Prices On The Rise? Try These Milk Alternatives!

Prices On The Rise? Try These Milk Alternatives!

“Don’t cry over spilt milk” may be a saying of the past! A recent article from USA Today says milk prices could skyrocket to $8.00 a gallon! The thought alone makes me want to cry.

Wait, that means not just milk – but sour cream, cottage cheese… even *gasp* ice cream? Say it isn’t so!!

Without a new Farm Bill by Tuesday, milk prices by law would revert to rules set in 1949, which could send milk prices as high as $8 a gallon by February.

We are already paying around $3.50 a gallon (national average) for milk, so what’s a growing family to do? While experts believe action will be taken to prevent such a drastic price hike, it’s always nice to be prepared. So, it’s time to get creative, get frugal, and find alternatives!

Cutting back on milk consumption is the easiest way to avoid spending more, but sometimes you want a glass of milk – or even some milk in your cereal, right?

I guess you could buy a cow, and milk it – but then you’d have to worry about pasteurizing it. So let’s work on other alternatives, such as:

Alternatives to Cow’s Milk

Powdered Milk – This one is the most affordable alternative to cow’s milk. You can bake with it, it has a long shelf-life, and is versatile. It doesn’t taste the same, but it works if you are looking to save big bucks.

Soy Milk – High in fiber and protein, but also high in sugar. Safe for those that are lactose intolerant.

Almond Milk – Good source of magnesium and Vitamin E, but expensive.

Coconut Milk – Very creamy but sometimes an overpowering flavor.

Rice Milk – Least fattening out of most alternatives, loaded with vitamins, but also loaded with carbohydrate because of rice being a starch. Has a very sweet taste.

Hemp Milk – Lactose Free, cholesterol free, great source of protein, very creamy flavor.

Overall, while there are many alternatives, it seems that powdered milk is the most cost efficient. The others can be consumed in smaller quantities, as a treat – but many are as expensive as milk could get, so keep that in mind when making purchases.

From tvsinc.org:

Any recipe calling for milk: simply add the nonfat dry milk to the other dry ingredients. Sift to blend, then add water for the milk called for in the recipe.

Mashed potatoes: mash cooked potatoes, then add 1/4 cup iNDM for each cup of potatoes. Use either the water the potatoes were cooked in or fresh milk to give the right consistency.

Cooked cereals: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup dry milk to each cup of cereal before cooking.

Creamed soups, sauces and gravies: Mix 1-2 tablespoons dry milk with some of the liquid from the soup, sauce, of gravy and add to the larger quantity of soup, sauce or gravy.