrs of fermenting, prior to straining.

Straining water kefir in our tuna strainer (was unable to find a plasric sieve).

Strained kefir grains and egg shell.

Egg shell on left was fermented with the grains, right egg shell is fresh. Fascinating!

The flavour of the sucanat was still very overpowering so I decided to add some lemon juice and strawberry puree. I didn't add it to the entire batch, just about 1/3. This was very tasty! I also made a batch of lemonade and added 1/2 kefir water and 1/2 lemonade and drank that... which was also very tasty.

Kefir water, lemon juice and strawberry puree.

I went ahead and started 2 more batches of water kefir. I decided to experiment with the types of surgar I used. I ended up with about 7 tbsp. of grains after our first batch so was able to make a 4 cup and a 3 cup batch. The 4 cup batch I added 2 tbsp. of cane sugar and 1 tbsp. of palm sugar and egg shell and 1 dried prune. The 4 cup batch I added 2 tbsp. of cane sugar, 1 tbsp. of each of palm sugar and sucanat and 2 dried prunes. After 24 hrs of fermentation, they were both ready... grains were working fully.

Fruit started on the bottom but floated to the top during fermentation.

Both batches ready to go!

Both of these batches were quite tasty. They are a bit sweet but have a bit of a zing to them as well. They are not very fizzy, but to achieve a fizzy drink I believe you have to seal the lid and keep it in the fridge for a few days after straining the grains.

Here is another great link all about water kefir: www.Yemoos.com

I decided to use about 1/2 of each batch and flavour them. I strained the grains and then added some mashed strawberries to one and blueberries to the other. I put lids on (loosely) and sat them back on the counter for another 24 hrs.... tomorrow we will taste!

Blueberry and Strawberry... yummo!

Water Kefir Grains

I had recently been doing some reading about healthy eating and such things.  I came across a grain I had heard of before but not anything past the yogurt style.  We used to purchase Liberte Kefir from the grocery store as opposed to yogurt.  It is similar in texture but kefir is far more tangy tasting.  It wasn't until recently that I discoved the many uses of these wonderful Water Kefir Grains!  (also known as Tibicos, tibi, sugar kefir grains, japanese water chrystals and California Bees)

Kefir Grains are cultures of healthy strains of bacteria and yeast.  They feed on sugar and produce lactic acid, alcohol(usually less than 1%) and carbon dioxide thus making a unique tasting carbonated beverage.  Drinking water kefir will supply your body with natural probiotics which aid in digestive health.  Kefir also contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid, B vitamins and magnesium, known for protecting the nervous system, also producing a calming effect.   There are many more benefits of this wonderful grain and they can be found all over the place on the wonderful web.

There a many links with information and recipes out there about water kefir grains but I have discovered a few that have been very helpful and informative:

http://zoevblog.com/2010/03/17/what-is-water-kefir-and-how-to-make-it/
http://www.yourkefirsource.com/
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/kefir

Aaron and I also found a local group of Kefir grains on facebook and have joined their group and managed to get some water kefir grains for free.  The grains multiply each time you use them so you end up with an abundance and its very easy to share with others, which we also plan on doing.  We decided to start a batch and just do a basic formula.

The basic formula is for every 1 cup of water (filtered) you add 1 tbsp. sugar and 1 tbsp. of grains.  You can also add dried fruit (unsweetened, unsulfered) and some lemon wedges (organic) and a piece of a free range egg shell.  You ferment for approx. 24hrs and then strain and enjoy!  You don't want to use any fruit that may contain any chemicals or any metal utensils as this will harm and even kill your grains.

We simply added 4 cups water, 4 tbsp. sucanat ( raw sugar), 4 tbsp. kefir grains and a piece of free range egg shell for added nutrients.  After 24 hours we weren't sure if  it was working or if the grains were alive.  There was a fermentation type smell so we thought it was doing something.  We decided to let it ferment for another 24hrs, assuming the grains had been asleep.  After about 36 hours there were some bubbles on the top and I knew it was well on its way.  I tasted it at the 36 hour mark and it was a tad fizzy but not overly.  It tasted much like... well, sucanat.  I think once it is done fermenting, 48 hrs, we will each give it a try and then possibly add some pureed fruit or something for a boost of flavour.

Many people will add dried fruit and even a citrus wedge at the beginning for added nutrients for the grains as well as it adds a bit of flavour.  To have flavoured water kefir people usually add some flavour (fresh fruit, purees, flavouring such as vanilla) after 24hrs of fermentation.  They strain the grains and then add fresh fruit and allow it to sit and ferment (grains removed) for another 24 hrs.  We didn't want to mess with our first batch so we did the simplest method.  From reading I have noticed that many people just experiment with the grains and adding flavours.  Since the water kefir grains multiply rapidly (almost double) each time they are used, it is something you can simply play around with.  If you have a batch that doesn't turn out... simply toss and start again... nothing lost but a bit of sugar and possibly a few pieces of fruit.

Our first batch of water kefir!

Water Kefir Grains at work.