Step 5) Take the pot off the heat and set it in your sink. Carefully pour cold water around the pot to cool the contents to 110F.

Step 6) Stir in 1 tbsp of natural yogurt. Your first set will be from store bought yogurt…get some pure (usually more expensive) natural yogurt. After that you will use a tablespoon from your last batch. I have three thermoses on rotation. I stir with a fork to break the yogurt up a bit.

Step 7) Carefully pour into your thermos. I usually stir again with the fork.

Step 8) Seal and wrap a towel around it (again I have no idea how important the towel is, I just do it because that’s how I was taught to do it) and leave it in your pantry or cupboard for a minimum of 8 hours. I’ve left it in WAY longer than that accidentally because I simply forget it’s there and the yogurt has always been just fine.

Step 9) Store it in your fridge. Repeat when you are running low.

Community Gardens or backyard gardens produce the tastiest produce!

I hope to expand this page and add more with time! As I learn you will learn!

breakfast is served!

Instant Oatmeal For Breakfast

Some mornings we need a quick breakfast, or we've run out of milk, or my sons want a warm snack...and instant oatmeal is perfect for that.

How to:

Step 1: Heat up the kettle and boil water to sterilize the thermos. I don’t know how crucial this step is but it’s how I was taught so I just keep doing it.

Step 2) Put 2 cups of whole milk in a small pot on low heat. I’ve tried lower fat milk and the yogurt is very runny.

Step 3) Add 2 tbsp of Skim Milk Powder to the warming milk and stir.

Step 4) Use a thermometer to measure the temperature (you could probably wing it, just stir and watch until it’s nice and steamy, about 20 minutes but because I already had a thermometer I use it). Heat the milk to 180F

wild berries are about as #ZeroWaste as you can get! no plastic clam shells here!

Food

flavour your yogurt by adding jam or honey!

Homemade Yogurt!

This takes a bit more time…a half hour (plus waiting), but it’s sooo worth it! The yogurt is creamy and delicious, and it solves a few waste problems.

For starters, I had stopped buying the smaller (albeit more convenient) individual yogurt pots to put in my kids’ lunches and bought only the larger tubs which can be put in our communities recycling blue bag (the small ones are not accepted). But then my mother-in-law taught me how to make yogurt, so now I rarely have to buy a large yogurt (and when I do I can reuse these for freezing foods), and I just reuse an old thermos or two.

NOTE: You will occasionally have to buy more natural yogurt from the store when your homemade doesn't set well. I used the runny yogurt over granola. Yum!

Add honey, or maple syrup, or jam to the small containers and add some yogurt. Voila! Flavoured yogurt!

What Waste Free Recipes do you use? Email, Tweet or tell us on Facebook!

Unfortunately, I discovered the "paper" packages are not pure paper and there is plastic in them!

Waste Reduction Week/ Zero Waste Lifestyle

Fortunately, it is easy to make your own!

Step 1: I filled up a container with "Quick Oats" at our local Bulk Store (make sure to weigh your container first with the cashier before you add the oats).

Step 2: Once home I added brown sugar and cinnamon to the oats.

Step 3: To make a bowl we scooped 1/2 cup of oats into a bowl and added boiled water, allowing it to sit like the regular instant oatmeal packages.

Step 4: Your family can add whatever they want to these -- fresh fruit, maple syrup, raisins, chopped dried apples -- to create their won flavours.