Delicious Homemade Almond Milk

I wish I could be a professional blogger. Sometimes I daydream about it. I love learning how to make new thingamajiggers and dohickies. When I am successful I want to run out onto my front porch and yell to the whole world (or just my neighbours and anyone that happens to be walking their dog) what I have just accomplished. There is a deep satisfaction in not having to rely on "the man" for a variety of things and today I said "screw you man I'm makin' my own almond milk".
 
It worked and it was easy. So now I have to yell at you how to do it so you will then in turn want to yell at other people to tell them how to do it.  Cow's milk has gotten a lot of heat in the past few decades. It has been linked to a variety of ill effects from cancers to heart disease. It causes the pain and suffering of millions of dairy cows in factory farms day after day. Sorry to be a debby downer. I think it is important to remember that dairy farmers are a business model just like any other commercial product and there is a lot of lobbying/advertising done to get that milk in our fridges.
 
Ok so Almond milk. It's pretty cool. I use it in pancakes and other baking as a substitution for cow's milk, on oatmeal and in shakes mostly. It's really great all of these ways. It adds just the slightest nuttiness and sweetness to make your belly grumble for more. The store bought stuff has a lot of additives in it so I thought I'd giver' a go....
 
Almond Coconut Milk

1 c Almonds
1/2 c  Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
5-6 c of warm water
Dollop of honey (if you like it sweetened a bit)
A splash or 2 of Vanilla 

Dump it all in a blender and soak it up. I let mine soak for about 5 hours. You could soak it for more or less. Whatever you fancy. Turn the blender on and blend for a few minutes. What you will be left with is a milky liquid with "pulp" in it. Strain this out through a mesh sieve or other fine strainer. Grab a beautiful bottle and pour it in. Add more water to thin depending on the consistency you desire. Sit back and relish in your new found self sufficiency. Feels kinda great doesn't it?

Even better you can then spread all the left over pulp on a cookie sheet greased with coconut oil and put it in the oven on the lowest heat setting to dehydrate. What you are left with is almond flour. Gluten free. Genius! 

Disclaimer: If you are allergic to nuts your body will not like this milk so instead just replace the nuts with more coconut flakes! Yay! Also, No almonds endured any pain or suffering in the making of this delicious substance. You can sleep soundly tonight. You're welcome.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I did it! I made dishwasher detergent! Yay me! I know I'm way  more excited than I should be on this one but I'm finding making stuff on my own/"off the grid" is extremely satisfying, exciting and economical! I hmmmed and hawwwed over what recipe I would use and finally decided on one. I halved it to make sure it would work for us since different people report different findings. I think it really has to do with how hard or soft your water is and even what type of dishwasher you have.

What's the big whoop with conventional detergents?
Phosphates! "Once phosphates are discharged into the environment, they promote algae growth in local waters. These sudden blooms of algae trigger a process called eutrophication in which local waters become starved of oxygen and devoid of life. This issue is of special concern to anyone living near a lake or pond," writes Seventh Generation, a maker of phosphates-free soaps. You can read more about aquatic dead zones here

Phosphates used to be in laundry detergent but soap makers changed their formulation years ago. Now the same is finally happening with dish detergent with some companies voluntarily banning their use. Either way I still don't really trust big names. At the very least they all contain artificial fragrances which aren't very good to be breathing in. I even read a few articles that Cascade's new formulation is ruining some people's dishes and dishwashers! I dunno but making my own was so easy and cheap I don't think I'll be turning back!

Here is my recipe:
1 cup Borax (Can be found in the laundry isle at grocery stores. I got mine at London Drugs. It was 2kg for $6.99)
1 cup Washing Soda (Also found in the laundry isle. Again got mine at London Drugs. It is not the same as baking soda so don't subsitute it with that. 3kg for $6.49)
1/2 cup Citric Acid (Had a hard time finding this in Squamish. I got it in NB at a brew it store. Yesterday I came across is at Nester's though in the Asian spice section. 1kg for $10)
1/2 cup Kosher Salt (I used Sea Salt.... not sure if it would differ to use Ionized Salt or not...)
1 tsp White Rice (you don't need to do this but apparently it helps the batch from not clumping due to to citric acid. It won't hurt your dishwasher at all)

Use 1 Tbsp per load or adjust as per your need. Also fill the Jet dry compartment with white vinegar. It will act as a natural rinse agent... and no your dishes won't smell like vinegar after I promise.

There were some Dishwashing tabs onsale this week  at Save On... I did a little math and it works out to 24 cents a load.

This particular recipe will produce 48 loads and according to my excellent math abilities I figure it's about 4 cents a load. If you turn on your dishwasher once a day then you stand to save about $75/year or more depending on the type of detergent you use (green ones tend to be even more expensive) and if you normally get good sales. Not only that, it is non toxic and saves lots of plastic containers destined for the landfill. You can use the Washing Soda and Borax for many other household cleaning products including Laundry Detergent.... which I also made!

If you want to try some and you're in the area then come on by!

The e-BP. A glorious invention.

Just a quick  little green post to remind anyone with a smartphone that you can check into flights with your phone and then use it as your boarding pass! No more jumbling papers and wondering where you put your passes! Its really sweet though seriously. I finally got around to doing it and I will never go back. Plus you can check in 24 hours in advance now and choose your seat so when you get to the airport you just have to check your luggage if you have any. It's also even BETTER if you are travelling as a family and have multiple boarding passes for the kiddies too! Seriously do it you won't regret it! I haven't seen that many people using this system (compared to noticing that everyone around me seems to have a BB or iPhone so thought this was a post worth mentioning) There is also free Wifi in all Canadian Airports that I have been in so you can even do this on your iPod Touch!

Oh ya! Totally forgot to mention why this is so green! Approximately 4.5 million people fly every day! Think of all that one time use paper!