Homemade Almond Milk

After reading the article "Lay Off the Almond Milk, You Ignorant Hipsters" by Tom Philpott (See the article here), I realized that I was also drawn to these supposed magical properties of almond milk, shelling out a good amount of money for a jug. I am partly lactose intolerant (being Asian...it's probably more unlikely that you're NOT lactose intolerant), so when my friend introduced me to almond milk, I was literally overjoyed to see its high calcium and low fat content.

I guess the main takeaway I got from the article is that I was paying too much for literally just crushed almonds and water (with some chemicals). So, I decided to try my hand at making almond milk myself.

soaked almonds

The milk is ready!

almond milk and some almond meal on the side (after straining)

Ingredients

1 cup almonds

5 cups water (1 for soaking, the rest for the milk)

I let to almonds soak for about 12 hours (but in other recipes, I saw that only about 4 hours is needed). I put the almonds into a soy milk maker (an oddly specific device, I know) and let her rip with additional water. It was all ready in about 15 minutes! I then poured the milk through a strainer which separated the milk from the crushed almond meal. The result is a slightly cleaner tasting version of almond milk (which my family finished within a day!).

There aren't any stabilizers in this homemade version, so the almond milk tends to separate really easily. I'm not completely sure what I want to do with the almond meal yet, but I'll probably find some recipes online.

Another takeaway from the article was the water wasting properties of producing almonds. Although it's good for me to be aware of its ecological harms, I don't think it's effective for me to give up almonds or something in protest. With these things, it's better for some government intervention to help curb California's forever impending drought.

I've become really interested in making super basic ingredients/foods at home! My friend really inspired me the other day by making homemade butter, which I have yet to try. The idea of being able to control all parts of the process appeals to me greatly. Off to obtaining some heavy cream!

Green Smoothie Variation I

I thought I ran out of apples for my #greensmoothie, so instead of an apple, I put a nectarine in the blender instead.

and a more stylish/hipster glass
why are mason jars so versatile?

The result was a slightly tangier and sweeter smoothie (less thick too!), not too big of a deal. My mom hated the peach-apple flavor, but my grandma preferred it, so I guess it's up to your taste buds. 

Next stop...pears probably.

Triton Night at the Museum

Yesterday, I went to Santa Clara's Triton Museum's event, Night at the Museum. There were pieces by local artists, live drawing/painting, as well as slam poetry readings. I had a really good time at the event because I felt like it really exhibited the best of the community. Artists had a time to show their pieces while residents had an opportunity to appreciate the talent all around us! This event really inspired me to pick up art again.

In high school, I did art very intensively, especially the last two years under the IB Art program. I feel like that really burnt me out for a while because it was so high pressure to just keep dishing out pieces in shorter and shorter amounts of time. Now, I think I'm ready to do some work just for pleasure. I'm also really getting into art that serves a greater purpose such as poster designing and architecture with a fine arts inspiration.

Some really detailed charcoal work

Portrait Drawing

Free expression wall! (Look bottom left for my geometric design!)

Live metalworking - They gave the cutest metal fortune cookies as business cards! Didn't take one - gotta be a good aspiring minimalist (: 

Me! Doing a dramatic reading of an excerpt from "The Land" by Mildred D. Taylor - I was a bit nervous but the audience seemed to enjoy it at the end. I did the same piece for a competition a year earlier, so I was able to practice a little beforehand. 

 

My watercolor quick sketch - complementary colors? My fave!

I would like to get to know these artists more. How did they decide to pick fine arts as a career? Why do they choose ____ style? 

It also opened up more philosophical questions about my art - whether sticking to one style is better than trying to break out of your shell and trying very different things...or if the message behind the art is more important or the aesthetic quality of it...what makes art significant...among other thoughts...

Green Smoothie

I've gotten addicted to making #greensmoothies! I think I freak out about half my friends by drinking this, but they actually are super healthy and taste delicious too. 

This is the current recipe I use: 

1.5 cups Kale

Half an Avocado

1.5 cups Apple Juice (Fresh Pressed - Don't use the fake stuff!)

1 Apple (sliced)

A Dash of Lemon

Put all these ingredients into a blender, and leave it in for about 1.5 minutes at the highest power. (If you don't do it for long enough, there will be a lot of yucky fibers, so your smoothie will be chewy). The end result will taste mostly like apple juice, with the texture of a smoothie. I find that the lemon really brings out the light flavor of the kale, making the smoothie taste much more complex. 

I want to explore more green smoothie recipes - do you know any good ones? 

The Little Things; July Roses

I've been going on runs every other day, and as I pass through the neighborhood, I'm sometimes able to catch a glimpse of my favorite kinds of roses: pink on the outside, with an orangy-peach center. I know that red roses stand for love, yellow for friendship, but how about these? 

About to head off on my run again, hope you have a great day!

Approaching Minimalism

Throughout high school, I was obsessed with fashion blogs. I was constantly scrolling through websites such as Lookbook.nu and watching JuicyStar07 shopping hauls, which fostered me with an appreciation for diverse styles and an update on current fashion. However, internally, they also gave me a sense of overwhelming inferiority. I thought the only way I could elevate myself like these Hyped Lookbookers was to keep acquiring cool shit and show it off. Yet, even when I got new clothes or jewelry, I felt like I never had enough. The Lookbookers always got something that was cooler, newer, more expensive. On blogs, their lives seemed so exciting and fresh, complete with DSLR-quality photographic evidence. 

Struggling with my deep-rooted discontentment, I started to wonder how I could mold my life into something that I loved. What did it take for me to be happy? I noticed that I liked interacting with my friends in the absence of technology, such as in instances of shopping. I liked trying new foods and reading for leisure. I couldn't quite put these preferences into words. They stayed in the subconscious levels of my mind. 

In a more philosophical exploration of the internet, I finally found Minimalism. It really curbed my desire for more things, as I realized that all the little gadgets, cute accessories, and clothes that I had accumulated brought little value into my life. Instead, experiences and people took the center stage. These were the times in which I truly felt happy and more fulfilled. Moreover, it made me realize that life really isn't about making money and that you don't have to sacrifice your passions in order to live happily. 

I now often toot the horn of Minimalism as my ideal lifestyle. I know that my habits are far from perfect (and I do still buy the useless, cheap, but cute crap from time to time), but, I do it much less. I have less of a desire to acquire. I have trained myself to appreciate cute things that aren't in my possession. I've become okay with not owning everything that I like, because I happen to actually like a lot of things. Such as Hello Kitty toasters. Such as dinosaur onesies. More importantly, I've stopped feeling sorry for myself, just because I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on brand named "cool clothes". I am more than the things that I own. 

In college, I've tried my best to live Minimalist-ly. I keep my dorm room relatively clutter free, and try to only keep what I really need. Of course, things often accumulate, while I'm in the stress of finals and less aware of being mindful about my possessions. I find time to exercise and embrace new experiences. Yet, I often still find myself overextended beyond my means by participating in too many activities, forcing me to focus on getting my grades as high as possible instead of the learning experience. I think what I've learned through this constant struggle of balancing minimalist philosophy and the bustle of college life is that I don't need to be hard on myself, and that it's okay when my actions don't align perfectly with my beliefs. I used to feel terrible for days after I bought a new dress because I felt like it went against my Minimalist ideals. Yet, this is all a process, and I don't need to be the perfect Minimalist and only own like one shirt in my entire wardrobe or something right away, but only be mindful of my actions and be critical of what truly enriches my life and what I can do without.

For more on Minimalism, please visit these amazing blogs; 

www.theminimalists.com

www.becomingminimalist.com

www.exilelifestyle.com

www.zenhabits.net