In his little three-year-old universe, about the best discovery Ettu has made is that of vanilla milk. I really tried for a long time to pretend that chocolate and vanilla milk did not exist, instead giving a "treat" of an organic apple juice box at the Starbucks when I was fueling up on my beloved caffeine (okay, not really, I still mostly drink decaf thanks to my ever-nursing son Nooa). But one day, after scouring the cold case at his eye level, he slips a vanilla milk box in my hand. "How about this today, mommy?" Perhaps I was tired and didn't want to go through the process of discussing why we weren't going to get this deliciously sweet and silky something (after all, what about all those hot chocolates I gave him over the winter; he is only three, but his logical abilities seem to outpace mine at times). Perhaps I was simply wanting to indulge him. Who knows. Nonetheless, we left Starbucks with him happily sipping his milk with wide eyes and a faint smile. Now it is a definite part of the vocabulary. Just today, he reminded me that it was probably time to go back to Starbucks for some more of that great vanilla milk. So here's what I did instead.
Homemade vanilla milk
- one small glass of milk
- one "guess at a teaspoon" pour of pure vanilla (preferably not imitation)
- one "not quite" teaspoon (or to taste depending on how sweet you want to make the milk; we opt for a little less sweet) of organic cactus honey powder (new discovery—check out the brand we use here)
Et voila! This is just one of those things, like any sweets, pastries, smoothies, etc., that you just feel better making at home, if at all possible. You can easily control the sweetness, the ingredients, and the portion. Don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate that Starbucks has incorporated a no high fructose corn syrup policy for any of its food, and the vanilla and chocolate milk boxes they sell are organic. Everything is still just a tad too sweet, though. Not to say I won't cave in the future, but it is always nice to know there are other options (and by the way, we did do a lot of "less sweet" hot chocolates at home in the winter, made with unsweetened cocoa powder and a little sugar or honey to taste to keep the sugar intake a bit lower). When all is said and done, it never ceases to amaze me that just about everything is a little bit sweeter when it comes from the heart and your hands.