"make do" tuesday

Inspiration hit on

laundry day.

After folding a fresh

clean load of

kitchen towels.

After pricing milk bags

at 

Whole Foods...$16.

Ouch!

I get so discouraged with myself

when I want to try

new things

like making my own soap...

making candles...

or on this day making almond milk,

and I get hung-up on 

needing all the right equipment

before I get started.

Well...I am here to say

You don't need all that stuff!

I have enough stuff
(more than enough!)

can't I make it with what I already

have?

Yes.

And so can you.

I don't have a Vitamix blender

(the Rolls Royce of blenders)

but I do have a Ninja.

And all the ingredients:

Soaked Almonds

Filtered Water

Dates (for sweetness)

Sea Salt.

No milk bag?

No problem.

Check this contraption out.

Lined with a just from the washer

bleached
super-clean

kitchen towel.

After blending for about 3 minutes

I poured the

almost almond milk 

into the center and let gravity

do its thing

while I washed and tidied my work space.

Gathered what was left in the towel

to squeeze out the 

goodness.

Milking the Towel  :)

Poured through one final 

stage 

(to check for pieces)

Really not necessary...

I was just curious as to how my

method was working.

Splendidly!

I didn't "catch" any 

little pieces.

Smooth.

Creamy.

Like milk.

One last test.

Delicious.

I won't lie to you

soy milk is my preferance

but like anything

moderation is key

and variety is the spice of life.

I like using plain almond milk in 

many recipes that call

for milk...

because it blends so well with other

ingredients

and doesn't alter the flavor

like soy can.

Now I have a fresh stash in the frig

and a nice batch of

almond meal...

all that almondy stuff left in the towel

which can be used

in many recipes.

No waste!

I am seeing almond meal cookies

in my very near future.

The best part.

Trusting my ingenuity

to guide me.

Knowing that everything

I need

is already there.

Making do with what I have

instead of buying into 

the thought that
the next best thing

will make it even better.

Wrong.

It doesn't get any better than this!