Making your own milk for as low as 10¢ per gallon!

As many of you already know, I bought a soy milk maker a couple of weeks ago in an attempt to eat healthier without breaking the bank.  Well, I’m happy to report that it was a HUGE success!  Since receiving my Easy-Clean Automatic Hot Soy Milk Maker, not only have I made soy and rice milk; I have discovered that I can also make almond milk with this amazing machine!  I was a little skeptical because my family is very particular about brands with soy milk.  We only drink Silk because we have found the other brands did not have the smooth texture that it did.  I am happy to report that the milk made from our soy milk maker was JUST as smooth, white, and tasty as the Silk milk we were used to!

As for the cost of making your own soy milk.  When I purchased the machine, the advertisement stated that you could make soy milk for as low as 25¢/gallon.  You probably could make it that cheap if you have a soybean farmer near your home who would sell you the dried beans really cheap, but for the average person; I think it will be more along the lines of 50¢/gallon which is still REALLY CHEAP! Now, I opted to purchase Bob’s Red Mill Organic Soy Beans because they taste better and have no GMO (for those of you who aren’t familiar, GMO=BAD, or so I’ve been told).  With the organic, no GMO soybeans I bought from amazon.com; my soymilk will cost me about $1/gallon to make.  This is still a HUGE savings for my family!  In south Louisiana, our milk prices stay around $4/gallon and all 3 of my children LOVE milk!  Now, if you’re a fan of rice milk, you can make it WAY cheaper, but the health benefits aren’t as great.  Depending on what you pay for rice; you can make rice milk for around 10¢/gallon; this is about what it cost me to make a gallon of rice milk.  Like I said, I live in south Louisiana where the rice is REALLY inexpensive!  Now, if you want to get fancy and make some super delicious almond milk; you can do that with this machine too!  I love the taste of almond milk, but don’t like the price or the high fat content.

Now for the flavor!  The flavor of the soy milk made in our machine was excellent!  I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 2 tsp Stevia after the milk was finished making, but was still hot.   When I made rice milk; I added 1/2 tsp almond extract and 2 tsp Stevia.  This was deeeeeeelish!  My kids LOVE IT!  Now, I plan to do a LOT more experimenting with my machine and I will keep you all updated on my progress.  I found some great information on the nutrition of soy milk I thought you would all enjoy!

If you’re concerned about the health effects of soy, I have found a ton of articles that address the healthy effects of soy.  Here are a few:

• Soy/milk protein dietary supplements linked to lower blood pressure
• How much is too much phytoestrogen?
•  PHYTOESTROGEN BENEFITS
• The Benefits of Phytoestrogens

Nutritional Analysis of Soy Milk

**Retrieved from QTessence Soy Milk Maker

Per 1c/240 ml	2% Vitamin A & D Dairy Milk	Soymilk (not sweetened)	Benefit
Calories	120	90
Calories from Fat	45	41
Total Fat	5g	4.5g	omega-3:omega-6 ratio of 1:7
Saturated Fat	3g	0.5g
Cholesterol	20mg	0mg
Sodium	125mg	29mg
Total Carbohydrates	12g	5g	Soy milk and okara contain high-quality complex carbs without the sugar. Great for a diabetic diet.
Dietary Fiber	0g	2g
Sugars	11g	1g
Protein	8g	7g	The soybean is unique among plants – it’s complete protein profile makes it about as nutritious as the egg, but without the cholesterol or saturated fat.
Vitamin A	10%	*	Promotes growth, healing and vitality. Helps to fight infection. Important for health of bones, eyes, teeth, hair, skin, liver, reproductive organs. Essential for pregnancy and lactation. Aids in combating effects of pollution.
Calcium	30%	8% (80mg)
Vitamin D	25%	*	Helps absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Builds bones. Needed to form certain enzymes. Regulates mineral metabolism. Stabilizes nervous system. Produced by the body in response to sunlight. Helps normal blood clotting.
Vitamin C	4%	*	Essential for collagen production. Helps preserve and mend connective tissues, bones, teeth, muscles and blood vessels. Protects against infections, viruses and bacterial toxins. Helps decrease cholesterol. Used in the formation of red blood cells and reduces risk of blood clots. Protects brain and spinal cord from free radicals. Essential in making adrenaline. Helps during stress. Extends cell life.
Phosphorus	20%	*
Thiamin (Vitamin B1)	*	25% (0.38mg)	Needed to metabolize carbohydrates. Promotes growth, especially in children. Fights stress and promotes energy. Aids digestion and absorption of nutrients. Needed for fertility and lactation. Promotes health of nervous system, muscles and heart. Improves mental attitude and learning capacity.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)	*	9%(0.16mg)	Needed for digestion, cell respiration and formation of red blood cells and antibodies. Benefits vision, healthy skin, nails and hair. Aids growth and reproduction. Helps reduce stress.
Niacin	*	2% (0.36mg)	Assists in digestion. Needed for skin, tongue and nervous system health. Essential for production of cortisone, thyroxine, insulin and sex hormones. Required for brain function. Increases circulation and reduces cholesterol.
Vitamin B6	*	5% (0.098mg)	Promotes healthy skin, teeth, muscles and nerves. Needed for antibodies and red blood cells. Important for metabolism of nutrients. Assures chemical balance in blood and body tissues. Helps regulate body fluids.
Iron	*	8% (1.4mg)
Copper	*	15% (0.3mg)
Manganese	*	20% (0.4mg)

Based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
* Not a significant source of this nutrient, less than 2%