When I think about being a kid, I think about my chocolate chip chip’s ahoy cookies in the shiny blue bag. I would jump up on the counter, grab 3 from the package, jump down, head over to the fridge, pull out the milk, pour myself a short glass, and sit down at the table. I would pick up the first one and carefully dip half of it into my milk. I would count to 10, pull it out, and eat it.

Oh…my…delicious! Soft, sweet, and a gush of cold milk as I bit into it.

I would continue in this fashion until the last bite was taken, and then drink the now chip’s ahoy tasting milk.

And, if truth be told, when my mom wasn’t looking, I would actually take a 4th cookie.

Oops! The cat’s out of the bag, mama!! Something tells me you already knew this, though…

Anyway, milk was close to my heart. If I wasn’t enjoying it with cookies, I was enjoying it with my cereal. I ate cereal so often, I considered it a food group. Some days, all I ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner was a bowl of cereal with milk. There was something wonderful about the crunch of the cereal and the cold, refreshing milk – such a great marriage of flavors and textures!

3 years ago, due to some dietary restrictions, I had to give up milk. I was sad. I thought that giving up milk meant giving up cookies and my cereal monster status.

Thankfully, I did indeed give up eating 3 cookies a day, but I didn’t have to give up my cereal.

Nope – I could continue my reign as cereal monster because of the discovery of something magical:

Almond milk.

Refreshing. Delicious. Almost the same color as milk! And, best of all, it didn’t come with a side of bloating – brilliant!!

Ted and I go through a lot of almond milk, as he too is a kookoo for cereal. I really enjoy the Trader Joe’s brand, but I decided to have a go at making it myself a few days ago, and the results were great!

4 steps. 6 hours of soaking. 10 minutes of work. And you, master of the kitchen, have just made yourself some homemade, delicious tasting, preservative free, almond milk! Check it out!

LAUREN’S ALMOND MILK

1 cup raw almonds

4 cups water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Soak the almonds overnight with 4 cups of water. If you are impatient, and don’t want to wait all night, just be sure to soak them for at least 6 hours.

2. Pour the soaked almonds and the almond infused water into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

3. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth (you can buy this in the baking section of any grocery store) to remove any impurities. Make sure you put a bowl under the cheesecloth to collect your purified almond milk! I also put a colander under the cheesecloth, just ensure I didn’t get any impurities in the finished product!

4. Put the purified almond milk back in the blender or food processor, add the vanilla, blend, and enjoy!

You can store the milk in an airtight container for up to 1 week. I put mine in some lovely mason jars, as you can see. I also noticed that when it sits in the fridge, it starts to separate a bit, so just give it a good shake before using it.

Also, you can sweeten it with honey or agave if you want to. Just add 1 tablespoon at a time when you add the vanilla and keep tasting and adding until you get the sweetness you desire.

C’est tout!! Try it out and see how it compares!

Lauren

xxx