Delicious Almond Nut Butter

During perimenopause and menopause you need all the hormones you can get. And we need to have a certain amount of fat in our diet to produce hormones.

Interestingly, research over the last few years suggests that for those of you who are going through the peri-menopause and the menopause now, you are the ladies who have been brought up being told that fat is bad for you and fat is the enemy. I know I was! So many of you are reaching the perimenopause and the menopause having had a low-fat diet most of your life and this may impact on your hormonal health as you go through the perimenopause and menopause. So get eating those healthy fats.

Butters in a Nutshell

A super easy way to get some healthy fats into your diet is to use nut butters which you can make very easily at home.

Making nut butters: Just grind nuts in a food processor until they form a paste. Some nut butters will be creamy; others, a bit grainy. The higher the fat, the smoother the butter will be.

My favourite is almond butter, quick and easy and taste delicious.

Almond Nut Butter

Ingredients

16 ounces (455 grams or 3 cups) raw almonds

¼ teaspoon salt

Optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius). Spread the almonds across a large baking tray and toast the almonds for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.

Let the almonds cool until they’re just warm (not hot), about 10 minutes.

Transfer the almonds to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until creamy, pause to scrape down the sides as necessary. You’re going to think it’ll never blend, be patient! The almonds will go from clumps, to a ball against the side of the processor (keep scraping down the sides and breaking up the ball), and finally, it will turn lovely and creamy. If the mixture gets hot along the way, stop and let it cool for a few minutes.

Once the almond butter is very smooth and creamy you can blend in any add-ins you would like. I always add a little salt, for more flavour. You can also add cinnamon for a hint of spices of our choice.

Let the almond butter cool to room temperature, then transfer the mixture to a jar and screw on the lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!