Don't Pay For Peanut Butter, Make and Flavor Your Own!

Have you noticed that peanut butter prices have soared? And apparently they are going to start increasing even more pretty soon. Strangely, I haven't heard anything about actual peanut prices going up (have you?) so why not make your own peanut butter?! If you have a food processor it's much easier, but I'd be willing to bet (although I've never tried) that a Magic Bullet or blender would work just as well, it may just take longer.

Gina's Spicy Peanut Butter

Ingredients

16 ounces roasted, unsalted peanuts
2 tsp. cayenne pepper



Directions

Pour peanuts into food processor. Use the large chopping blade and turn the food processor on. Keep the processor running for about a minute, then turn off, take off the lid, and scrape the edges. Do this all again about 4-5 times, or until you have a peanut buttery consistency.

At this point you can add:

- Cayenne
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin spice
- Chocolate powder
- Vanilla
- Any other ideas?

I chose to add cayenne (2 tsp);


Mix well to allow the cayenne to evenly distribute throughout the peanut butter.

And now we have some spicy peanut butter in our fridge! We've been adding it to PB&Js, granola, and I'm hoping to make some spicy peanut sauces with it soon.

I'm pretty sure cayenne has been shown to speed up metabolism. Who knows by how much, but hey, any help we can get is good (I should say natural help we can get)!

QUESTION: Have you ever made your own peanut butter? Will you stock up on peanut butter before the prices go even higher in November? Will you visit all local grocery stores and buy all the post-Halloween Reece's Peanut Butter Cups like Nick and I do every year? :)

Better Than Peanut Butter?!

Apparently November is National Peanut Butter Month. A few of you have mentioned this to me and I finally looked it up to confirm that it's true. It's ironic too because I sort of gave up peanut butter this month...



I say "sort of" because I still eat it in my granola and sometimes in other foods. I guess I'm just more into almond butter these days (after eliminating it for a week during my elimination diet it was easy for me to not go back to eating it again). Of course that doesn't mean I don't still love blogging about it! Earlier this month I posted about Peanut Butter and Co's Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter. Today I'm posting about a peanut butter of a different kind. It's one that claims to be BETTER than peanut butter.....



Yep, that's right, Better'n Peanut Butter! Have you heard of it? When I was a senior in college I used Better'n Peanut Butter for my food science research experiment. My goal was to see if I could use this product as a replacement for real peanut butter in a banana and peanut butter muffin recipe. Before I tell you how my experiment turned out, let's look at the differences between real peanut butter, and Better'n Peanut Butter.

First, the calories and fat are significantly decreased in Better'n Peanut Butter. Specifically, this product contains 85% less fat and 40% less calories (per 2 T) compared to regular peanut butter.

While the reduction in fat may sound like a good thing, you must keep in mind that most nut butters are a good source of healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, so this product is not a good source of these fats.

They also have a low sodium version, which contains 95 mg sodium in 2 T.



The original version is fairly low in sodium too, with 190 mg per serving.



The majority of the natural nut butters will contain anywhere from 0-150 mg sodium. In my opinion, this isn't bad at all. Heck, even JIF peanut butter only has 150 mg sodium per serving. The reduced fat JIF has 250 mg, because they have to replace the fat with something.



So what the heck does Better'n Peanut Butter have in it that replaces its fat? Here are the ingredients;

Peanuts (as defatted peanut flour, peanut butter and natural peanut oils), tapioca syrup, pure water, dehydrated cane juice, rice syrup, vegetable glycerine, soy flour, tapioca starch, natural food flavors, paprika and annato, salt, calcium carbonate, lecithin, tocopherol (vitamin E), sodium ascorbate (vitamin C).

The answer? They have replaced the fat with a bunch of fillers and processed thickeners. But this is an all-natural product (says the label). Ummm, ok, I guess. I mean the ingredients are all processed from natural ingredients, sure, but is this truly natural? Not in my opinion.


How is the taste? Not bad. In my peanut butter and banana bread I made for my research project it didn't mimic real peanut butter very well, but when I used half Better'n Peanut Butter and half real peanut butter, my results (both subjective and objective) were fantastic!

