Kefir

I just received my kefir grains from Keysands through Amazon and made my first two batches of Kefir. I rinsed the grains with Dasani water and put them in a mason jar with 1 cup of organic 2% milk. I left it on the counter for 24 hours to ferment and drained the milk away from the grains. The directions stated that the first batch would probably be "off" and could be discarded. I dumped the milk down the drain and transferred the grains to a clean mason jar. I added one cup of milk and put the lid on, but didn't tighten it all the way.

 Taken a few hours after transferring.

After 20 hours I drained the milk into a glass cup and separated out the grains.

 Once it was done draining, I put the grains in the bottom of mason jar. They look similar to cottage cheese.

 I poured in two cups of milk and if you look closely you can see some of the grains floating on the top towards the left. The directions state to use about 1 tablespoon of kefir grains per cup of milk. This time I used organic creamline whole milk.

This is what was left in the glass after straining. You can see a thin line towards the bottom of the glass. That's the whey. I just left it for now. I'll either mix it back in and use it in a smoothie, or try to strain it out and have whey and cream cheese.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday-pizza

Tuesday-Greek Penne and Chicken http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Greek-Penne-and-Chicken/Detail.aspx with French bread with olive oil and herbs

Wednesday-Burgandy Pork Tenderloin http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Burgundy-Pork-Tenderloin/Detail.aspx with mashed potatoes and green beans

Thursday-Sloppy Joe sandwiches with French fries

Friday-Pancakes, eggs and bacon

Saturday-Weeknight Lasagna Toss http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Weeknight-Lasagne-Toss/Detail.aspx with Parmesan croissants

Sunday-Split-pea soup with kielbasa