Homemade, Fruit-Filled Mini Yogurts

One of the many benefits of switching to a real food diet is that you simultaneously produce much less waste. When you make food from scratch, you just don't have all the packaging, which is often plastic and non-recyclable, that accompanies processed food.A good example of this is homemade yogurt. Instead of buying plastic tubs or mini, plastic containers of yogurt, I make my own using whole milk, which I buy in glass, milk bottles (later returned and re-used), and mason jars for storing--an almost zero-waste process.My daughter loves yogurt (what 2-year old doesn't?), and she especially loves in when she goes to Grandma and Grandad's house where she can have her own little, Scarlett-sized yogurt with sugar-y, stir-in "fruit."Personally, I'm not a fan of mini-yogurts because they're high in refined sugar and create unnecessary waste. This is why we've recently started making our own fruit-filled, mini-yogurts and my daughter loves them just the same! Not only that, they're handy for lunches, a fraction of the cost, and create almost zero waste - this makes for a happy hippie housewife.

Here's how to make your own homemade, fruit-filled mini yogurts!

You'll Need:

• 2 1/2 cups frozen berries or diced, fruit (ie strawberries, mango, blueberries, pineapple)
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup organic, unrefined cane sugar
• 1/4 water
• homemade yogurt - follow THIS recipe!
• 10 x small mason jars with lids

First, make the yogurt! Don't let this discourage you. It's super easy, and once you try it, you'll never look back! Follow these instructions. When you get to step 3, be sure to pour the milky-mixture into small, mason jars -- about 3/4 full.Once you've left your yogurt to ferment for 24 hours (step 5), transfer the jars to the fridge.In a small saucepan, combine fruit (I most recently used strawberries and mango which is pictured), sugar and water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.Using an emersion blender, blend the fruit to remove big, chucks. If you don't have an emersion blender, just use a regular blender, and pulse several times to remove the chunks.Leave to cool at room temperature.Once the fruit has cooled to room temperature, remove the yogurt from the fridge and spoon the fruit on top of the yogurt. Seal with a lid, and store in the fridge! Perfect for lunches and on on-the-go snack.

Tip: Top with homemade granola and fresh fruit!