Peanut Butter Madness!

I don’t know about you, but somewhere along the line, peanut butter became a oft- replenished staple in my kitchen cupboards.

It wasn’t my childhood – peanut butter & jelly sandwiches were the kiss of death in any lunch box. It was far better to have something much more refined such as turkey or ham.

I’m guessing it was sometime around my late teens. My parents rarely (and thankfully) had junk food in the house so when I wanted a snack my go to was toast on peanut butter. I loved the way it melted into the toast and became all gooey.

My college years consisted of such a miniscule budget that ultimately went towards other things (ie, going out) then to nutritious food. A spoonful of my roomate’s peanut butter went unnoticed and managed to suffice for a quick pick-me-up until my Ramen Noodles were done. Oh the culinary joys of college.

Following graduation, Peanut Butter and I took a break for a bit until I picked up running.

Peanut Butter is everything to a runner. It’s jammed packed with protein which helps with muscle repair and keeps your appetite at bay. Not to mention it’s freakin’ delicious. The problem  is that it’s high in calories and as of late, I’ve been under the illusion that all things peanut butter must have some sort of healthful benefit – therefore I can and should consume in massive quantities. For example:

Yes…I know the Cookie Butter and Nutella technically are not peanut butter, but it’s a similar concept with identifcal jars so in my mind, they’re one in the same.

Spoonfuls, handfuls, bagfuls – I can’t be stopped. Then, I read about this on Peanut butter fingers:

PB2! This is brilliant – per Bell Plantation’s website: “Essentially, the oil is squeezed out of roasted peanuts and what remains is our famous powdered peanut butter – all natural with no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. When you mix water or a favorite drink with PB2 you get the same consistency as full-fat peanut butter, with all the roasted peanut flavor, but 85% less fat calories.”

45 calories for 2 tablespoons of this stuff as apposed to 180-200 for regular peanut butter! The best part is, is that it’s actually good. Don’t get me wrong, I had my doubts but this stuff’s legit. I mixed it with my oatmeal this morning and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference. I plan on utilizing this to cook with as well and will be sure to share all the healthier versions of these recipes with you. Has anyone used this as well? I’d love to hear of any fun recipes or uses you’ve found.

I hope you can tell how excited I am about this. I can now  have my peanut butter and eat it too! It’s times like this that I truly appreciate all that modern day peanut squeezing technology has to offer.

Fun fact of the day: Did you know the average person eats about 3 lbs of peanut butter a year? (I estimate I’m at about 20) That’s enough to cover the floor of the Grand Canyon!