Kitchen Staples

It’s Friday!

My day started off with this…

I couldn’t decide if I wanted bananas on my pb toast so I decided just to put them on half! I love variety. It was a good decision. 😉 Banana and peanut butter is such a winning combo. What a great way to start the morning.

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Last night was a “wing-it” night, so I decided to throw together a kitchen sink salad.

Which brings me to the topic of kitchen staples. You will notice that my salads have a lot of the same ingredients almost ALL THE TIME. I apologize if it gets boring but I have found that there are certain foods that we almost have on hand. Items that we always seem to keep stocked because we use them so often, which can easily be made into a meal.

Kitchen staples in our house

  • Huge container of mixed greens lettuce
  • Black beans, usually canned
  • Frozen veggies: peas, corn, broccoli, mukimame (soybeans)
  • Tilapia (frozen)
  • Chicken Breasts (frozen)
  • Oatmeal
  • Peanut Butter
  • Eggs
  • Insane amount of condiments–like I said I LOVE sauce
  • some sort of bread or tortillas
  • We generally have quite a few fresh fruits and veggies on hand as well, but get low toward the end of the week

With these staples on hand, it makes tossing together a quick and healthy meal a pretty easy task.

Options from these staples:

  • Crockpot pulled chicken
  • Salad
  • Tilapia and roasted broccoli
  • Full o’ veggie hash with an egg on top
  • Stir fry
  • Bean burritos
  • Fried egg sandwich
  • Peanut butter wraps
  • Etc., Etc., Etc.

So colorful! I often go straight for the salads because they are fast, they help me increase my veggie intake for the day, they taste great, and I don’t think I have ever regretted eating a big ol’ salad. You can switch them up and make them a million plus different ways which keeps things exciting. Plus, I am a gal who likes volume when it comes to my food. I like snacks like popcorn, dinners like soups and salads, breakfasts like yogurt loaded with fruit. You know, the kinds of meals and snacks where you can get more bang for your buck; a larger quantity of food versus a very calorie dense food like pizza (but I do love pizza), and where you can eat a larger amount of food but not suffer the calorie consequences. This is probably because I truly enjoy eating; but not in an obsessive way. I love exploring foods and trying new recipes, as you have probably noticed by now.

Alright, I am off to finish getting ready for work. Happy Friday!

What are YOUR kitchen staples? Feel free to comment!

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Great Friends & Homemade Sushi

Man, yesterday was a great day!

When I left you yesterday, I immediately went and made myself some lunch. Homemade bread (recipe coming soon), with cinnamon pB2, bananas, and chia seeds, with a clementine on the side.

After lunch we went and picked up Moose from the groomer…

He was brushed and looks so handsome!

Then, Dana and I registered for our very FIRST HALF MARATHON! June 3rd, 2012. I was so nervous to hit submit in the registration because that means I have actually committed. It’s official, submitted, fees paid, and there’s no turning back. I am so pumped! Bring it on!

Dana’s parents came over shortly after and visited for a couple hours. It was nice to catch up with them as always.

Next, I got ready for our sushi night with friends. I prepped some of the veggies for the sushi and also made some chocolate dipped pretzels to have out for dessert. I had to decorate them with Christmas sprinkles because I didn’t have valentine sprinkles on hand, but they were still pretty and tasty! I snacked on a bunch of pretzels while I made those sweet treats.

The night was full of Asian-inspired snacks: Baked sugar snap peas (crunchy and salty, so good), edamame, and we even tried seaweed snacks. I wasn’t a fan of the seaweed at all. I know they are supposed to be extremely good for you, but I just don’t love the taste of sea and plants combined very much. At least I tried.

We ate lots of homemade sushi which turned out awesome! We stuck to California Rolls with carrots, cucumber, avocado, and crab.

It was a great, relaxing night with friends including getting my tush whooped in Scattegories (and Dana didn’t even cheat)!

Can we please, please do this more often? Love you guys.

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This morning began with a fruit and yogurt bowl and coffee (“the best part of waking up, is Folger’s in your cup!”).

Coupon clipping, grocery shopping, and Byerly’s salad bar for lunch while we were out and about. My salad was loaded with: edamame, peas, zucchini, beets, mushrooms, carrots, jicama, pumpkin seeds, sprouts, cheese, sunflower seeds, tofu, ground flaxseed, and light ranch dressing. Holy cow I guess I got my veggies in!

