This may shock some of you but the milk we buy from the supermarket only contains 2 percent calcium. A better source of getting your required daily calcium intake of 1000 milligrams comes down to consuming more green leafy vegetables, figs, oranges, sardines, salmon, white beans and almonds.

However, sometimes milk can’t be replaced in recipes, a good creamy base for porridge or an accompaniment to our morning coffee. In these instances, a great way to get the best of both worlds is to consider making your own milk. Stay with me….

These days many people can’t digest commercially produced milk. A good alternative is simply (and I use this word because it really is) making our own dairy free milk, which is free from preservatives, sugar, starches, gums and oils prevalent in supermarket dairy free alternatives such as almond, lactose free and rice milk.

Making your own milk sounds really alternative and time consuming however the reality is it takes less time to make than to go to the supermarket and buy and you know that you are nourishing your body with a range of minerals, healthy fats and nutrients that lack the added fillers.

Essentially when you’re making milks from almonds, grains or seeds you are pre-soaking them in water and then blending with water. You can get a little creative and add cinnamon, a great anti inflammatory, for added flavour as well as dates, for added calcium and energy or pure vanilla.

Here is my 4 step process to making your own super easy dairy free milk.

Start your milk recipe overnight for the creamiest results.

1. Choose the base you want to make your milk out of. This can range from nuts such as almond (the most popular), to macadamias or cashews. You can also opt for a wholegrain such as oats or brown rice. Love coconut milk but not the price tag? Use fresh coconut pulp or dried coconut flakes.

TIP: If you love your milk really nice and silky and don’t want to strain it, opt for a wholegrain milk, cashews or macadamias.

2. Soak your base milk (such as your seeds, nuts or wholegrain) in a large bowl completely covered in water overnight.

3. In a food processor, combine your milk base with some chilled water and a sweetener if you want that extra bit of flavour. This can consist of a date, cinnamon, a spoon of rice malt syrup or honey. Whirl on high for 1-2 minutes or until creamy.

TIP: If you want extra creaminess I like to add some unhulled tahini to my milk which provides extra protein.

4. Strain the pulp before pouring into a container and adding to cereal, porridge, smoothies or making into hot chocolate.

 

Want to beat the late afternoon munchies? Try making this nourishing almond milk hot chocolate instead of hitting the vending machine.

Cashew Milk Hot Chocolate (makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

1/2 – 1 cup of raw cashews

2 cups of water

1 tbs unhulled tahini

3 tbs of ground cinnamon

1 tbs tumeric

2 medjool dates (cut in half, pitted)

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tbs of rice malt syrup or honey (optional for a super sweet, indulgent drink)

1 vanilla bean pod (seeds) (optional)

Method:

To get the creamiest results, pre-soak cashews for a minimum of 3 hours prior to making your hot chocolate.

1. Combine cashews in blender along with water, cinnamon, tahini, tumeric, vanilla bean seeds, honey, dates and cocoa powder.

2. Whirl on high for 2 minutes or until creamy.

3. Heat and enjoy immediately or if you prefer, chill in fridge and enjoy cold!