almond milk

Rihanna's Homemade Almond Milk

The benefits of almonds are endless. I am a true believer of this, regularly eating almond butter, snacking on almonds and drinking almond milk. Almonds provide heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids, a nice amount of fiber, Vitamin E & Magnesium. 

Most store-bought almond milk contains Carrageenan, an additive used to increase shelf life of non dairy milk, yogurt and other processed foods. Our bodies are unable to digest Carrageenan, causing inflammation in our gut.  This additive has been linked to Cancer, Ulcerative Colitis, intestinal lesions and recent research suggests a link with Diabetes.

OK. That being said, I finally decided to make my own almond milk. It honestly takes some patience to strain, but I blasted Rihanna's new album, Anti and let it filtrate. 

The finished product tastes so good, that it took some self control not to drink it all while standing in my kitchen. 

What You'll Need:

  • 1 cup of whole almonds
  • Water
  • Dates, raisins or honey to add sweetness
  • Blender, Nutribullet or Food processor 
  • Cheese Cloth
  • Mason Jar
  • Colander
  • Some bowls

 

What You'll Do:

1. Place 1 cup of almonds into a bowl & cover with water. Then add plastic wrap to bowl and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours

2. Filter the almonds in a colander

3. Blend almonds and 1 & 1/2 cups of water in processor for ~ 1 minute

4. Add dates, raisins or honey. I used raisins because I had them in my cabinet

5. Add 1/2 cup water and blend for another minute or so

6. Place cheese cloth around mason jar, add rubber band

7. Strain almond milk via cheese cloth. I had to use about 6 different cheese cloths to strain all of the almonds

8. Cover and refrigerate

 

Saturday Morning Pancakes

I just got back from a run and am craving some pancakes.  A few weeks ago, one of my clients gave me this idea and I decided that today was the day to test them out. These are a great, high protein, low-calorie version of a favorite breakfast of many. They have a slightly nutty flavor, thanks to the almond milk. 

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup almond milk

1 scoop "Designs for health" pure pea protein powder

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon of flax powder

 

Directions:

1. Mix in Nutribullet or blender

2. Make pancakes!

 

Notes:

  • You can add whatever toppings you want—but they taste amazing plain! Honest.