Why Would You Use This Product?

- Trying to cut down on calories and lose weight

- Trying to eat less fat

- You want something to eat when you have an appetite, but you really aren't hungry (especially at night). At least this product is lower in calories and won't add up too fast!

How Can This Product Be Used?

- In recipes that call for peanut butter! But I suggest replacing only half.

- Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (significantly reduces the calories and fat, but also the taste. So again, it may be best to still use some real peanut butter)

- Smoothies (may add a nice nutty flavor and thicker consistency)

- Morning oats!

- Check out their own recipes on their website


Question: Have you tried Better'n Peanut Butter? What did you think?

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread (Wheat Free!)

It's October and I'm in heaven. I have my never-ending stash of pureed pumpkin and I'm a happy girl. The only bad thing is that I found out, despite having read something different, pumpkin doesn't freeze well. In fact, I had to throw away three pounds of my pumpkin because it was ruined after I froze it. Sad.

Now I must go through my six pound cans of pumpkin within a week, because it really shouldn't be in the fridge for longer. I wanted to make a new pumpkin bread with all of my canned pumpkin, so I found this recipe and went to work. But of course, I didn't follow the recipe 100%, I never do. Here are my modifications:

3 cups of sugar ----> 1.5 cups of Splenda for baking

1 can pureed pumpkin ----> No change
4 eggs ----> No change
1 cup vegetable oil ----> 1 chose Smart Balance canola oil
3/4 cup water ----> vitamin water. HA! JK
2/3 cup peanut butter ----> SoyNut butter

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour ----> brown rice flour (wheat free and gluten free)
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg


I also added walnuts on top.



It's a good sign that your final product will taste amazing when you find yourself licking the batter bowl clean.....

And of course, the final product did taste amazing.

I could have very easily made more modifications, but I wanted this to be extremely moist. After all, I haven't had bread in a very long time and I was ready for some heaven in my mouth.

Last night Nick said, "It's the best bread I've ever had". Wow, really Nick?! I'm flattered!

Some Nutrition Info.
(Serving size; 1/18 slice)

180 calories, 3 grams fiber



Other Modifications I Could Have Made

- 1 cup of egg beaters instead of 4 eggs

- 4 T ground flaxseed + 3/4 cups water instead of 4 eggs

- 1 1/2 cups Splenda sugar for baking, instead of 3 cups sugar

- 1 cup applesauce instead of 1 cup canola oil


Question: Can you think of any other possible modifications? Do you like pumpkin bread?

Previous Fall Recipes


Butternut Squash and Duxelles

Pumpkin Soup

Gina's Psuedo Apple Cobbler

Last year's Pumpkin Bread

My first attempt at pumpkin fro yo

Before pumpkin season ends I plan on making Anthony's pumpkin bars, pumpkin ravioli (wheat free), and also some pumpkin custard (idea from Melinda). And after that? I plan on turning into a pumpkin.

Soy Butter. My New Peanut Butter?

I'm a big fan of soy, despite some of the scary information that can be found online. I still believe it's good to consume soy, whether it's for heart health, cancer prevention, or just as a way to get some vegetarian protein. And as I've said before, eating soy may help prevent some of the dreadful side effects of PMS.

My mom introduced me to this SoyNut butter a few weeks ago. At first I wasn't a huge fan, and to be honest I still don't love it (and no, it's not my new peanut butter!). However, I discovered it works really well in recipes, and it mimics the taste of peanut butter in my Low FODMAP granola recipe, and even my lower fat/lower calorie buckeyes.

And yes, it looks just like peanut butter!
(it comes in crunchy too)

They say this soy butter has "1 Net Carb" because if a product has 5 or more grams of fiber, per serving, you can subtract those grams from the total carbohydrates. This is mainly important for diabetics who have to count their carbs, so I'm not particularly interested in this.

The real reason why I think this is a great alternative to peanut butter is..........

.....what do you think by looking at this label?

