That's nuts!!

I hate nuts. All nuts. I have never liked them. When I was a kid, I would attempt to eat peanuts when everyone else was eating them, and I always thought they were gross. I have tried several different nuts, and all I can say is walnuts are the most tolerable and almonds are disgusting.

Ironically, I do not mind nut-derived things. I like peanut butter and love Nutella. I'm a fan of almond scent blends and that gooey pecan filling for pies (but not so much the actual pecans). Again, I can even handle walnuts, as long as they are in a salad or pasta, and the occasional macadamia in a cookie. I also enjoy hazelnut milk. (Are pinenuts nuts? Cause those are also okay. But a peanut isn't really a nut either... hmm...)

Everyone always says "How can you hate nuts?? They are so good for you!!" As if that means anything. Fast food is TERRIBLE for you, but people love it. Brussell sprouts are anecdotally good for you but are traditionally unliked. I don't like avocado either, and those are super healthy. It doesn't matter how amazing they are, I'm probably going to gag if I just eat nuts by themselves. No I'm not allergic. I just really really really do not like nuts.

As mentioned above, I find almonds particularly nasty, which is just cruel in some ways, as they are the healthiest of nuts. Recently though, in an effort to eat healthier and have more snacking options, I have decided to force myself to like nuts, starting with almonds, the most foul. Why?? Because if I can get past my loathing of almonds, I can do anything. (I used to work in a bakery. We made burnt almond cake daily. I had to frost them and stick the almonds to the outside. It was my least favorite thing; I often took a break or went to the bathroom right about the time we would do it so I could get out of it.)

I already buy almond milk for Char. I keep her regular milk intake just below the minimum, and she is down to two bottles a day, for naps and bedtime. I give her almond milk with breakfast sometimes. Awhile back, I accidentally poured myself a cup of almond milk instead of soy milk (the Fred Meyer packaging for both is nearly identical). I took one big gulp, and instantly realized and regretted my mistake. But a few weeks ago, when I made my decision about nuts, I started with the easiest, handiest thing- almond milk. I have discovered that if I add things to it, and have it hot, it is bearable. So far I prefer it with chai over soy, and I've been putting a drop of OnGuard in hot almond milk before bed to prevent colds. I still do not like it cold by itself, but I have decided to stop buying soy milk as often and stick to the almond milk as a staple alternative beverage. I have a bag of whole almonds sitting in my cabinet waiting to be made into face scrub, but I may try my hand at making my own almond milk too. I doubt however that I will be attempting to eat them anytime soon.