Homemade Butter

OK, I seriously didn't believe it would be so easy.  I read a blog post HERE and thought I'd try it.  The comments below the post also have some interesting information.  Here's what I did:

1 pint of Heavy Whipping Cream

dash of salt

Hand Mixer (not a stand mixer - like a Kitchenaid)

I used a larger bowl than I thought I'd need and it turns out that was a good idea!!!

Beat your Heavy Whipping Cream for a long time!  First, it turns into whipped cream, which is great for desserts!!!  At that point, I added a little salt.  I have no idea how much, just a few shakes of the salt shaker.

Keep mixing.  At some point (around 20 minutes of mixing for me), you'll start to see a milky liquid separating from the solids.  The liquid is buttermilk.  You can save it and use it if you want.  Press the solid butter into a mound and you'll see the buttermilk seeping out of it.  Keep pressing and then pour out the buttermilk.  Run cold water into your bowl and press on the butter again.  Discard the liquid.  I rinsed the butter probably 3 times.

And now you have homemade butter.  You don't have to do the pressing and rinsing part, but your butter supposedly won't last as long in the fridge.

I ended up with about 3/4 cup of butter (or 6 ounces).  

Here's a quick price comparison of making my own vs. buying butter.

16 ounces of salted butter - generic brand - $2.27 = .14/oz

16 ounces (1 pint) of Heavy Whipping Cream - $3.39

So taking into account that 1 pint made 6 ounces of butter, it cost me about .56 per ounce.  However, I'm sure I didn't pay that much for my cream.  Plus, my butter tastes better and has fewer chemicals than store-bought.

  

Getting Healthy

We're getting healthy around our house.  It's about time!!!!!  We're not making a ton of changes all at once. I want to make sure we have the best shot at keeping this up.  Right now, here's what I'm doing:

• Eating up all the unhealthy stuff we have in the house.  I can't stand to waste it.
• No more soda at home.  Hubby and I will save soda for when we eat out.  (The kids don't drink it at all.)
• I am exercising in the mornings, hopefully before the kiddos wake up!
• I have eliminated coffee and switched to tea.  I know that a little coffee is not bad for you, in fact, there are some health benefits to it.  I tend to like a little coffee with my cream, though.  So I'll save tons of calories and money by not having to buy cream!
• Healthier snacks - for me, that means more almonds and walnuts and less junk.
• Fruits and veggies - we're getting close to being able to harvest some veggies from our garden!!!!  I'm making it a point to eat fruit with lunch every day.

My goal is not to lose a certain number of pounds.  In fact, I'm hoping I can stand to not get on the scale much at all!  My goal is to lose a couple of sizes.  My goal is also to just be healthier in general.  I'm reading a lot about superfoods and the science behind it is really interesting.  I want to change my mindset that food is for energy and being healthy and not just something that tastes good to fill up our bellies.

Organic fruits and veggies - They are expensive.  I was reading THIS article the other day.  It makes me sick.  So I think we will be switching to some organic produce.  We have a great farmer's market here, so I'm hoping I can find some good prices there.