Homemade Almond Milk.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

We are gearing up to head out to the wonderful hill country of Texas for a sweet friend’s wedding this weekend, and let’s just say I can’t wait to get my dance on.

If you’ve never experienced Texas hill country, you are seriously missing out. Gorgeous rolling hills of green + dozens of interesting wineries, with an all-encompassing, laid-back vibe that leaves you wishing you could just pick up and move right then + there. GO VISIT Y’ALL. Just do it, and then tell me about it!

Anyway, today I am sharing a budget-friendly + healthy way to get your almond milk for those yummy smoothies you’ve been blending up in your fancy Vitamix. Besides the obvious benefit that almond milk is a dairy/lactose-free “milk” alternative, if you make it yourself, you can save some serious moolah + even prevent further unknown damage to your gut.

But what about those almond milks in the refrigerated section?

Well, unfortunately there is a sneaky ingredient in there that we all should be staying away from that causes serious inflammation in the digestive system, even if it is dairy-free.

So…What is it?

CARRAGEENAN

It is food additive derived from red seaweed that acts as thickener + an emulsifier for various products… particularly processed cheeses, yogurts, milks, soy products + our beloved ice creams.

WHY IS IT SO BAD? It comes from a plant, doesn’t it?

It is linked to the damage + inflammation of the intestinal lining which can lead to ulcers, cancers + other gastrointestinal diseases. Chronic exposure to things that cause inflammation are NOT GOOD for the body. This is why we are seeing so many serious Auto-Immune Diseases pop up lately. It’s all due to constantly irritating a leaky gut! Think of it like adding salt into the wound. A compromised intestinal wall can’t heal when you keep feeding it stuff that furthers the inflammation in the first place!

Check out this article for more information on Carrageenan + the affects it has on our bodies.

Slowly but surely I am working towards making transitional steps in cleaning up the ingredients we bring into our house. Most of us can’t afford be superwoman + change out our kitchen’s contents overnight, but if you are downing multiple protein shakes and smoothies a week, you should seriously consider making your own almond milk.

It’s super easy, and only has two ingredients: almonds + water.

almondmilkblog

 

HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK

  • 1 part raw organic almonds to 3 parts filtered water. (I did 2 cups almonds + 6 cups water for this batch.)

Soak the almonds in the water in a container for at least 24 hours at room temperature. Rinse almonds. Add clean water plus almonds into a high-powered blender and blend for 2-3 minutes. Strain milk through a fine mesh sieve, several layers of cheese cloth, or a nut milk bag. (tehehe… nut milk bag)

You can choose to leave it unsweetened in all of it’s almond-y glory, or you can experiment with a couple vanilla stevia drops if you’d like!

Store in an air-tight glass jar for 3-5 days in the fridge.

almondmilk_002

KITCHEN TIP #1:

Want your almond milk to last longer for your smoothies? Try freezing it in ice-cube trays! Once you are ready to make your smoothie, you can pop a few cubes + whip up a quick smoothie that isn’t watered down by plain ice!

almondmilk_006

KITCHEN TIP #2:

Not sure what to do with the leftover pulp? Dehydrate it and use it as an almond meal for baked goodies!

almondmilk_007

What is your favorite way to use almond milk?

Let us know in the comments below!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *