Happy Thursday, friends! It’s been a crazy week and I’ve been busy this am booking airbnbs through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine and Vermont. The husband and I are doing a mini road trip (which involves vet care for Witter). While she’s getting treatment, we’re going to make the best of our time and do some exploring! Prayers for Witter that she makes it in one piece. That cat is going to be the death of me.
I’ve been dairy-free for about two years now, so I’m well versed in the world of plant-based milks. I know what I like and what I don’t and what ingredients I’m ok with, and the ones I’ll avoid like its my job. There are so many products out there and they are definitely not created equal. As someone who suffers from gut issues and an auto-immune disorder, I’m very wary when it comes to pre-prepared foods. Yes, of course, sometimes convenience is the answer, but I whole heartedly believe that the reason we have so much disease and gut related issues today is 100% due to our processed food diets. I believe that the more we break it down to the basics, the better we feel. Whole30 isn’t some fad diet that i decide to do when i think I’ve gained a few pounds. Whole30, for me, is a chance to bring myself back to cooking from scratch, eliminating all of the junk additives we find in processed food and finding that homeostasis my body craves. Don’t get me wrong, I like to indulge every once and a while and I love a tasty baked good, BUT I bake it myself. Start from the ground up and read your labels. If you can’t pronounce it, if you don’t know what it is: DON’T BUY IT. Your body, energy levels and mental health will thank you.
Ok, back to plant-based milks. I’ve tried them all. Soy, coconut, oat, almond, cashew, rice etc. Almost all of these store bought milks are over processed and filled with junk. Some are shelf stable and others you can find refrigerated, but they all contain (roughly) the same ingredients (save for a few brands that literally have 2-3 ingredients). Almond milks often contain only 2% almonds…TWO…or the percentage of almond is ‘unlisted’. *Eye roll* They contain additives that preserve, add volume or creaminess and prevent separation in processed foods. While most claim not to contain carrageenan (a thickener derived from seaweed), it’s often replaced with ingredients, such as xantham, acacia, guar, gellan and locust bean gums and sunflower or other lecithins that are essentially the same friggin’ thing. These additives have been shown to wreak havoc on your digestive system among other unpleasant side effects. Gross.
So what can you do? BRING IT BACK TO THE BASICS. Make your own! I promise it takes 5 minutes. You can make enough for a week, store it is mason jars and all you need to do is give it a shake before you pour. It tastes amazing and you have peace of mind knowing you aren’t drinking processed bevvies. Sounds great, right? Want the recipe? Ok! Keep scrolling down. Love you all!
Sincerely,
Les xo
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 cups boiling filtered water
- 2 pitted medjool dates
- pinch of good quality sea salt
- filtered water
- cheese cloth or a nut milk bag (i bought mine online at Bed Bath and Beyond
Method:
Boil 3 cups filtered water (you want to use filtered so that you don’t get an aftertaste in your milk from city water supplies). Place almonds and cashews and dates in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let the nuts sit in the water for approximately 1 hour. Pour the contents of the bowl into a high powered blender, add sea salt and water to max volume of blender (mine is 8 cups). Blend on high for 3 mins. Pour the contents of the blender into the nut milk bag or through cheese cloth. Squeeze all the remaining milk through the bag and into large mason jars. You can add vanilla too if that’s your jam! Save your almond and cashew leftovers to bake and cook with! It’s a win win!
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