After lunch, we scoped out Byerly’s fresh fish selection for our Valentine’s Dinner. I think we are going to go with the swordfish. Swordfish and roasted artichoke hearts and fennel. Dessert is to be decided still but we are leaning towards warm brownie with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

And now I am home, and can’t keep my paws off of chocolate. That’s all I want to do the rest of the day…veg out and eat chocolate. I’ll probably do some laundry too, and also I plan to post that bread recipe for you all too, and maybe go to the gym or for a walk on the treadmill.  We’ll see what happens! Okay, that’s it for now. Enjoy a relaxing Sunday!

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Let’s Talk Quinoa

Good Morning!

I feel like I have lots to share today. I slept in until 7:30 this morning and headed down for a 4-mile run on the treadmill. I cannot believe how bad I am aching to get outside and run, but knowing it was about 5 degrees outside this morning, I headed straight to the treadmill. I pulled through the 4-miles but was honestly bored out of my mind the whole time. I even had double entertainment on my side–the TV and my music. Still, it was brutally boring. Anyway, I still did it and that’s what counts.

I will also be doing this arm workout from Pinterest by the Tone It Up Girls. I love that you can do it at home and there is no need for extra equipment (just a chair and yourself!).

I was extremely hungry for breakfast by this point and knew I had leftover plain cooked quinoa from last night’s dinner. Experiment time! I started with 1/4 cup cooked quinoa, 1/4 cup almond milk, and a dash of cinnamon microwaved for two minutes. Remove from microwave and stir adding whatever ingredients you wish. I had fresh blueberries on hand so I added those plus a little bit of light maple syrup. I really enjoyed this breakfast and broke the fruit and yogurt breakfast marathon I had going on.

So speaking of quinoa, let’s talk about my dinner last night…

On the way home from work I had no idea what to have for dinner. I thought of what was in our fridge: leftover beans, pulled chicken, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, salsa. I decided to stop at the grocery store real quick to see if any genius ideas would pop in my head. I started in the produce section and spotted the green peppers. Wait a minute, I have beans, chicken, we have frozen corn, onion, jalapeño, salsa, cilantro, quinoa….It’s stuffed green peppers for dinner tonight!

When I got home I was greeted by my boys and this lovely arrangement on the table. Please ignore the messy table and admire the flowers instead.

My sweetheart surprised me with flowers for no reason at all–what a great guy I have! That was a wonderful surprise. Thank you, honey! I love having fresh flowers at home. If I were rich, I would have them on my table year-round.

Okay, sorry for the side-track. Here’s dinner.

Stuffed Green Peppers for Two

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 1/2 cup pulled chicken
  • 1/2 cup black beans
  • 1 Roma tomato, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 3/4 cup onion, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon jalapeño, finely diced
  • 2 medium green bell peppers
  • 1/4 cup Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º.
  2. In medium bowl, mix to combine corn, chicken, beans, tomato, cilantro, quinoa, and salsa. Set aside.
  3. On stovetop, saute onion and jalapeño until onions are slightly translucent.
  4. Add corn mixture to saute pan and stir to combine. Allow mixture to heat through; about 2 minutes.
  5. Wash green pepper, cut off the top and hollow out the inside, removing seeds and ribs.
  6. Stuff each pepper with half of the heated mixture and place on baking pan.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until pepper has begun to soften slightly.
  8. Sprinkle cheese on top and place under broiler for 2 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Results….

Veggie packed, protein packed, flavorful, dish. Not too shabby for a thrown together in a pinch, unplanned meal right? It was easy! You can do it.

Quinoa for breakfast this morning, quinoa for dinner last night. So, let’s talk quinoa. Many people are intimidated by this nutrient-packed whole grain seed. I was intimidated myself. How do I cook it? How do I use it? What is it? You’re about to find out.

What is it?

Quinoa (Keen-wah) is a gluten-free seed which originated from South America. It is gluten-free, wheat-free, and 100% whole grain. It is packed with 6 grams of protein per 1/4 cup (dry) and contains all eight amino acids making it a complete protein. It is low in calories and fat as well: 155 calories and 2.5 grams fat per 1/4 cup (dry). It also packs some iron and fiber as well.

How do I use it?

