I will start trying out smoothies and make some more yocheese (I can make kefir cheese too right?)
I like the kombucha dressing idea (3 parts oil to 1 part acid is the trick BBH, then add S&P and herbs if you like) maybe a little kefir in the dressing too
Hey ScottSD--Lots of weird fermented words on this site Kefir, pronounced kuh-fear, is just another fermented dairy drink. The kefirs I have had are runnier than yogurt. I think the only difference is the strains of bacteria that ferment it, plus you use "grains" of kefir to make more.
Is she a nervous type of child? The tummy aches daily doesn't seem to be diet related, certain foods might constipate and cause gas but unless you eat that same food every day... My two youngest had daily tummy aches at different times in thier lives from being under stress...could be little stress...most likely coming from school, but could be from other sources. Just something for you to consider. Do they usually come on before bed? Or at other times of the day?
Another thing you might consider is a chyropractic visit if you are comfortable with that. When my daughter was younger she had another bout of very low lying tummy aches and we found out it was because she had fallen and her pelvis was out. One quick visit and she was all better.
Just some ideas for you:>) I know kids issues can be confusing at times!
Yogurt is Clark Kent and kefir is Superman! And kefir is easier to make than yogurt. With my raw goat's milk, kefir comes out a bit thicker, too, and a bit more sour.
I drain a quart of kefir through a piece of cloth....t-shirt material works great....for a day. Then I scrape it into a bowl and add flavoring for a dip or dressing.
For onion dip, add onion and garlic powders, salt and pepper. You can also add a little parsley and chives for color. This changes in the fridge....I like it freshly made and I like it more the next day.
For a variation on Parmesan Peppercorn dressing, just add some parmesan or romano cheese and a little salt and a lot of black pepper (not too much!) for a good dip. Mix this with mayo and a little milk or more fresh and runny kefir to get a consistancy for salad dressing, if you like.
I also will add herbs for an Italian dip.....oregano, basil, parsley, onion and garlic powders, salt and pepper. The variations are endless!
For the little one with the tummy aches, I'd give her whatever active-cultures yogurt she will eat, to see if the acidophilis cultures get her straightened out.
You could try easing the kids into the healthier yogurts by mixing yogurts. For example, if you're feeding three kids yogurt, put 1/3 "good stuff" yogurt and 2/3 the commercial stuff. Then go to 1/2 and 1/2, then 2/3 good stuff and 1/3 commercial stuff......until you've got them weaned off the commercial yogurt.
Now don't go jumpin' on me, but I started ( and mind you this was a long time ago, ) making it really sweet. Gradually I reduced the sugar to a comfortable level. I send my kids yogurt (b/c I don;t have kefir grains anymore) to school with just a bit of jam mixed in.
for breakfasts sometimes, we make smoothies with frozen blueberries, raspberries and bananas, with a cup of yogurt. The bananas are used mainly for sweetening, although the flavour is nice too. Peaches and pineapple are good for sweetening naturally also.
My kids love smoothies, but they have to have blueberries in them or they will pass. find out what your kids like. If they are not big on fruit, try chocolate peanut butter or chocolate mint-wit cocoa powder and extract, (and sugar)..Experiment.