Today’s Tip: Is peanut butter healthy?

I’m hooked on peanut butter (and almond butter when I can afford it ha ha ) and can eat it almost any way imaginable.  You can use peanut butter in or on most anything like

1. oatmeal
2. apples
3. toast/English muffins
4. crackers
5. bananas
6. satay peanut sauce for pasta dish

and much more!

To help you decide and answer the question, “Is peanut butter healthy?”, here are some peanut butter facts:

• high calorie/calorie dense
• full of protein and fiber
• keeps you full longer
• packed with nutrition

I think it’s safe to say that peanut butter is pretty healthy.  When looking at different brands of peanut butter be sure to watch for sodium and sugar.  And of course natural and organic peanut butter is a better choice.

Sure there are better alternatives to peanut butter like the highly craved almond butters like Barney Butter, one of my favorites so far.  I like that some almond butters even come in single serve packages because it makes them more portable.  Amazon carries a variety of almond butters (including but not limited to Barney Butter, MaraNatha and Justin’s).  You can also find many of these brands in specialty stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and The Fresh Market.

There are even natural peanut butters, many with no trans fats, hydrogenated oils or preservatives like Skippy Natural and  Smuckers Natural brands.  I have tried Better N Peanut butter and would like to try the Peanut Butter & Co. White & Dark Chocolate brand too.

Skippy regular is the brand used most in our household.  Hubby likes creamy for his sandwiches.  Of course processed usually has trans fatty acids but sometimes you have to pick your battles.  Now if Skippy had their Natural peanut butter in a large container, I would be all over that.

I love peanut butter by the spoonful but you have to be cautious not to have too much.  Everything in moderation!  I always get bummed out when there is a recall on peanut butter but I’m glad to know I can always  supplement with almond butters.

Oh and don’t forget, you can even use peanut butter to help remove chewing gum from your hair.  What an awesome product!

Do you like peanut butter or almond butter?  If so, what is your favorite brand?

*edited to add

Just found out that today is National Peanut Butter Cookie day (oh my!) and so I did a quick search for some healthy peanut butter cookie recipes and found these that are promising.

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe -  Peanut Butter Blossoms

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe 2 – All-Star Peanut Butter Cookie

Feel free to share more recipes on anything peanut butter related!