Milk May be Going up to $5 per Gallon

Wow.  Dawn over at Frugal For Life wrote a great post about how to Freeze Milk and Butter because the price of milk may be going up to $5 a gallon by fall.

If you can't afford the price of milk, I have a few suggestions for those of you who, like me, don't have a lot of room in your freezer (My freezer is filled with Frozen Veggies & Fruits to make my own juices and ice cream using my Vita-mix)

1. Eliminate as many processed foods as you can.  Especially cereals & snack foods.  Most have a ton of sugar in them anyway and are VERY expensive.  Use your savings to buy the milk and fresh fruit, too.
   
2. Use breakfast alternatives that don't require as much milk. Use oatmeal, cream of rice, etc.  Or maybe make a dozen boiled eggs, and have them ready to eat in the morning.  Another great breakfast alternative is frozen Gluten-Free waffles with mashed banana or simmered blueberries or strawberries.  You can be very creative with sugar-free toppings for waffles.
3. Make smoothies and whole fruit juices using little to no milk - I give a recipe on my blog and you can get a ton of great recipes as well as great health articles in the Health and Wellness section of the Vitamix site.
   
4. Use Milk Alternatives such as soy milk or my new favorite, flavored Almond Milks!  I use a little in my coffee with regular milk to reduce the amount of milk I drink.
   
   But actually, milk alternatives are generally not less expensive than dairy milk unless you make your own using your Vitamix which I just found out I could do!  You can also make pecan milk, cashew milk, rice milk, coconut milk and more. Nut milks are especially delicious with cereals and in smoothies or you can drink them by the glass.

Get the recipe for making your own Almond milk on the Vitamix website or by clicking here to read this extended post

Read more about breakfast alternatives.

Read more about alternative sources of calcium.

Almond or Cashew Milk Recipe using a Vitamix Blender

Yield: 3 1/2 cups (840 mL)

Speed: Variable to High
Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup (240 mL) raw almonds or cashews

3 cups (720 mL) water

a pinch of sea salt stevia or agave sweetener, to taste (optional) 1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract or other flavorings.

Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix container in order listed. Secure 2-part lid. Select VARIABLE, speed #1. Turn on machine and quickly increase speed to #10; then to HIGH. Run for 2 minutes or until smooth.

Note: If you desire to strain away the nut pulp, place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Pour almond milk slowly into sieve and allow to filter through, or stir the milk in the sieve with a spatula to encourage it to pass through more rapidly. KEEPING IT FRESH This milk will be good for about 36 hours or so. To keep it fresher longer you can boil what you don't use immediately and it will last a couple more days. But keep in mind that boiling it does reduce the nutrient value. USING THE NUT PASTE You can use the left over nut paste in anything you cook including rice and veggies, or add it to salads / salad dressings or, mash it up with a banana...YUMM-O!  As a last resort, bury it in your garden to be a natural fertilizer!

Health Classification: Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Vegetarian, Vegan

Meal Type: 5 Ingredients or less, Beverages

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 cup (240 mL) Amount Per Serving Calories 239    % Daily Value* Total Fat 21g Saturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 11mg Potassium 297mg Total Carbohydrate 8.3g Dietary Fiber 4.4g Sugars 2.3g Protein 8.1g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 10% Iron 8% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on you calorie needs: Calories: 2000 2500 Total Fat Less than 65g 80g Sat Fat Less than 20g 25g Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g Dietary Fiber 25g 30g Calories per gram: Fat 9 Carbohydrate 4 Protein 4