How to : Homemade Coconut Mylk
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As someone who is passionate about living zero waste, plastic free, cruelty-free, and wholly aware of what I am putting in my body, it only feels natural to learn to make foods that would be easier to buy.
First stop: Coconut mylk.
As a vegan, this route feels a bit easier than someone who participates in the dairy industry. My initial step to accomplishing this was picking up the packaging materials from a grocer. All of the materials will be listed where I initially picked them up, however, these can be picked up just about anywhere. Making your own mylk after the initial production costs will be cheaper than what you would normally pay.
Prep: 5 minutes | Production: 2.75 minutes
Reusable materials:
+ Nut Mylk Straining Bag (Whole Foods – mine is mesh)
+ Glass Container (Target)
+ Optional: Funnel
Coconut Mylk Ingredients:
+ 2 Cups of Shredded Coconut – Sweetened or Unsweetened (Trader Joes)
+ 4 Cups of Water (your tap)
+ Dash of Cinnamon (Whole Foods)
+ Himalayan Pink Salt (Trader Joes)
Instructions:
1. Purchase all of the items over the course of time, feel free to search around for items that fit your budget and that you can use long term. These items can also be used for making cold-brew and other items at home!
2. In a blender, add all of your ingredients together and blend until satisfied with the milky smoothness. Keep in mind there will still be some shreds of coconut floating around.
3. Open up your jar or bottle and add the mesh bag either atop the bottle or atop the opening of the blender opening. Slowly pour the ingredients, don’t be concerned with the amount of pulp. Once all of the milky contents have poured in, lift the bag of pulp and squeeze until you cannot get anything out. (note: a funnel could be helpful if your jar or bottle has a small opening)
4. Zero Waste Option: Use the excess pulp and put it in an ice cube tray to be used later as a snack or in your coffee.
5. Ta Da! You did it! Now put that work of beauty in the fridge and shake to enjoy when you’re ready to use. The amount generated is based on how well it blends and will vary from batch to batch.
Every ingredient you use and the materials are totally up to your discretion. You are the one drinking this and you want it to work for you. Some sites to check out for ingredients: Fred Meyer, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Meijer, Target, Walmart, Thrive Market*, Walgreens, CVS.
*When I was initially searching, something I loved about searching through Thrive Market was the option to purchase a kit. If you are intersested in the kit, DM me through Instagram (icon below) or through the contact box and I can get you a 15% off code for your first purchase. This is not a sponsored post, but I adore the accessibility of Thrive Market and always love to help others out!
Happy making darlings!
Transitions : Vegan Lifestyle
A Vegan Story:
I remember the day so clearly, my host family and I had just returned from an engagement ceremony. As the sole white guest and host daughter of the officiant, I was gifted a chicken and it was given to my host parents to be slaughtered in my honor. Tears still well up in my eyes.
Mt. Elgon National Park, Uganda (2015).
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Years earlier, I had made the decision to stop eating all red meat, pork, and seafood; it was made after seeing Food Inc. and learning more about the environmental ramifications of eating meat. At ten years old, I learned about the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who had just developed PETA2, a program for youth. MySpace had also just released a book about the environment and different ways to change your lifestyle in order to lower your carbon footprint. I was enamored with learning more about the environment, ways to reduce my carbon footprint, recycling, and animal welfare. At this time, I was convinced that if I was aware of how my food was humanely killed then it was somehow justifiable (spoiler alert: there is no humane way to slaughter any living being).
There were signs before I learned about PETA or viewed documentaries concerned animal welfare or the environment. Perhaps it was my eight-year-old baptism speech that centered around my love for animals and how I wanted to be a veterinarian. Perhaps it sprouted from being raised on a farm and growing up around animals, my first friends. My heart has always been sensitive to the earth and animals and their treatment.
There were signs before I learned about PETA or viewed documentaries concerned animal welfare or the environment.
But at twenty-years-old, I sat in the common area of my Ugandan host parent's compound as my host mother asked if I would like chicken for dinner. My western understanding of how meat made its way to my plate was about to be violently shattered. As I heard and watched what happened, tears rolled down my cheeks and I vowed to never eat meat again and with the exception of a few dinners, I have held true to this commitment.
Three years have passed and with a growing list of food allergies, I have found myself getting more creative with meal prep. Leading a vegan lifestyle isn't just about avoiding meat, but it is about preventing suffering. Yes, you do eat foods void of dairy, animal byproduct, bee pollen, honey, meat, and eggs. Yes, you do purchase products void of animal byproducts such as toiletries and apparel and other daily items.
Leading a vegan lifestyle isn't just about avoiding meat, but it is about preventing suffering.
My choice to stay vegan despite having a laundry list of food allergies is about more than having some trendy label to my lifestyle. It is about preventing suffering, following the yogic discipline of non-violence, and perhaps the thing that hits home most, my dog is no different than a baby cow. My sweet boxer's name is Bailey, she's a rescue who adores car rides and treats but faces intense anxiety from the abuse that brought her to a rescue shelter where we met her two years ago. Every day I wake up and look at her sweet face and wonder how anyone could ever hurt her, could ever hurt any animal, or could ever commit an act of violence.
This blog isn't meant to convince you of anything, but to make you think and to know that being vegan isn't about some trendy label or a talking point at a dinner party. It's about saving lives and improving the quality of life for not for not only animals but those who take care of them and farm the food that makes its way to our dinner table.
Resources if you want to learn more:
Nutrition and the Vegan Lifestyle