Milk Alternatives

Almonds are one of the healthiest nuts you can eat. They're rich in magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, and calcium. Almond milk has only about 45 calories in a cup, whereas 2% cow's milk has 122 per cup. Not to mention missing all the hormones and antibiotics in cow's milk and the mucous-producing qualities of dairy products. Making your own milk eliminates the waste of packaging too if you're thinking green.

Organic Vanilla Almond Milk
1 cup raw almonds
4 cups filtered water
Pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp raw honey

Soak the nuts in water for 12 hours. You should rinse and drain the nuts at least once during this period.

Combine the nuts with the filtered water in a blender. Break all the nuts down but don't let the blender heat the mixture.

Strain the mixture through the nut bag. Add sea salt, raw honey, and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.

The milk should keep for about five days.

You can get the nut bag mentioned below at your local health foods store or substitute a sieve.

Source: Happy Foody

I love the taste of almond milk, but I like the calcium factor of soy milk, so I use Tofu Moo most of the time with almond milk being a treat. I like not having a deadline to finish the Tofu Moo since I can make as little as I need at the time since it's a powder. I alter the directions by using half the amount of powder recommended which makes it $.70 a quart. It's also easy to travel with since I can take it in a jar and just add water for those hotel breakfasts.