Homemade Almond Milk

Several years ago,  I made the decision to significantly cut back on the amount of dairy we were consuming in our home. I did the research, experimented with giving it up for a week or two at a time, and finally came to the conclusion that we were going way overboard with the amount of dairy we consumed. But I was worried about milk. We had it all the time. I found my answer with homemade almond milk. Calcium is abundant in many other plant foods out there, so I felt confident that we could make the switch without giving up any essential nutrients.We used milk all the time though. We used to be cereal eating fiends. Breakfast was cereal. Busy nights when I was too tired to cook, cereal. Milk went into coffee, soups and stews, baked goods, and nearly every meal we were eating. Milk was my kids' beverage of choice. It was every where.This was a period in my life when I was plagued by acne, migraines, brain fog and low energy levels. This was also the time in my life when I had finally put my foot down and decided to transform the way we ate. I experimented with cutting out groups of foods like those that contained gluten, or sugar, or dairy. Now, many years later we follow a plant heavy diet rich in color, high quality protein and high quality fats. We use dairy as a "recreational drug" - very sparingly, never really keep it in the house, and seek healthier non-dairy alternatives to use instead.One issue  I see with almond milk in the stores is that they are filled with additives and preservatives, like carrageenan, natural flavors, thickening agents, gums, and a slew of other ingredient, even sugar sometimes! Once I realized how easy it was to make almond milk at home, I quit buying it all together.Read on to discover a simple, low effort way to make almond milk at home!

Home Made Almond Milk:Ingredients1:4 ratio of raw, unsalted Almonds to Water (example: 1 cup almonds, 4 cups milk)Pinch of sea salt(Optional) Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, or vanilla Directions:Soak almonds in water with a pinch of sea salt overnight in an airtight container, like a mason jar with lid.Once done soaking, pour ingredients into a blender. If you want to add spices, here's when you would do it. I add just a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. For a more chocolate milk version you can add cocoa. Get intuitive with it!Blend for 2-3 minutes.Strain through a sieve, cheese cloth or a nut bag (which you can purchase at most grocery stores).Pour liquid into air tight container and store in the refrigerator.Done!