Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Food: Homemade Almond Milk

I LOVE MAKING MY OWN ALMOND MILK. Yes, I had to write that in caps, because who knew it could be so easy to do? Seriously much more healthier since boxed almond milk always have additional added ingredients that does not need to be in your almond milk! The first time I tried, I had quite a malfunction - I tried it with a cheesecloth...and it was messy. The cheese cloth kept tearing up on me and the little ground almonds kept getting into my milk when I didn't want that to happen. So, I went back to buying boxed almond milk for another month until I moved back home for the summer and tried making it again using a strainer instead. BEST. TOOL. EVER. Made the job less stressful!

I usually sweeten mine, but you can easily just take out the last two ingredients to make it simple, unsweetened almond milk. 

Here's a simple and easy recipe to make your own almond milk.
  • 1 cup of almonds
  • 3-4 cups of water
  • 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • 1-2 medjool dates (remember to take out the seed beforehand!)

1. Soak 1 cup of almonds overnight or for 8-10 hours.


2. Drain the water from the soaked almonds. Pour the almonds into a blender. 

3. Add 3-4 cups of water.

4. Blend! Blend! Blend! Blend until the water becomes a milky colour and the almonds are all grounded up.


5. Add the vanilla extract and medjool date(s).



6. Blend for another few minutes, so everything is well incorporated. 

7. Get a big bowl and pour the mixture through the strainer (my strainer is very small, so I have to separate the straining into three different batches). Once you strain everything, there will be tons of almond grounds - using a fork/spoon, push the almond ground to make sure you get every last drop of the milk through the strainer.


8. Once you strained the whole amount, your amount milk is now complete! Pour it into a cup, a container, and enjoy.


I usually keep my almond milk in the fridge for no longer than one week - which isn't a problem, since I drink it daily. 

My parents usually get almonds in bulk, so making your almond milk is much more cost effective and cheaper than regularly purchasing store-bought, boxed almond milk.

I hope you enjoy this simple DIY!

<3

Susan 

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Favourites: MAY MAY MAY



May have been a great month so far - moved back home and kept myself busy this whole month! What made me happy this month?

1. Toronto

It's so weird that I wanted to leave home so f*(&ing badly when I was back in high school. Biggest mistake - never felt more comfortable than being in my own neighbourhood that I grew up in and the city that I know so well. It's so nice and relaxing just moving back home - only two more years left in university and then I can settle back into the city!

2. Banana Spinach Smoothie

Find the recipe here! I blogged about it earlier this month and it's my easy, go-to recipe for most days!

3. WARM & SUNNY WEATHER

We got snow back in April and then we got tons of rain in the beginning of May...Susan hates rain. I'm a walker - I love walking everywhere and rain really does ruin my parade. So, it's so nice that the last two weeks of May was just sunshine and comfortable weather.

4. Numi Tea

Organic tea that is perfectly prepared - even the tea bag doesn't have harmful chemicals! I love the bold and rich quality of Numi Tea. Pricey, but each tea bag can be re-steeped and still taste amazing. Happy I discovered this brand a few months ago and of course, I went overboard and bought two boxes of 100 tea bags on Amazon.

5. Food

Relating back to the first point....being back in Toronto gives me this wide selection of amazing food. I love the small, local restaurants, bakeries, and cafes around. I love trying new bites and my food is my biggest weakness to my paycheques.

Overall, I've been really happy to settle back home for the summer. Enjoying it as it lasts!

<3

Susan