Almond Milk the healthier way

I'm going to share how I make almond milk. It's surprisingly easy and doesn't have any of the inflammatory additives you'll find in a lot of the store brands.

I switched to almond milk in fall of 2021 when I went through the AIP Autoimmune Health Reset with Dr. Will Cole. Almond milk was one of the first things I added back into my diet after the elimination period and thankfully I didn't have any reactions to it.

The reason I started making my own was because it is expensive and sometimes difficult to find almond milk at the grocery store that doesn't have any beans, gums, inflammatory oils or additives in it. Because of my autoimmune syndrome I'm eating as few inflammatory ingredients as possible!

So I'm not going to make you read through a bunch of stuff about my childhood or my neighbors' dog or any of that nonsense. I'm going to cut to the chase.

This is how I make my almond milk. Is it the best way? I don't honestly know. Are there better ways? Maybe. This is what I found I like best. It's delicious, creamy and you can add all the flavoring you want. Most of all, it doesn't cause inflammation in my body like many store bought almond milks can.

• 6 Tablespoons of raw almonds (or 1/3 of a cup if you don't have fancy scoop like I do)
• approximately 2 cups filtered water
• a pinch of salt
• 4-5 Tablespoons of MCT oil (use as much or as little as you want or eliminate it all together - but this is the thing that makes it so creamy and it's good for you!)

Other things you could add if you want:

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• 1 pitted date
• a tablespoon or maple syrup or honey if you like it sweet
• any delicious spices or herbs you want to add

Usually I'll put everything together the night before in my nutribullet and let it sit overnight then blend it for 30-45 seconds (longer if you want to) in the morning. It makes it a little creamier and there's less nut waste because it is softer from soaking over night. There are other health benefits to soaking almonds but I'm no expert and I'm not going into that right now.

Strain the whole shebang into a storage container. I use an extra fine mesh tea strainer. You can find them on Amazon, at your local tea store or any number of housewares places. The key is extra fine to filter out all those nut particles. 

You could also use a nut bag but I did that once and I am 100% uninterested in ever cleaning that out again. It's a tactile thing for me. No thanks.

I save my nut pulp and throw it into a batch of my Gluten Free and Grain Free AIP Brownie recipe. Just add it to the recipe - you don't have to substitute anything. Also, if you hate carob or just think it's pointless, use cacao powder instead. The brownies are really damn tasty.

This recipe gives me enough almond milk for 3-4 milk heavy lattes. Sometimes I cut the recipe in half. Seriously, it's pretty forgiving. 

I hope you enjoy a super easy and healthy alternative to almond milk by making it yourself at home. I couldn't believe how easy it really was!