Homemade Nut Butter - Mmm!

Image credit to www.paleoblocks.com

Have you ever had the chance to experiment with making your own nut butter?  I recently came across the picture below that shows the simple how to steps and just had to share.  Nut butters are a great way for those with gastroparesis to fit in some extra, nutrient dense calories in the day.  Most can tolerate 1 tablespoon which can provide a source of good fats and protein.  By making your own you can not only choose your favorite nut (peanut, almond, cashew, etc) and save money, you can get creative with the ingredients.

• Try adding a little bit of coconut oil for another healthy source of fat and yummy taste.
• Mix in some cocoa powder for chocolate flavored nut butter (think Nutella but better for you!)
• Spice it up with cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger.
• Drizzle a little flavoring of your favorite extracts such as vanilla or coconut.  
• Lower the fat content by diluting with almond or rice milk.

Important Tip: Soak nuts overnight in water, then rinse the following day.  This helps to activate enzymes and make them easier to digest.

Next, follow the instructions below in the picture using your favorite nut (almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts) and store in glass jar.  Optional: After soaking, dehydrate or lightly toast nuts.  

Here is an example of a delicious sounding walnut butter recipe.  

What sounds good to you?  How do you prefer your nut butter? Check out the easy instructions below with almonds as an example.  Please ignore the apple tease at the end and remember how wonderful this can be in smoothies, hot cereal, on a slice of toast, for example.