I like peanut butter . . . but not a lot. Peanut butter and jelly? ICK! Thankfully my mother always had leftover chicken or roast of some kind to make my sandwiches as a kid, so I never had to suffer through those icky-sticky PBJ’s! A hot school lunch was out of our reach financially, and there were no assistance programs back in the 50’s. As it turns out, I am forever grateful for this start in life!!
If kept in the refrigerator, peanut butter gets really hard and is difficult to spread. If kept out of the refrigerator, it spoils in the amount of time it takes us to wade through a jar of it. The natural kind that we favor also has the oil separation problem. I usually mix it all together when first brought home, and then store the jar upside down in the refrigerator. That seems to help some.
But sunflower seed butter is a whole new ballgame. It is much thinner in texture and goes great with cinnamon Graham crackers, Triscuits, or just about any kind of toast. Since it is thinner, it spreads much more easily and you can make a thin layer. It is fairly flavorful, so a thin layer is all that is necessary – saving quite a few calories.
Besides who could resist that cute little bandit raccoon?
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten sunflower seeds except in a mix of nuts and seeds, so I’m not sure what the flavor of straight sunflowers is. I have a jar of organic peanut butter in the fridge right now and it’s a bear to spread. I think I prefer almond butter, but not by much. I wish they sold products in small amounts so one wouldn’t have to waste a lot if they don’t like it.
http://shop.justins.com
Justin’s has small packets (a bit over an ounce) of their different products for you to sample. I have had their almond butter, and it was good. But like peanut butter, it was hard to spread, and it took a very long time to use up. I suppose if I made desserts, I could find many uses for it. We don’t snack much at all, so things like this last a long time.
The small packets would be good for traveling in a small vehicle – like a car – where things cannot be accessed readily. A few of these packets and some Wet Ones could slip into a ziplock sandwich bag and stowed in the glove compartment for easy access. Half a dozen Triscuits might fit into this homemade snack bag, too, for a quick snack on the road when the next meal stop is further away than you would like. I keep a Nalgene bottle of our distilled water at hand, too, because sometimes you aren’t really hungry – just thirsty.
Checking at Amazon, I find you can get li’l packets of Maple Almond Butter (looks good!) at an outrageous price (~$.50), but if you compare that to a stop at a drive-thru fast food place, it at least packs nutrition instead of grease and sugar.
Check it out at:
https://www.amazon.com/Justins-Almond-Butter-Maple-Squeeze/dp/B001HTIYDI/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1467660246&sr=8-2&keywords=justin%27s+almond+butter+packets
Justin’s other products can be seen at:
http://shop.justins.com
Thanks for the information; I will look for Justin’s. I don’t think my Bel Air carries it, but I will look at a couple other stores. I love Justin’s chocolate covered peanut butter patties and they have those located enticingly in the checkout aisles. Since I’m trying to cut down on sugar & carbs, I just try to look the other way when passing by those goodies!
Let me know how it works out for you. The one I tried was really good.
I love sunflower seeds! In Israel they are sold roasted and are a very popular snack. I also love to sprinkle them on salads. So I’m quite surprised with myself for not trying the butter yet!
Now that I’ve read this, I’ll to remember to buy it next time I’m in a decent health store, as I doubt a regular supermarket will have it. Or maybe it will? I’ll check! 🙂
I buy roasted, salted ones in five-pound bags. I got the butter from Vitacost at a very good price.
Thanks for the info. I’ll look for it soon. 🙂
The seeds come from Azure Standard in Oregon. Great prices on organics. Been their customer for 15+ years.
Sounds good. I’ll check it out. Thanks!
I keep a shaker bottle of them in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer. We shake them heavily into the cooked five-grain cooked cereal every morning, and I put them on sandwich rolls. Good as a quickie snack, too.