Make your own almond milk - you're already sweet enough!

There are a lot of different almond milk brands on the market and you will see that there's a whole lot of sugar that goes into most of them.  If you're in Australia, then you'll know that the sugar-free almond milk is much more expensive and can retail from $4-8  per litre!  Making almond milk yourself will cost you approximately $2-3 per litre (depending on where you live and the quality you are buying) and you know that it is sugar free.  It's so easy to make your own even my husband has mastered this!  So what are the health benefits of almond milk? It has a high nutritional content, but low in calories and provides a great alternative to people that are either lactose intolerant or are looking for a cow's milk alternative.  So make it yourself - you don't need the added sugar, you're sweet enough!  

If you're not convinced already, I've found this great poster that was presented at the Academic Excellence Showcase, Western Oregon University by Megan Stinson.  It examines and compares what people think is the healthiest milk are with the facts in an easy to read format.  
http://digitalcommons.wou.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=aes
Stinson, Megan. "Dairy and Dairy Alternatives: Media Portrayal vs. Nutritional Facts." Poster presented at the Academic Excellence Showcase, Western Oregon University, May 31, 2012.

What you will need to make almond milk

• 1 cup of raw almonds
• 4 cups of water
• 1 high powered blender
• 1 50cm x 50cm of cheesecloth
• 1 strainer

How do you do it:

1. Soak 1 cup of almonds overnight (or for at least 4 hours) in water - cover almonds with water and then add an extra cup.
2. Drain the almonds and discard the water, you will see that the almonds have puffed up.
3. In a blender, add the almonds and 1 litre (4 cups) of water and blend for 1-2 minutes until it's a milky white.
4. Put the cheesecloth on top of a strainer (over a bowl) and then pour the milk through the cheese cloth and strainer.  This will catch all the almond meal and husks and will leave you with gorgeous almond milk in the bowl.  You can assist this process by squeezing the cheese cloth and wringing out all the liquid.  
5. Keep in the fridge and enjoy!  Almond milk can last for around 3-4 days when refrigerated.