Natural Christian Parenting

For those of us avoiding dairy, finding a good milk substitute is imperative. I prefer almond milk of all of the choices. Not only does it have the best taste, but almonds have a bit of calcium in them, making almond milk a better calcium-rich choice than soy, rice or oat milk . Of course there is a commercial brand of almond milk out there, but making it at home is easier than you think. You will need the following tools: blender, measuring spoon or scale, and a jug for storing the milk. The ingredients are simple, as well. You will need 1 cup (or 5 oz) of blanched almonds, 4 cups purified water, dash salt.

Step 1: Blend 1 cup (or 5 oz) of blanched almonds on high speed until powdery. You may need to scrape the sides of the blender down.

Step 2: Add a dash of salt and 4 cups of purified water to the blender. Blend for about 1 minute. The mixture should look cloudy and resemble cow’s milk.

Step 3: Pour into container for storing in the fridge and keep chilled for up to 4 days.

Notes:

* If you desire a smoother consistency, strain the milk through a 2 layer cheesecloth. Cheesecloth can be found at art and craft supply stores such as Michael’s of Jo-Ann Fabrics.

* Some people like to add a teaspoon of vanilla to the mixture. I prefer mine plain, but add at will.

* There are other ways to make almond milk. One is using raw almonds and soaking them overnight. Check out this recipe.

* We recently did a cost analysis on homemade versus commerical almond milk. When Almond Breeze is on sale for $1.99, it is cheaper to buy it than to make our own. Almonds are pretty expensive, even when we get them from NutsOnline. So, homemade almond milk is not something that I make all the time simply because it does not always work out to be cheaper.