Almond Breeze

[nessyrae]

I don't know anything about this product. What is it exactly and how does everyone use it? It is somthing you drink a glass of or just add to things? I am curious. It sounds interesting. What is the carb count on this product also?

[jezzie]

The one I get is 2 carbs/3 fat per 8 ounces.

You can drink it as is or add it to hot chocolate, coffee, smoothies, etc.

I alternate using soy milk and almond breeze in my coffee.
.

[AlittleStar]

That carb count isn't high at all. I always thought it was higher. Thanks for posting jezzie, I plan to use this in the future. nessyrae - I heard that this product is good in shakes as well

[lisabinil]

Blue Diamond® Growers - Retail Business - Almond Breeze®

[CherryCola]

I drink a cup of it (heated) w/ heavy cream and stevia almost every morning.

I love it.

[nessyrae]

Is it hard to find the unsweetened version of this?

[lisa89]

Nope i seen it at whole foods!..and Jewels.

[nessyrae]

Thanks, I will have to check it out at Whole Foods. I rarely go there, but I really want to try this, so it will be worth a trip!

[CherryCola]

Do you have Kroger in OH?? That's where I find the Original and Chocolate (both unsweetened) but for some reason they don't carry Unsweetened Vanilla (but I know it's out there! )

Here it's about 2.39 a box.

[ncgirl]

The Krogers in my area stopped carrying the unsweetened Almond Breeze - they said they would try to re-stock it, but I haven't heard from them yet (or seen it).

Thankfully, I do have a Whole Foods nearby!

[Charski]

"My" Whole Foods didn't carry the unsweetened, but they DID have the sugar-added stuff - however, they offered to order a case for me AND I got 10% off for buying it by the case!

Since then I've found the unsweetened varieties other places though.

I use both the chocolate and vanilla. I seldom ever drink a glass of it by itself - but the vanilla is really good with the Oregon Chai SF liquid concentrate for an after-dinner hot drink, and the chocolate I use in my banana/chocolate/peanut butter whey protein drink, and also to make homemade hot chocolate or homemade cocoa. I've added it to coffee too, but it doesn't have that mouthfeel that cream has - so I add a splash of that too!

[MountainGirl]

Just so y'all know,
You can make Almond Milk at home for a fraction of the cost of Almond Breeze. You can sweeten it or flavor it as you desire.

Here's how I do it:

Place 1 cup whole (organic if possible) almonds in dry VitaMix container.
Add 6 cups pure water.

Place lid on and place container in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, place the VitaMix on the base and process on High for 2 1/2 minutes.

Strain the milk through a strainer (keeping the almond fiber, it's great for cooking)

Add sweetener and/or flavoring as desired. Store in a covered container in the fridge.

Makes about 6 cups.

It's awesome plain, but even better "jazzed" up.

[GraceGirl]

Originally Posted by nessyrae

Is it hard to find the unsweetened version of this?

Most of the major grocery stores that I go to have it in their health food section. Publix has it, but I usually get it at Kroger because they have all three unsweetened flavors.

I LOVE Almond Breeze. I drink it with some splenda and sometimes flavor drops to change the taste up a bit. I also use it in my homemade protein cereal!

[nessyrae]

I will first try looking for it at Kroger. Thanks for the recipe MountainGirl. It sounds easy to make. I don't have a Vitamix.

[wen774]

Originally Posted by MountainGirl

Just so y'all know,
You can make Almond Milk at home for a fraction of the cost of Almond :

I keep hearing this, but it would cost me at least 6$ to buy that many almonds. It only costs me 2-3$ for the Almonds breeze, which is 4 cups. I can see making it on your own for health/ingredient reasons, but for cost and convenience Ill keep on buying mine.

[belfrybat]

Originally Posted by wen774

I keep hearing this, but it would cost me at least 6$ to buy that many almonds. It only costs me 2-3$ for the Almonds breeze, which is 4 cups. I can see making it on your own for health/ingredient reasons, but for cost and convenience Ill keep on buying mine.

