Save Money With Homemade Almond Milk
As I sit and write this I am sipping on a latte made with almond milk. I don’t know if this is just a phase; but currently I am in love with almond milk. The summer of last year I decided to give up drinking milk; I had been experiencing breakouts and dairy can cause acne, among other things- so I gave it up cold turkey. I dabbled in rice milk, but found it too thin to satiate me; and I, like many, looked to soy milk to fill the gap left by milk, but after reading that soy milk can be an anti-thyroid agent, and may contribute to hypothyroidism, I soon gave up soy milk as well.
Almond milk was the next available choice; and I figured I loved almonds so I would likely enjoy the milk. From the first sip I was hooked, the richness that rice milk lacked was in abundance in almond milk; and I began using it smoothies, lattes, oatmeal- you name it.
Almond milk is an excellent alternative to dairy, not only for its rich mouth feel; but because it is a heart healthy alternative. Almonds are incredibly high in vitamin E which helps protect against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. And almonds are higher in calcium than any other plant based food; making it an excellent addition to vegan diets and for those with lactose intolerance. This power food is also good for our skin, as the essential oils found in almonds help battle dry skin and acne.
So it’s not hard to see why I have fallen hard for this heart healthy nut!
However, at almost $5.00 per carton for the nectar of this nut; and going through almost one and a half cartons each week, I found that my beloved almond milk was doing a number to my weekly food budget. When I noticed someone tweet about making almond milk at home I found myself intrigued. I immediately bought a nut milk bag and attempted to make almond milk in my dinky Magic Bullet- not only did it not work, it sent my Magic Bullet to the grave; a blessing in disguise! I traded up and purchased a Blendtec blender and attempted my almond milk efforts again- with much success!
I was astounded at how easy this process was; and the ability to control what goes into my milk is priceless. I’ve made plain, vanilla and chocolate flavored almond milk- get creative, the possibilities really are endless!
As caveat to those using an older or less powerful blender, use a ratio of 1 cup almonds to 4 cups water- this should make the process easier on your machine. For this recipe you will also need a nut milk bag; and at less than $15.00, it will pay for itself!
Homemade Almond Milk
1 cup almonds
3 cups water
1 tsp coconut sugar
Cover the almonds and soak overnight. Drain the almonds and place in the cup of your blender; add water and coconut and blend on high for 3 minutes. Allow the blended mixture to sit in the blender for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag, placed in a bowl. Squeeze all the liquid out of the pulp and pour into containers. Refrigerate immediately.
Homemade Chocolate Almond Milk
1 cup almonds
3 cups water
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp cacao powder
Repeat the same process as above; and add cinnamon and cacao powder to the blender prior to blending the almonds.
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