Almond Butter - Make it Yourself

Almond butter is awesome! We love it with apples (my favorite), on sandwiches, with ice cream, in smoothies, and in countless other recipes. It can be expensive and lately I have had a hard time finding a brand I like that does not have a slight oxidized taste. What to do? Make it yourself!

You will need:

•  Almonds (raw) 5 cups: You can find almonds at your local grocery store, often in bulk, at a reasonable price.
• Oven: Roast your almonds at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
• Blender: You will need a good blender, one with a wand is preferable. 
• Add Ins (optional): Salt, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, coconut, etc.

Start by roasting 4 cups of almonds for 12-15 minutes at 325 degrees. I like to have 4 cups roasted and 1 cup raw in my final butter, you can mess around with this ratio and see what you like best. Stir almonds once at 6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until almonds are warm.

Blend roasted almonds at medium speed. This is where the wand comes in very handy! Once the almonds resemble cornmeal, add the remaining cup of almonds.  Start on low and gradually increase speed to the highest possible.

Picture on the right is a look at the mixture about 30 seconds after adding the raw almonds. You can see where the wand is used to push the mixture down.

Almost done! If you like it a little grainy in texture, you can stop at this point. I like it smooth and creamy! Add anything extra if desired and voila! In this batch, I added 1/4 t salt, 1/4 t vanilla, and 1/4 t cinnamon. This gives the almond butter a very slight hint of vanilla and cinnamon. The almond butter will be hot or very warm at this point, which makes it easier to work with.




Now for the finishing touches. Add it to your preferred container and store in the refrigerator to slow the separation. Enjoy!

I am thoroughly embarrassed by our unorganized messy house. But, I must start somewhere. This is definitely not the life I want my kids to remember or learn. Organizing needs to happen!

Beginning

We must start somewhere and this is my new beginning. Being a mom is one of the most difficult yet rewarding jobs I have ever had. As a small business owner and former employee, I know having systems in place makes a world of difference. Yet, looking at my life, I realized I do not have the right systems in place to make our home a place of peace and love! This is crazy!

For as long as I can remember, all I wanted to be when I grew up was a mom. Now, I am finally here and I find myself asking "This is it? Was I really that disillusioned? There has to be more. I am living the dream and yet I feel crazy and empty." I am not enjoying my dream job. What a tragedy! So, here is my journey to changing my perspective. I am living the dream and I want to change my life and the life of each of my children for good and create a mom ripple effect! Go mommy ripples!

In this blog I will be documenting the changes we are making to change our lives. Mommy ripples system. I will really be putting myself out there and this is very scary for me! Here goes....