January 1, 2014, day one of a challenge to write 500 words a day.

In order to help my feeble mind to focus and be able to write I am choosing the alphabet to help me on this journey into recounting the positive changes I have made in my life.

So, A is for almonds. Almonds have become a great addition to my diet since taking a blood test over 2 years ago and discovering that not only am I intolerant of peanuts, but also dairy. This was a blow to my diet since I pretty much had peanut butter toast for breakfast, at least 2 – 3 times a week. Not to mention the ice cream, of which my favorite was chocolate peanut butter.  I want you to understand why A is not for allergies. I am not allergic to peanuts, nor dairy. They don’t affect my body in that way but they do affect my digestive system. If I eat these things I suffer the consequences, which range from severe gas pains to mild indigestion. I have tried digestive enzymes for dairy and to be honest it’s not a perfect solution plus it just doesn’t make sense in the long run to eat things that your body is complaining about.

So I discovered a brand of almond butter with maple syrup that is so yummy! I can pretty much eat it straight from the jar! I don’t miss peanut butter any more.

I also discovered how to make my own almond milk. For 2 years I bought my almond milk from the store, but I started another health related challenge last September. She recommended not using the store bought almond milk since it has other things added, including sugar. The process is super simple, although, I can’t find raw almonds anywhere. I use steam processed organic almonds and soak them in water overnight with sea salt. Rinse, drain and put in the blender with just water. Then just strain through a nut milk bag, refrigerate and enjoy! The flavor is superior, much fresher tasting.

Plus, with the left over almond meat, I put that on a cookie sheet in the oven for a couple hours until it’s dry, and then whirl it around the food processor for a few minutes and presto change-o, I have almond flour!

I use the almond flour mostly to make almond flour pancakes for breakfast, but it works in other recipes, too. I used it this Christmas to roll my truffles in instead of sugar. That worked well, no sticky fingers and no added sugar!

Here are the ratios for the recipes above:

Almond milk: 1 cup almonds covered with 3-4 cups of filtered water and 1 teaspoon sea salt. In the blender add the rinsed and drained almonds and about 4 cups filtered water depending on how rich you like your milk.

Almond pancakes: 1 egg and 1/2 cup almond flour per serving. Add filtered water until desired consistency is reached.

Both these are just plain basic recipes. They are great for adding whatever you like as you experiment. The pancakes are different in texture and taste than a regular pancake but they are totally gluten-free!

Yay! I made it, over 500 words! Enjoy the positive changes in your life. I encourage you to share in the comments. Love to all, and Happy New Year!