Almond Butter Maple Oatmeal (+ Making Nut Butters and Milks at Home)

You guys have read plenty of posts about clean eating around here, from my first ever experience with zero sugar for a week, to my three month clean eating challenge, to my tips for clean eating on little time. And while I admittedly don't follow an overly strict clean eating regimen (I mean, my kids can't eat all that Halloween candy themselves, man), incorporating clean, healthy, plant-based foods into my family's life is incredibly important to me.

As I've experimented more and more with this over the past few years, I've discovered just how many pre-prepared/pre-packaged foods we eat that we could be making ourselves - the biggest of which are nut milks and nut butters. Even in the "natural" alternative milks and butters available, there are so often additives and emulsifiers in the ingredients - and to me, that's not eating clean. We also use almond milk and almond butter in so many of our meals and snacks, and are constantly running to the store to buy more containers and jars. It was time to take our clean eating journey up a notch, and start creating yummy nut milks and nut butters in our own kitchen. And thanks to The NutraMilk we've been able to easily do just that. We've had so much fun with it, in fact, that I thought I'd share our experience with you all, and along one of our favorite recipes we make using it - Almond Butter Maple Oatmeal.

Once I realized how many jars of almond and peanut butter and containers of almond milk we were buying and I decided to start making our own at home, I got right to it as soon as our The NutraMilk arrived. I stocked up on raw almonds (our favorite), and immediately started making butter and milk for everything from Essley's daily almond butter and jelly sandwiches to my morning coffee to our afternoon smoothies. And I just have to sing The Nutramilk's praises for a minute you guys, because there is really no other product like it, and it's genuinely made a difference for us. I've made nut butters and milks in the past, and the soaking and straining and time involved was simply too much for my schedule. The NutraMilk eliminates all of this and is incredibly easy to use - anyone can create fresh alternative milks and butters right at home, in three simple steps (add ingredients, set timer and press "butter" button for butter, then add water and press "mix" button for milk). I consider it to be one of my necessary kitchen appliances, because we can do so much with it. From seed butters to cashew milk to the perfect peanut butter (you can use almost any kind of nut, seed, grain and legume), it does it all. Did I mentioned my kids thing it's the coolest thing ever to watch? And you know I don't sit here and gush on products very often. This baby is the real deal.

And now for the recipe! This is our current favorite breakfast, but it's so back with protein and healthy fats that it works as lunch or dinner too. All four of us eat it almost everyday.

Almond Butter Maple Oatmeal
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
2 cups raw almonds
3 cups water
1 cup quick Irish oatmeal
2-3 tablespoons real maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon
sliced bananas and strawberries to top

Place almonds in The NutraMilk and set Butter Cycle for 12-13 minutes. Turn on and allow to create almond butter. (You can also do this in advance. There will also be plenty left over from this recipe to use in other meals and snacks!) To prepare oatmeal, follow instructions on oatmeal packaging. Or, for quick Irish oatmeal (what we eat), bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 cup of oats and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Once oatmeal is cooked, stir in 2 tablespoons of your homemade almond butter, 2-3 tablespoons of real maple syrup, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Pour into bowls, and top each bowl with drizzled almond butter, drizzled maple syrup, banana and strawberry slices, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. SO GOOD. (Tip: If you like a slightly thinner consistency to your oatmeal, just stir in a few splashes of almond milk made with The Nutramilk.)

For those of you looking to take your clean and/or plant-based eating journey to the next level, I can't recommend the The NutraMilk highly enough. Pre-order now through 12/8 and use NUTRAMILK50 for $50 off MSRP and receive a free bonus storage container! Units will ship at the end of November (while supplies last).

Who else makes their own alternative milks and nut/seed butters? Do you have any easy recipes you can share?

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and NutraMilk, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #TheNutraMilk http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

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