Gone Bananas: Home Made Yogurt

It was a very rainy Sunday yesterday and it didn't affect our plans to have a day in at all. I had a very interesting chat with Wee Siang about his experiences in making yogurt and I was intrigued enough to give it a go!

Making Yogurt
The only thing that I needed to buy was milk and yogurt.

I poured the milk into a pot and heated it till it frothed and then left it to cool.

After it has cooled sufficiently, add in the yogurt and stir. I read that you're supposed to add it when it's around 110 ºF. I used a thermometer and added the yogurt it when it was around 40+ ºC.

Next, I covered it and left it for about 6-7 hours, giving time for it to ferment.

The result? Instead of a cup of yogurt I got a whole pot full of it.

Keep a small batch to re-use in future yogurt making sessions and keep it in the fridge. I used approximately 700+ml of milk and I got the above bounty. Not too bad I think.

With honey and banana

The taste is very plain and the texture surprisingly nice. You can add honey, sugar or anything to it as you like. It's very easy to do and we will definitely be doing more in the future. To top it off, we made banana cookies as well to go with the yogurt.

Next time we'll be using chocolate milk.

Getting Six Packs

I made it my aim to get a six pack for 2010 and by October that year, I claimed partial victory. The problem was that the six pack showed up on a part time basis - that is, I have to stand in a certain position while flexing them and they tend to disappear after a heavy meal.

Throughout 2011, almost everything took a back seat as we prepared for the birth of my son. After CNY 2012, I've decided to overhaul my entire life, taking a look at what my priorities were and how I can change my life to fit that. There were many motivations, and one of the things that we started doing was focus on health and how we can eat better. That added with exercise and I'm pleased to say that I've finally offered my abs a full time position (with off days for long weekends and festivities).

I want to share a few pointers with all who are aspiring to get theirs as well.

Abs are made in the kitchen. 
I've been exercising pretty hard and all for 2 years but still the 6 packs weren't showing up. The biggest change I made was changing the food I consumed. We cut down on processed foods as much as we could and focused on eating wholesome foods. Instead of eating out we brought our lunch box to work. We allowed ourselves to eat out once or twice a week though. Foods that we ate more of included a variety of vegetables, lean meat (fish, chicken), sweet potatoes, etc.

Salmon + Spinach + Cheese + Garlic Bread

Interestingly, before we started out on this, my weight was hovering around 64-65 and now it's 62-63. I didn't lose much weight, which wasn't my goal in the first place, but lost just enough for the six pack to appear. Make time also to eat the sinful foods that you crave, don't totally cut it out but work around it. I've mentioned about ego depletion before and forcing your body to an extreme may cause a backlash.

Another thing to note is don't eat too heavy a supper. The main meal should be dinner and then maybe a light snack an hour before bed, overeating at night is very bad for your abs.

As for workout routine. I do both cardio and strength training with every session with more emphasis on strength (30%-70%), but this depends a lot on the individual.

Honestly I don't think there's one magic thing you can do to get a six pack, but rather it's the combination of habits, diet and exercise. So just keep at it, don't give up and let me know how it goes for you.