Imagine this: You are in your third trimester of pregnancy, wanting everything under the sun dipped in Jif Creamy Peanut Butter. Your loving husband calls on his way home from work and asks if there’s anything he can get from the grocery store. “Peanut butter” I shriek (knowing that we are running low on this creamy goodness). When he walks through the door I anxiously await the thrill of opening a new jar of my go-to snacking spread when suddenly, I gasp and see this:
Wait a minute. That’s not Jif! What the…
Needless to say I ended up getting my Jif. And Ted took two trips to the grocery store that evening— what a guy!!
I grew up a Jiffy kid, and as it turns out Joey is showing no signs of a peanut allergy and is enjoying Jif just as much as this choosy Mom! From oatmeal, to sandwiches, to granola, my peanut butter obsession (and cravings) have carried over to many of my son’s breakfast and lunch meals. Although we both like it on a plain piece of bread, I’ve come up with a few ways to “jazz up” this childhood staple. Hopefully you’ll find these peanut butter sandwich variations helpful, whether packing a brown bag lunch or making a quick sandwich for the road!
The Breads:
The Mix-In’s {include 1-2 tablespoons of Jif peanut butter}:
Nut Butter and Your Health
Nut and seed butters may contain a somewhat high amount of fat per serving, but it’s the types of fat they contain that actually benefit our health. The butters tend to be rich in both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs and PUFAs). Both are known to decrease LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, lowering the risk of heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. If you are worried about added sugars and trans fat, choose varieties that have “natural” on the label- and double check the ingredients list. Jif does contain hydrogenated oils [which help keep the oil in the butter from separating]. However, a little goes a long way! The key to gleaning the health benefits [healthy fats, protein] from nut and seed butters is to eat them in moderation—> stick to the two tablespoon serving size!
Note: If fat and cholesterol are of concern for you or someone else in your household, then I’d suggest purchasing the reduced fat version of Jif or any other nut and seed butter.
I know that many people are choosing other nut or seed butter options for health and allergy reasons- I’m thrilled that there are other nut and seed butter options out there! Even though I haven’t tried the swap, I’m thinking any nut or seed butter would go great with one of these flavor combinations! I’ve also included a nutrition comparison between my fav, Jif, and other commonly found nut and seed butters:
Jif Peanut Butter
Calories: 190
Fat: 13g
Protein: 7g
Fiber: 2g
Justin’s Almond Butter
Calories: 190
Fat: 16g
Protein: 7g
Fiber: 3g
SunButter Creamy
Calories: 200
Fat: 16g
Protein: 7g
Fiber: 4g
Shout-Out to fellow Mom/Registered Dietitian, Kristy @ Chocolate Slopes, for inspiring me to share the nutrition comparisons of these butters!
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I can’t get my 2 year old to even try peanut butter. I hate to get a jar of any of the other butters since I haven’t ever explored them myself. I figure it is not an essential item that she must eat so we’ll wait and see if she wants to try it again in a couple of months 🙂
That is a great plan!!! Joey is that way w/ a few foods and I try to remind myself it’s likely a phase!
Peanut butter and pumpkin.. what a fun combo!! I will have to try some of these! 🙂
It’s adult-friendly 😉
Omg how great is this… Not only will.my toddler enjoy this… But so will hubby hehehe 😉
Mine does too!!
love the other suggestions to try with it. I get stuck in peanut butter and jelly ruts but so much tastes great with peanut butter!
Thnx Maggie!!!
I LOVE peanut butter! I eat it all the time. I buy the all natural, organic peanut butter since I love it so much (I want to make sure I get the healthiest kind). I get the kind with just peanuts on the label. You have to mix it and keep it in the fridge, but I don’t mind. My son also likes peanut butter. We often eat it on celery and apples too.
What’s your favorite brand?!
Oh my goodness, I am so glad you wrote this post. I’m 11 weeks pregnant with my first and am eating ALL the peanut butter. I’ve been so worried about the allergy thing, but honestly right now PB is one of the only foods that always sounds appetizing. It’s actually strange because for the last two years or so, I’ve only eaten almond butter or sunflower seed butter, but the thought of those right now grosses me out! Ha!
Lol I’m glad I’m not alone!!!!
I love the pumpkin idea. We will have to try that. I know our kids would love it.
Thanks Katie, glad I could be inspiring 🙂 I personally buy both Jif (for myself mainly and baking cookies) and then natural for my husband and kids. Years ago I got used to natural, then tried Jif again, and just can’t seem to go back…oh well!
Yes!! Good call in the baking point– now I want PB cookies 😉
I’m actually making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies as we speak 🙂
You know, I’ve never had a PB&J sandwich. I grew up in the US but I’m originally from Brazil and this is not typical Brazilian food. So obviously, my mother never made us any. I wonder If my child will get to eat it. It seems like everyone loves it! But I didn’t know there were so many variations. Awesome!
I’d suggest tryung with a big glass of milk or water!! Sometimes the peanut butter gets sticky 🙂 Thanks for sharing Ellen!
I have one child allergic to tree nuts/peanuts but she can have almond butter and sunbutter….and another child is allergic to almond, sunbutter and peanut butter….ugh…several of their allergies are opposite. Thanks to a detailed blood test we did learn that we can have peanut butter in the house because her allergy is not life threatening…just makes life uncomfortable.
Wow! You are certainly juggling a lot of dietary needs when cooking. Kudos To you for making it work!!