I'm not sure when I started becoming lactose intolerant. I used to LOVE milk. My mom only bottle fed us with cow's milk as infants. And as a kid, I would drink it plain, with Nesquick chocolate or strawberry powder, pour it over sugary kid's cereals, and dunk my oreos in it. Plus I would drink it at almost every meal. It was my favorite drink. I even posed for a Got Milk ad when I was in 8th grade! I tried finding the ad to post, but I can't find it at the moment. It seemed pretty sudden when I couldn't tolerate milk anymore and then slowly the other dairy items I loved, like ice cream went out the window too. It was a sad day. Every now and then I can eat ice cream if I have a Lactaid handy…but what's the fun in that? :P

Enter Almond milk. It has been a life changer. I never even knew almond milk existed. How could milk come from almonds? I couldn't fathom the process of squeezing any liquid out of a nut…you mine as well tell me to squeeze a rock so I can get a drink of water from it! But then I came across a site that taught you how to make your own at home! And it is really is quite simple. A little time consuming if you don't invest in a cheese cloth (I didn't), but I think I will purchase one next time to make this process a bit easier. We go through at least 1-2 cartons of Almond milk a week. I typically buy the Almond Breeze brand, Almond coconut milk blend. It's delicious! And it's only 45 calories per a cup. You can't beat that!

I did really enjoy this homemade almond milk. It turned out very creamy. And I like that I know exactly what went into it. Almonds and water. But it is easier and probably cheaper to just buy it off the shelf. If I had the time, I would make this again! If you're curious like me and want to make a healthier version of this tasty milk, try this recipe, you won't regret it!

Ingredients

1 cup almonds

2 cups water

blender

strainer

cheese cloth

optional: sweeteners, coconut milk, other natural flavorings

Directions:

1. Soak almonds in a bowl of water (enough to cover every almond) for 24-48hrs. (the longer, the more creamy).

2. Rinse almonds with fresh, cold water.

3. Place almonds and 2 cups of fresh water into a blender. Blend for 3-4 minutes. Liquid will turn instantly white.

4. Strain milk to removed almond meal, and remove as much liquid as possible.

5. Strain liquid again with a cheese cloth to ensure full removal of almond meal.

6. Next place almond meal in cheese cloth and squeeze all the liquid out. Keep Almond meal for future baking (if so you can bake it in the oven to remove excess liquid and freeze).

7. Refrigerate almond milk as soon as possible. Because it is not pasteurized, it will expire in 2 days.