Adventures in {DIY Almond Milk}

I'm sitting here sipping my coffee with almond milk, as I do every morning.  The only difference is that the almond milk in my coffee is HOMEMADE, and SOoooo Delicious (pun intended).   :)

How I went 2.5 years buying store-bought almond milk in a carton, I have no idea.  So many other bloggers and even a good friend, Katie of Zenutrition make their own milk at home.  Finally, last week as I was ordering a few books from Amazon, I remembered to purchase a nut milk bag, which is a fine mesh bag used to separate the milk from the almond pulp.

Almond Milk (4 cups)

4 c filtered water (mine is distilled/mineralized)

1 c organic almonds

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

2 tsp honey (optional)

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Directions:

Step 1:   Cover almonds by 2 inches in filtered water overnight (8-12 hours). They will have plumped up by morning.   Drain and rinse. 

Step 2:  Put 4 c filtered water and 1 cup almonds into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, until almond chunks are fine and milk is frothy.  Mine even frothed up through the top of my blender!

During the blending....

 Step 3:  I found that the easiest way to strain and get the milk into an old milk bottle was this method:

Straining through the nut milk bag and funneling into the glass container.

Wring the nut milk out of the bag by twisting it and squeezing until pulp in the bag is fairly dry. 

Step 4 (Optional):   Take the strained milk and whizzz again if you're adding any flavorings like the cinnamon, honey and vanilla.  You can stir it in, but this is the most efficient way of mixing honey in.  You could also use liquid stevia and whatever else you'd like to flavor the milk.   I'm sure I'll eventually get creative and try savory milk flavors.

Finished product: delicious, pure, almond milk!

That's it!  Due to not having the added gums like carrageenan and guar gum, this milk will separate and require a shake prior to each use.  The container is from a local dairy producer, Caulders, and works perfectly.  Glass is an ideal storage method, as it won't leach any toxins or plastics into your precious finished product.

BONUS: the leftover pulp, which is being dried out in the oven at 170 degrees for a couple hours...can be used for baking!

So, this method of DIY is actually not more cost effective than buying it at the store.  If your almonds are $6.49 per pound like mine were, that works out to 3 cups of almonds (3 batches), each batch costing $2.19.  At the store, I normally pay $1.79 or so for 4 cups of almond milk.

However, the results are a rich, delicious, fresh milk that you know does not contain any additives or preservatives.  It's super easy to make and doesn't require the waste of purchasing a tetrapack container that will end up in a landfill somewhere.   Green it up and make your own!  Enjoy. 

PB and Banana Probiotic Smoothie {vegan}

Probiotics and gut-bacteria are a hot topic of discussion these days, for good reason! The easiest and most delicious way for me to take my probiotics is in this breakfast smoothie! This is one of our favorites and I can say that I never get sick of the peanut butter and banana flavor.  Here's the recipe first, and then some info and thoughts on probiotics.

Peanut Butter and Banana Probiotic (and Prebiotic) Smoothie!

Ingredients:

1 banana (prebiotic)
2 tbsp organic peanut butter (prebiotic)
2 ice cubes
Approx 1 c almond or coconut milk
1 c dark leafy greens (Rainbow Chard here) (prebiotic)
1 tbsp (large pinch) sea dulse
**Klaire Labs Vital-10 Probiotic Powder 1/4 tsp  (probiotic)

Directions:

Blend and enjoy immediately. The peanut butter and banana flavors definitely overpower the greens and dulse.  

**Consult your Naturopath to find a probiotic product that's right for you.

Nutrition: 

366 calories
12 g protein
20 g fat
42 g carb
Rich in both micro and macro nutrients!

PROBIOTICS and THE GUT

Do you take a probiotic?   There's a lot of information, both helpful and misleading about these "good bacteria" right now.  What is a probiotic?

Probiotics are living microorganisms which colonize the digestive tract and help support the proper functioning of the human body. It's important to understand not all forms of bacteria considered beneficial to the body are termed "probiotic." Instead, this term is reserved only for those bacteria capable of withstanding the highly acidic environment of the stomach while passing to other areas of the digestive system to perform their life-sustaining duties. ~Dr. Matthew Marturano, ND. 

Antibiotics and a highly processed diet have joined forces to wipe our systems out of the good kind of bacteria, making it easier for "bad" bacteria and other parasites and yeast to thrive.  Over 100 million Americans have stomach issues, but reculturing our gut with the "good bacteria" can help heal many digestive symptoms like IBS, GERD, Bloating, Constipation, etc. Once we get the good bacteria or probiotics in there, we also have to feed them so they can thrive in a happy healthy environment - your gut!

SOURCES OF PROBIOTICS:

• Fermented vegetables like kimchi, sauerkraut
• Kombucha (a fermented sweet tea grown from a SCOBY) or kefir milk or water
• Yogurt - choose an organic or greek variety, not fruity high-sugar stuff and please not Activia
• Cultured grains like sourdough bread
• Probiotic supplement (from a naturally occurring strain - not this pharma crap like Activa, Culturelle, etc. They have made these strains in a lab which is why they can patent them)

Along with the probiotic, we need a PRE-biotic to feed the gut bacteria. As you'll see, these are high-fiber plant based foods.

SOURCES OF PREBIOTICS:

• Fruits like banana, raisins, apples, blackberries, blueberries
• Whole grains like oatmeal, wheat, barley, rye (WHOLE means whole; in it's unprocessed form)
• Legumes like beans, lentils, peanuts, etc. 
• Vegetables like dark leafy greens, onions, garlic, asparagus, artichoke & more

So, you can see why this is the perfect probiotic & prebiotic smoothie.   Hope you enjoy!