smoothies

Homemade Almond Milk

My daughter and I have issues with regular dairy milk, so we usually substitute in coconut or unsweetened almond milk.  However, I want to minimize the additives  found in typical off the shelf almond milk so I decided to make my own this morning.

Almond Milk

  • Soak (Sprout) Raw Almonds in water 8-12 hours or overnight
  •  After soaking, rinse/drain almonds in colander under cold water

    Straining the soaked, raw almonds

    Straining the soaked, raw almonds

Working in Batches

  • Put 2 cups of filtered water and 1/2 cups of almonds in blender.
  • Optional: Add splash of Vanilla and sprinkle of stevia to sweeten
  • Blend 50-90 seconds until all almonds have been broken up and liquefied.  I used my Blendtec Blender
  • Pour almond milk either through strainer/sieve, nutmilk bag or cheesecloth into a glass jar that can be tightly sealed.  Since I only had a strainer/sieve on hand, that is what I used.
Pouring almond milk through sieve.  Residual pulp leftover

Pouring almond milk through sieve. Residual pulp leftover

 

  • Use a spatula to press any residual milk through sieve. You will have pulp leftover in strainer/sieve.  You can either use this pulp at later time to dehydrate to make cookies with or even blend further into a nut butter.  I put mine into my Earthmaker compost bin.
  • Repeat steps until all almonds have been used to make milk.
  • When jar is full, tightly close and place in refrigerator.  Use within 3-5 days.
(4) Pint and A Half containers of Homemade Almond Milk

(4) Pint and A Half containers of Homemade Almond Milk

Tips:

  • Making Almond milk is 4:1 ratio Water to Almonds.
  • Make sure to use RAW organic (if possible) almonds.  Not salted or roasted
  • Filtered and, if possible, distilled water is best.
  • A nut milk bag is probably your best option of efficient milk extraction.  Can be reused-just wash in top rack of dishwasher.

I used this milk to make a chia pudding recipe which I will post later and a favorite smoothie recipe of mine for lunch:  Chocolate Covered Strawberry.  I could  truly taste the difference.  The smoothie was more delicious with homemade almond milk than using store bought.

Please let me know if you attempt to make your own almond milk and how you like it.

A Blender’s Sad Tale

As my friends and family are aware, I am a huge proponent of smoothies.  They are a great way to get in your macronutrients for the day.  So, I usually start off my family’s day with a healthy, protein packed, nutrient dense smoothie for breakfast and sometimes usually one for lunch.

To preface, I am notoriously known for destroying anything electronic—think laptops, iPhones, garage door openers, cameras.  You get the picture.  Blenders are no different for me, I use them so much that I have burned out motors of lower end models within months and a mid range model in less than a year so several years ago I decided to purchase my first higher end model, a Vitamix.  After a year of use and dissatisfied with its performance for my needs, I decided to get a Blendtec Total Blender.  Since October 6, 2011, I have had a daily, fulfilling passionate relationship with that blender.

This past Sunday was no different except for THE EXPLOSION that happened on my counter.  I was in the process of destroying making a typical smoothie (you can find the recipe here) in my Blendtec blender (my life’s true love) when all of a sudden I heard a gurgling sound and then saw black plastic pieces shooting out from underneath the blender container.  Since I stay calm panic in these kinds of situations,  I immediately turned off the motor and  yelled for my husband to come help me.  Surprisingly, no liquid was leaking out from the bottom of the container.  After using our investigative skills, we determined the seal had  loosened and the strength of the motor base chewed into the container and seal.

After 1058 uses, first Blentec Total Blender container is destroyed

After 1058 uses, first Blentec Total Blender container is destroyed

For those of you not familiar with these higher end blenders, they have a high horsepower to make sure to grind up all those big leafy veggies, fruits, nuts within seconds.  After 1158 uses, I had finally used up my blender container-such a SAD, SAD day.

Seeing my distress, my AWESOME husband immediately got onto Amazon.com and ordered me another Blendtec Total Blender container and the Blendtec Wildside container.  However, I would have to wait until Wednesday, today, to receive it.  WHAT?!!!!  Smoothies are truly an integral part of our clean eating lifestyle so I didn’t know how I would manage.  Thankfully, I had a backup plan.

Orange, Carrot, Apple Juice made with Breville Juice Fountain

Orange, Carrot, Apple Juice made with Breville Juice Fountain

I decided to use my outstanding Breville Juice Fountain every morning for a nutritious juice for the family before work and school.

Although we ordered new containers, I did know that my blender was still covered under the AMAZING warranty Blendtec provides, but I had to wait until Monday to call-again, sadness.

When you experience a problem with an item you invested A LOT of money in, the customer service experience can really make or break your future relationship with the company.   I have to say that my experience solidified my relationship with Blendtec products.  As soon as customer service opened on Monday, I called.  In less than 5 minutes on the phone with a very friendly Blendtec customer service representative, I had a new container sent to me free of charge.   She also reassured me that the motor was perfectly fine and my replacement container would be here within 3-5 business days!!! HOORAY!!!

I momentarily contemplated if I should cancel my Amazon.com order, but I decided against it–it’s much better to have 3 containers to use!  So, today my containers from Amazon should arrive and I am counting down the minutes I can blend again!

Tropical Paradise Smoothie

I always like to start off my family’s day with a smoothie full of healthy ingredients.  Today, we enjoyed a Tropical Paradise Smoothie.

Tropical Paradise Smoothie

Ingredients:
8 oz Water
4 oz Non Dairy Beverage (unsweetened almond or coconut milk)
2 Tbs Chia Seeds
1 Small Naval Orange (peeled and halved)
1 Small Banana
1 Carrot (washed, peeled, and quartered)
4 Frozen Strawberries
4 Frozen Pineapple Chunks

Blend and Enjoy!

Tropical Paradise Smoothie