My word--bless your heart. Where on earth do you live? Around here almonds cost $7.99 a pound, and that's 3-1/2 cups. Do you actually have to pay $20.00 for a pound of almonds? That is outrageous. I'd recommend shopping at Netrition-- much cheaper and their shipping costs less than most folks buy gas for driving to the store.

Edited to add: I just checked Netrition, and their cost is only $6.79 for a pound of almonds -- using the above recipe that would produce 18+ cups (4-1/2 Almond Breeze containers). I think I'm going to try this.

[MountainGirl]

Hey y'all,

I've never heard of almonds being $6. for 1 cup.

The really COOL thing about making your own almond milk is that you can make it how YOU want, thick - thin, sweetened, unsweetened, chocolate, vanilla etc.

If it's too thin, reduce the water. I use it (6 cups version) for everything from in coffee to cooking. I also make Almond "Cream" by using 4 cups of water.

You do NOT need a VitaMix. Any good blender will work just fine. The VM just grinds it up better and leaves less fiber.

Here are some other recipes to consider:

Almond Milk
VN, GF, SF

Ingredients

1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 1/2 cups filtered water
Cheesecloth, moist, several layers (preferably
-- unbleached)

Directions

To blanch almonds, simply place them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then cool. The skins will loosen, and can be easily popped off by squeezing one end of the almonds. For variation, other nuts or seeds can be used in this recipe such as sesame seeds, cashews or sunflower seeds.

Place blanched almonds and water in a blender and blend on high speed for several minutes. When the mixture is smooth and white and the pulp is very fine (you can tell this by looking at the pulp as it hits the sides of the blender), the milk is ready to strain through cheesecloth. When most of the milk has seeped through, gather the ends of the cheesecloth encasing the contents into a pouch. Squeeze the pouch to remove as much of the remaining liquid as you can. Reserve the pulp for cookies, if desired.

Note: almonds may be soaked overnight for more ease in blending. The soaking water can then be used as all or part of the blending water.

The yield for this recipe will depend on how powerful your blender is. If you own a Vita-Mix, please follow the instructions for almond milk in your cookbook.

Sweetener such as maple syrup, honey or stevia may be added if desired, but I like this milk plain. A teaspoon or more of almond or vanilla extract can be added to create a more pronounced flavour.

The almond milk will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator. It will separate so shake or mix well before using.

"This recipe is from Harvey and Marilyn Diamond's book Fit for Life , one of the first books I read about nutrition. It is the best non-dairy milk alternative I have ever used. I have always found commercially prepared almond milks much too sweet. This milk tastes great in a shake.".

[MountainGirl]

More Almond Milk recipes:

If you have a high-powered blender I highly recommend making homemade nut milks – it seems daunting I know, but once you try you'll never go back; in just a few steps you can have great tasting nut milk without the annoying additives that are in the majority of commercially produced brands.

It's easy! In a few simple steps you’ll have:
Almond Milk
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons raw organic almonds
2 Cups water
1 tablespoon Agave syrup *(or any sweetener you desire)

Instructions:
Soak the almonds overnight in the water in the fridge.
Remove the skins if you prefer.
Blend the almonds with the soaking liquid and the Agave on low for about 15 seconds and then on high for about 45 seconds, depending on your blender.
Strain the milk through a sieve and enjoy!

[nessyrae]

Wow, this does sound easy! I just bought some of the Almond Breeze today, but I will buy some almonds and try making it myself. I bought one of each: unsweetened original, vanilla, and chocolate. I do prefer to make things myself if I am able to so this is worth a try!

So, would we be using blanched almonds, not raw almonds to make this?

[MountainGirl]

I make raw Almond Milk every week (alternating with cashew milk).

I NEVER blanch my almonds, but that's just me. I use RAW almonds. Since you strain the milk anyway, the skins just get caught in the strainer.

However, if you are bothered by the light brown color, or you get some ground skins get past your strainer, you can blanch. But, for me it's an unnecessary step and I like things easy!

