My First Experience With Almond Milk

When I first noticed almond milk in the store, I considered it a beverage for people who had milk allergies. I never really thought about buying it and felt sorry for those who had to.

Recently I have seen a few recipes that called for almond milk. These recipes promoted good health and low calories. My curiosity was piqued, so I decided to give almond milk a try. Not everything that is healthy is tasty as I'm sure you all know, so think of me as your guinea pig if you have never given it a try.

This week Kroger had almond milk on sale and I had a coupon, so I decided to try it. I paid $1.44 for a half gallon and got $.75 off of my next grocery bill. It often goes on sale and I think even perhaps a little lower, but this was very close to the "regular" milk price, so I was happy.

Wow! It is amazing. I bought unsweetened vanilla almond milk. When I took a sip of the thick creamy stuff, it tasted like dessert. I double checked the calories. Yes, it is only 40 calories per cup. That is half of the amount found in skim milk. And can you believe just shy of double the calcium compared to "regular" milk?

It doesn't have any sugar added, so I thought it needed a little natural sweetener. You could use sugar if you prefer. Then I remembered I had frozen strawberries in the freezer. I pulled out the blender and the rest is history. My little 3 ingredient concoction tasted like a rich and creamy strawberry milk shake. I know some would call this a smoothie, but calling it a milk shake makes it taste better.

My one and a half cup strawberry milk shake was only 90 calories. A small Burger King strawberry milk shake is 460 calories. One and a half cups of Bryers strawberry ice cream is 275 calories. And even if you are not concerned about calories, you can feel good about this milk shake because it is good for you and your family. Since when did you think you would be better off if you ate dessert?

I want to experiment more with this new-to-me product. I see a lot of milk shakes in my future. At first taste, I don't see myself drinking almond milk as a beverage by itself, but it has a lot of potential as an ingredient. I have not tried the original flavor of almond milk. It may be more suited as a beverage.

Strawberry Milk Shake Recipe
1 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 c frozen strawberries
sweetener of your choice to taste (I used stevia)

Blend all three ingredients in a blender. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Have you tried almond milk? How do you use it? Feel free to leave recipe links or suggestions.