How often do you take medicine? How often do you give acetaminophen to your kids? Is illness and pain the result of an acetaminophen deficiency or something that needs our attention so that we can heal?
Colleen Kachmann is a health coach, writer, teacher, yogi, mother of 4 (+3 bonus stepkids), and personal chef. She has a B.S. in education from Indiana University, and a master of science in health coaching from International Health Coach University. She also successfully completed the Women’s Functional & Integrative Medicine Professional Training Program through the Women’s Integrative Medicine Institute. Buy her book on Amazon. Find her on TwitterPinterestInstagramYouTubeFacebook
Colleen Kachmann is a health coach, writer, teacher, yogi, mother of 4 (+3 bonus stepkids), and personal chef. She has a B.S. in education from Indiana University, and a master of science in health coaching from International Health Coach University. She also successfully completed the Women’s Functional & Integrative Medicine Professional Training Program through the Women’s Integrative Medicine Institute. Buy her book on Amazon. Find her on TwitterPinterestInstagramYouTubeFacebook
Colleen Kachmann is a health coach, writer, teacher, yogi, mother of 4 (+3 bonus stepkids), and personal chef. She has a B.S. in education from Indiana University, and a master of science in health coaching from International Health Coach University. She also successfully completed the Women’s Functional & Integrative Medicine Professional Training Program through the Women’s Integrative Medicine Institute. Buy her book on Amazon. Find her on TwitterPinterestInstagramYouTubeFacebook
Making homemade plant milks is a delicious and healthy way to save money. And the bonus is that the remaining pulp, called okara, can be used to make simple treats like pancakes and cookies. It doesn’t matter what kind of milk you make; soy,almond, coconut, rice, oat and hemp okara are combinable and/or interchangeable in these recipes.
Harvest the leftovers at the bottom of the nut bag and use them to create a sweet treat. And if the nut bag is problematic for you (as it was for me!), ditch the nut bag and use a pair of nylons.
Okara Pancakes:
Equal parts okara, water, and baking flour. (Remaining recipe is proportional to about one cup of each)
1 tbsp tbsp hydrated ground flax seed (cover 1 tbsp flax with 1 tbsp water, set for 5 minutes)
2 tbsp sugar (optional if you’re adding syrup!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xantham gum
Mix ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add a few tbsp of water as needed for a thinner consistency. Coat griddle with oil of choice, and use medium heat. These pancakes will take longer to set than normal, so be patient, and don’t flip prematurely. Top with homemade vegan butter and pure maple syrup. Enjoy!
Okara Peanut Butter Cookies:
Equal parts okara and peanut butter and baking flour of choice (Remaining recipe is proportional to about one cup of each)
1 cup brown sugar (cut in half for low sugar variety)
1 tbsp hydrated ground flax seed (cover 1 tbsp flax with 1 tbsp water, set for 5 minutes)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xantham gum
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix okara, peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and flax in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in another. Combine and blend thoroughly. Spoon balls onto a greased cookie sheet, and use a fork to create the traditional criss cross pattern. Sprinkle extra sugar on the top for a crispy, sweet finish. Bake about 15 minutes.
Almond milk is the easiest of all the plant milks to make. And honestly, it’s my favorite. No tedious advance preparations are necessary, though *soaking is beneficial. The flavor is so good it needs no additional ingredients.
Directions for homemade almond milk:
Take 1 cup of raw, organic almonds. Soak as/if desired. (If you need milk fast, just skip this. It’s ok! You’re already a winner in the nutrition game!)
3-5 cups water (no harm in making it go farther!)
Add almonds and water to high speed blender. I use a Vitamix. Blend on maximum for 2-3 minutes.
If desired, strain the milk using a nut bag or cheesecloth. Or ditch the nut bag and grab an old pair of nylons. The remaining pulp can be used in okara recipes for pancakes, cookies and more.
*Soaking any tree nut or seed is beneficial. As nuts /seeds are biologically designed to germinate and grow into a plant, many of the healthy enzymes potentially available remain locked until ideal conditions activate their release. Also, as they absorb water, they become softer, and easier to digest, which maximizes nutrient absorption in your body. If you want to take it a step further, allow the almonds to sprout by placing the soaked almonds in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 2 days. Sprouting releases a fat-burning enzyme called lipase AND sprouted nuts and seeds are even sweeter…no added sugar required!
Learning how to make homemade soy milk is simple, and easily lends itself to a “system”. Whether you drink it daily or use it occasionally for baking, spending $2+/box is not necessary. Just stock dried organic soy beans in your pantry, and you can have as much as you need whenever you need it. I purchased a 25# of organic soybeans on Amazon, and I must admit that it will last me a LONG time. But that translates to about $.80 for 8 cups. Store brands run at least four times that. And this is organic, which is non-negotiable when it comes to soy because over 90 percent of US crops contain GMOs. No. And Thank you.
How to make homemade soy milk:
Soak 1 cup dried soybeans in water for 3-4 hours. (Overnight is fine.) Drain. Cover with water in a sauce pan and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse. Notice the shell pods that float to the top. Scoop to remove. (You don’t need to get them all, just grab the majority.)
Place soybeans in a Vitamix or high speed blender. Cover with water to the 8 cup mark. Puree on high for 3 minutes. Add 1-2 tsp vanilla and 1-2 tsp sugar if desired.
Now, here’s where you can benefit from my learning curve. After you blend, other recipes will tell you to pour into a nut bag or strain thru a cheese cloth. And I can tell you, this is a DEAL BREAKER for me. In my initial attempts at this, I felt like I was back in the 1800s, doing laundry on a wash board. Kneeding and pressing and crying in angst as my hands cramped and I made a big Huge CRAZY mess all over my kitchen as it spilled and slopped and took forever and then still never seemed to strain all the way. I just gave up.
But as a woman born in the seventies, when Wonder Woman wore a cape and Farrah Fawcet drove race cars, defeat is not something I take lightly. Besides, I had bought 25 POUNDS of soybeans. I was not throwing that way. And yet. FOR SURE. I was not squeezing it through a nut bag.
As I was researching various alternatives such as commercial grade sieves, strainers and cheese presses to make this job a little more 2012, I ran across one word of inspiration: nylon.
Today, I’m happy to have Spanx to make it all look smooth. But as a former wannabe Charlie’s Angel, I do own a pair of control top panty hose.
I keep them in the same drawer as the leg warmers and wrist bands. You know, just in case.
So instead of a nut bag, I use control top nylons. Because nothing beats a great pair or L’eggs like a delicious glass of soy milk. Read more about how you can “Ditch the Nutbag“
Recipe for homemade soy milk:
1/2 cup dried soy beans
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
Remove any soy beans that look bad. Soak soy beans for 4-8 hours. Drain, add new water and boil soy beans for 15-20 minutes. Drain.
Place soy beans and 3 cups of water into Vitamix, high speed blender or food processor. Blend for one minute. Pour through nut bag or nylon. Collect milk. Add leftover pulp (okara) to blender. Add 2 cups of water and blend for 1 minute. Strain again.
Collect the leftover pulp, and use it for pancakes or cookies.(I am working on a recipe, so if those words aren’t linked yet, bookmark this and check back next week…I’m working on it!)
You don’t have to eat less, you just have to eat right. In my free Eat Yourself Thin, I’ll show you the strategies I used to get off the dieting merry-go-round for good.
