how to make almond milk

thursday!
we have a friend from portland flying in today ; i am super excited!
i love being able to share this awesome city with folks.
[plus, the snow is melting and we are inching towards 50*!!]

i make a lot of smoothies. every morning, i make one. and a couple times a week [when im working both jobs], i will make one for supper, as well.
i use almond milk, add in fruits, protein powder, chia & flax seeds and sometimes, peanut butter.
we go through almost 4 GALLONS of almond milk a week! [seriously]

organic almond milk is around $4 at whole foods [1/2 gallon] and NON-organic almond milk is about $3 at trader joes.
i found that i can make a GALLON of non-organic almond milk for $4 or organic for $7.50.
not bad. and it only took me about 30 minutes make.

what you need :
*almonds [either purchase a 16 oz bag or shop in bulk][organic are better ; but also more expensive]
[bonus : if you buy bulk, you have NO waste at all!!]
*a blender
*measuring cups [i used 1 cup & a 4-cup glass pyrex container]
*a gallon container [or a few glass quart jars]
*a sieve [i used a small one & a larger one]
*a spoon // fork for 'mashing'
*4 cups of filtered water [1 cup of water for each cup of almonds you are using]
*vanilla ; to taste [optional]

how to do it :
1) soak 1 cup [4 cups if you want a gallon] of almonds, covered in a bowl of water for 6-24 hours.

2) drain your almonds. add 1 cup of almonds and 4 cups of water in the blender. blend for two minutes.

3) take a large sieve [or a strainer with TINY holes] & strain into a large container [i used my 4-cup pyrex measuring cup]. there will be a thick 'almond-paste' in the sieve. push it with the spoon to squeeze all the milk through.
*note : we kept the 'almond-paste'. blake added some honey & brown sugar. spread on toast or croissants & its delish!!*

4) take your small sieve [or the same one] & strain it a second time. this time, a 'foamy-paste' will settle in your sieve, just rinse it out. [we didnt keep it]
thats it!!

pour it in a gallon jug or quart jars. milk should last a week. [ours is always gone within 3 days, so i cant personally vouch for longer than that]

my first batch was good, but my smoothie tasted a bit bland [we buy vanilla almond milk at the store] ; so on my second batch, i added a bit of vanilla AFTER i had strained everything.

what do you think?
made almond milk before? any tips?
this was easy, affordable & there is such a rad feeling that comes along with making something yourself.