A better peanut butter and jelly sandwich....

With peanuts being one of the most common food allergies and schools going peanut free, you might want to take this opportunity to experiment with other nuts.  What's really in your peanut butter anyway?  Shouldn't it just be nuts?

Take a look at the ingredients in Jiff Reduced Fat PB

JIF, PEANUT BUTTER, REDUCED FAT, CRUNCHY INGREDIENTS: Peanuts, Corn Syrup Solids, Sugar, and Soy Protein, Contains 2 Percent or Less of Fully Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Fully Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil and Fully Hydrogenated Soybean Oil), Salt, Mono And Diglycerides, Molasses, Niacinamide, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferric Orthophosphate, and Copper Sulfate. Look for simple ingredients like nuts and salt....the more the better is not the case with nut butters. One of the easiest school lunch items is a nut butter and jelly sandwich. Three of our favorite peanut butter alternatives are walnut butter, almond butter, and cashew butter. With a little creativity you can make this easy sandwich a nutritional powerhouse. Most health food stores will have freshly ground nut butters in their bulk section.  I love shopping at my local co-op grocer, who always has raw and roasted, organic and conventional nut butters in bulk.  Bulk is a great way to try and sample different kinds of nut butters without having to buy a big jar.  Walnut butter is getting lots of attentions these days.  Walnuts are one of the most nutrient-dense food sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid. They are the only nut that contains a significant amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, 2.6 grams per ounce, almost 9 times more than the next closest nut!  You will pay for what you get,  I bought some walnut butter this weekend and it was $18.99 a pound…ouch! It’s a great nut butter to mix along with other nut butters if you want to buy just a small amount, but still get some of the wonderful nutrients. Almond butter can typically be tolerated by most people,  making it a beneficial substitute for peanut butter.  Almonds are rich in antioxidants and contain important vitamins and minerals including vitamin E, vitamin B2, magnesium and calcium. Almonds and almond butter help lower cholesterol, help with weight control, lower blood pressure, control blood sugar and are good for your heart.  Hold please, I am off to get a spoonful of almond butter. Cashew butter – there’s nothing creamier and more satiating than this rich nut butter.  Cashew butter is a great source of vegetarian protein. Cashew butter is also a source of most of the B vitamins, which are essential to red blood cell health and metabolism. Cashew butter is one of the good sources for anti-oxidants plus it also contains heart healthy fats which are the same found in olive oil.  My Mom turned me onto my new favorite nut butter, NuttZo. It's almost impossible to find after Dr. Oz recommended it on his show.  There are two varieties of nuts and seeds, one with peanuts and one without.  The NuttZo nut and seed butters range from $13.99-$16.99 a jar. Ingredients:  Raw Organic Cashews, Organic Almonds, Organic Brazil Nuts, Raw Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Flax Seeds, Organic Hazelnuts, Raw Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Sea Salt.  I love that my "hidden" ingredients are already in this nut butter.  This is one case where more ingredients are better. As for jelly, make sure FRUIT is listed as the first ingredient.  Lots of jellies, jams and marmalade have SUGAR as the first ingredient.  I like to buy raspberry or strawberry  jelly and mash fresh raspberries or strawberries into the jelly while spreading it on the bread.  Local honey is a jelly alternative.  We love Stroope Honey Farms Texas Brand Pure Raw Unfiltered Wildflower Honey from Pearland, Texas....it taste like maple syrup....yum!   Tips: Always refrigerate your nut butters after opening Avoid any nut butters with hydrogenated oils or anything you can't pronounce Nut butters are a great way to hide flax and chia seeds and if it's a crunchy nut butter I will even add local bee pollen. Nut butters are delicious mixed/melted in a hot bowl of oatmeal, added to pancake and waffle mix, and even spread on top of pancakes or on toast in the morning. Here are all the "hidden" ingredients that I used for a cashew butter and jelly sandwich and coconut yogurt. I am no expert, just a Mom who is passionate about learning more about the relationship between food and good health.