More protein than most nut butters


More fiber than most nut butters


Less saturated fat than most nut butters


Even though it's not written out, I would assume this product is a good source of Omega-3 fats (alpha linolenic acid).


Less sodium than most nut butters (almond butter typically has even less)


Less sugar than most nut butters (especially the reduced fat varieties)


It contains 1/3 of your soy for the day (~25 grams of soy is recommended for heart health)


Contains isoflavones, which may help prevent certain cancers




Question: Have you ever tried any type of soy nut butter? What about sunflower butter?

Stay tuned for a cookie recipe, which includes soy nut butter, coming up on Sunday!

Also check out these past soy-related posts;

Video blog about soy yogurt

What the heck is soy protein isolate?

What the soy research indicates

Soy and breast cancer

Gina's "Superfoods" (Last 5 of 10)

I enjoyed reading everyone's own list of whole grain and fruit/vegetable "superfoods"! I realize I didn't put any fruits on my list, likely because I just don't eat much fruit. Of the fruits I do eat, frozen blueberries and blackberries are my favorite. Apples used to be my favorite, until I realized they cause me to get bloated, so sad :(

Today's list consists of my favorite sources of dairy, fat, and a sweet indulgences (starting with one more vegetable!):

6) Spaghetti Squash

When you can't eat wheat, foods like this are just what the doctor ordered. Heck, even if I could eat wheat I would still eat this daily! It's a non-starchy vegetable (right Sophia??) that is the perfect replacement for pasta (well, maybe not perfect, but close). While it doesn't provide as much protein as pasta, nor does it provide the phytonutrients found in whole grain pasta, it is lower in calories, and provides more vitamins and minerals.

7) Kefir

Come on, who doesn't like fermented milk products?! haha. Yeah, if you're anything like my boyfriend, Nick, you'll despise this stuff. I love it. If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, try Lifeway Kefir, it's just as good. I like to buy the plain variety and add Truvia and unsweetened cocoa powder. This is how I get my daily dose of probiotics (although I don't really think the amount I consume provides me with the appropriate amount for clinical purposes). It also contains inulin (a prebiotic that is the food for the probiotics), vitamin D, 11 grams of protein, and of course calcium.


8) Greek yogurt

I don't necessarily prefer Oikos, in fact I think Chobani is the creamiest. I like to eat Greek yogurt right before bed, after my popcorn. The casein in Greek yogurt is a "slow protein", which means it's absorbed slowly and studies have shown it continuously provides the muscles with energy to repair and rebuild through the night. Of course it's also good to eat on top of soup, tacos, or potatoes as a replacement for sour cream.


9) Peanut butter!

Seriously, do I have to explain? When I was anorexic I didn't eat peanut butter. Three years of my life, three years worth of peanut butter consumption, down the drain. What the heck?! Yeah it's got a lot of fat, but it's healthy fat, and when eaten in moderation (which in my opinion is about 4 T per day, and depends on how much other fat you are consuming) it's just fine! The Smart Balance brand has flaxseed oil in it for added Omega-3.


10) Lindt's 85% dark chocolate

Another one of my favorite night time snacks. I eat 2 squares of this stuff every night. Since it's 85% cacao, I'm fairly certain this dark chocolate is providing me with a decent amount of polyphenols (a phytonutrient that may benefit the heart). When it comes to dark chocolate, don't be fooled, as their is no legal definition of dark chocolate so companies can write it on their labels either way. One taste of this stuff (Lindt's 85%) and it's pretty clear that it is actually dark chocolate, and not just chocolate that has been made darker.....Isn't it great what food companies can make you believe?!

Question: What are your top five favorite sources of dairy, healthy fat, and sweet indulgences?

Coming Up

Tomorrow I will be posting my Biggest Loser review (did you watch?!) and also a "Nutrition Tidbit" regarding flaxseed. On Friday, or later next week, I will provide my list of favorite supplements and sweeteners. Now I'm off to finish the Bachelor. We stopped half way through on Monday because we were both really tired. I can't believe we managed to wait this long to finish!!

Thanks for reading, and have a great night/day!