I made the statement in the last post that I drank kefir for breakfast on most days in my quest to be healthy, and hopefully thinner...

You can get kefir from the grocery, but it, IMO, is a poor substitute for the real stuff.  It is pretty simple and cheap to make.  It doesn't require any strange or expensive piece of equipment to make it, either.

Kefir is, in a nutshell, a product like yogurt.  It contains cultures that can make you healthier.  On a deeper level, kefir is a cultured and microbial-rich food that helps to feed the beneficial bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract.  The difference from yogurt is in the variety of cultures and in how they are made.  To make yogurt, you add the cultures to the milk and incubate (there are other steps); to make kefir you pour milk over the grains of kefir, allow it to sit and then pour the milk off and reuse the grains.

They are called grains, but they are really these white globs that resemble cauliflower  that grow as they are fed with the sugar and protein of the milk in which they are placed.

I keep my grains in a quart-sized mason jar.  It is important to not let metal touch the grains, but glass or plastic are alright.  I cover the jar with a coffee filter and place the jar's ring around the top  loosely.

The recommended ratio of milk to grains is 1 cup of milk to 1 tablespoon of kefir grains.  I generally use much more than the recommended grains, and as they grow and multiply I just let them stay until I am ready to divide them.

I then pour the milk over the grains.  You can use any kind of milk, including cow, skim, 2%, raw, goats, or whatever....  I use raw milk and I have found that it tends to make a better, richer kefir than storebought milk.  I find that it tends to be quicker in finishing also.

Allow the milk to sit at room temperature... it will be okay....for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours.  After this I tend to put it in the refrigerator if I am not wanting to use it.  It will separate out possibly and you may see the curds and whey of the milk.

After it has become thick and bubbly you can strain out the grains.  If you have curds/whey you can just stir it back together or dump it all into the strainer.  I use a plastic spatula to make sure all of the liquid has gone thru the holes of the stainer. 

Put your grains back into the jar and start the process over.  You can now take your kefir and refrigerate it for a couple of weeks or use it in a smoothie or in recipes that call for milk or buttermilk.

I usually put the kefir in the blender with a banana, frozen strawberry and protein powder and blend on high for a minute or two. 

There is a committment of sorts to kefir in that the grains to have to be fed regularly or they can die, but overall they are pretty hearty.  You'll soon have more grains than you know what to do with...