[MountainGirl]

Here's another:

I actually really love the almond milk that I've been making at home. I mean, like I REALLY love it! And that comes from a person who has really dug her heels in when it comes to finding suitable dairy-free milk alternatives. There are two different ways that I’ve made it. The easiest way is to make it without cooking it. I’ve also made it with my Soyquick Milk maker, an alternative that cooks the almonds. I will be blogging about this fabulous machine in a future post. But for now, let me tell you how you can easily make uncooked homemade almond milk. I'm including the recipe below, but if you want to watch a video of it being made by an expert, go to youtube.com and search for either Karen Knowler or almond milk. I can't seem to figure out how to actually place her youtube video in this blog post. Any ideas, please let me know!

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk (uncooked)

1 cup raw almonds (with or without skins)
3 cups water
medjool dates or any dates you can find – make sure there are no pits inside the dates
agave syrup to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or the scrapings from one fresh vanilla bean

I’ve read that it is best to soak the almonds overnight, however I always forget, so I just make it with almonds straight from the bag. By the way, the almonds from Trader Joe’s (they cost about $4.69 per 16 ounce bag) appear to be gluten-free. Many of their bagged nuts say that they’re made in a facility that also processes numerous ingredients, including wheat. Not so with the almonds. Of course, it’s always best to check – we have to religiously read labels.

Put the almonds and water in a blender and blend on highest speed. When it appears that the almonds are as finely chopped as they’ll get, turn the blender off. Of course, I would love a Vita-mix blender, but for now I’ve made do with my regular, run of the mill blender.

Strain the almond milk by placing a sprout or nut bag, if you’re lucky enough to have one, over a bowl or measuring cup. Pour the almond milk into the bag. Squeeze the bag to get all of the liquid out of the blended almonds. If you don’t have a sprout or nut bag, another alternative is to place a strainer over the bowl or measuring cup so that it will not tip over. Lay a doubled or tripled piece of cheesecloth over the strainer. Pour the almond milk into the strainer.

Once the almond milk is strained, pour it back into the blender (first you have to thoroughly wash it before reusing for this next step). Add the dates, agave syrup, and vanilla and blend. You will want to taste the milk to see if you want additional dates, agave syrup, or vanilla, per your taste.

Store in the refrigerator. Best to use within the next 2 or 3 days.

So there you go.

[MountainGirl]

One more!

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk
Cookbook: Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods
Renee Loux Underkoffler
Makes 4 cups.

"A sweet and delicious fresh milk with the elegant essence of vanilla"


1 cup soaked raw almonds (soaked 4-8 hours)
4 cups filtered water
Pinch of sun-dried sea salt
1 T non-alcohol vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean (optional)
3 T raw honey or maple syrup (or 3 soft dates, pitted) **or sweetener of choice (optional)

In a blender, at medium, then high speed, blend soaked almonds, water, and sea salt until smooth. Pour through a strainer (or use a nut bag) to separate pulp. Pour liquid back in the the blender and blend in vanilla extract and bean (if using) and sweetener until smooth.

[MountainGirl]

One more note:

MY recipe uses 6 cups of water. That is pretty thin for most people. I'd start off with 4 cups of water and see if you need to thin it more. I'll edit my recipe above to say that.

[MountainGirl]

Just so y'all know,
You can make Almond Milk at home for a fraction of the cost of Almond Breeze. You can sweeten it or flavor it as you desire.

Here's how I do it:

Place 1 cup whole (organic if possible) almonds in dry blender container.*
Add 4 cups pure water. *see note

Place lid on and place container in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, place the blender on the base and process until smooth.
*I use a VitaMix and process on HIGH for 2 1/2 minutes.

Strain the milk through a strainer (keeping the almond fiber, it's great for cooking or even a facial scrub)

Add sweetener and/or flavoring as desired. Store in a covered container in the fridge.

Makes about 4 cups.
*You may want to thin it more, by adding more water if this is too thick for you. I actually use 6 cups of water, but that may be too thin for most people.

**You can use ANY good blender!

It's awesome plain, but even better "jazzed" up.

[MountainGirl]

Here's a step-by-step. BTW, she uses 3 cups water to each 1 cup almonds.

Almond Milk" target="_blank">Making Almond Milk

[MountainGirl]

Oh my!

Anyone w