Quinoa is very easy to prepare. Use two cups liquid to one cup quinoa, combine liquid in a saucepan or in a rice cooker. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 15-18 minutes until liquid has been absorbed. The quinoa should be tender but still chewy and have a white spiral thread-like appearance.

Quinoa can be made sweet (like my breakfast this morning) or savory (like my dinner last night). You can use it in soups, granola, burritos, salads, and so much more. It has a slightly  nutty flavor which is very versatile.

Other tips.

Since you may not want to spend 15 minutes in the morning cooking up quinoa, make a large batch of it on the weekend, so that it is ready to go when you need it during the busy work week. Store it in your refrigerator in an air-tight container and have a quinoa of a time throughout the week! That was your Quinoa 101 folks.

I really need to get this sweaty mess to the showers or something. I have lots of errands to run today and am meeting mom at Panera Bread for lunch! We’ll see if I venture out of my usual order of French Onion soup. I hope everyone is having a great day so far!

Continue Reading Let’s Talk Quinoa

Let the Body Rest

I am so happy it’s Thursday!

Today is my Friday off because ever other week I have Friday off and this just so happens to be the one. I look forward to it for many reasons: I get to sleep in, I can stay in my sweats, eat breakfast when I want, eat lunch when I want, leisurely sip my coffee, go to the gym, run errands, clean the house….and the list goes on. Who doesn’t love a day off though, right? I always find that my to-do list is usually pretty lengthy on these days, but so far it’s not too bad. I am definitely a list person. I get satisfaction from writing out tasks I need to complete and then crossing them off with such pleasure once I have accomplished the task. You can say it, I’m a total nerdo.

By the way, yesterday I did take a day off from physical activity. It felt pretty good to have a ‘rest’ day even though I’ll be the first to admit I have a hard time actually giving myself those days. However, I know the importance of letting your body recover, so I do take them once a week (twice if it is a rough week). It is important to listen to your body telling you to slow down sometimes. I will be back in full swing tomorrow!

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Breakfast was once again a fruit and yogurt bowl but this time I mixed in some Kashi Berry Blossoms cereal. This was a definite winning combo. I also snagged a half a piece of homemade zucchini bread at work.

At lunch break today, a couple of my coworkers and I braved the weather and went for a walk outside. It really wasn’t too bad once you got moving and the sun was out so that helped. We stuffed our lunches in our pockets and walked for about 40 minutes. I am so glad they pushed me to go for a walk because I felt the endorphins for a good two hours after the walk! I sipped on a couple of decaf Chai teas in the afternoon as I cruised through the rest of the work day.

Now I am home and in the process of cooking up dinner. It’s going to be a good one! I will post it later and you better believe it involves vegetables. Until then, Moose says “keep it real homies.”

Continue Reading Let the Body Rest

An Overdue Appointment

I had one of those mornings where it seemed like everything I was trying to do was taking me double the amount of time. Seriously everything from doing my hair to deciding what to wear… I was just a mess! I even had to pack my breakfast “to-go” because I didn’t have enough time to eat at home. I did however have time for this…

Which is a good thing. My coffee is very important to me in the morning. It is such a comfort to me to sip on a hot cup of coffee with fat- free hazelnut creamer and stevia first thing in the morning.

My to-go breakfast was one you have seen before. Fresh blueberries, strawberries, banana with Greek yogurt sweetened with honey. Creamy and fruity deliciousness as always.

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Fast forward to dinner because lunch was boring.

For dinner I had some veggies on the mind (what’s new, right?). Just like breakfast, and lunch actually too, dinner needed to be fast. I threw together a salad with mixed greens, shredded chicken, black beans, cheddar cheese,  and topped it with a little barbecue sauce and lite honey mustard. Oh, and corn. Can’t forget the corn! I also snacked on some sugar snap peas.

The reason I had to hurry through dinner was because I had an appointment to get to. An appointment at the Hair Salon!  Wahoo! It has been five months since my hair has been touched which is a little too long for my liking. Here are the before and after photos.

Before

After!

It is very blond and will take me a little time to get used to, but I like it! I kept it long but cleaned up the ends and added some layers and bangs. Now I am off to hang with Dana for a bit before bed. I am extremely tired. Good night!

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What to Remember When Contemplating Morning Workouts

I am slowly but surely getting acquainted with the new phone. The alarm was set super loud this morning which definitely woke me up fast. I set it for 5:30 am with the intention of getting up and working out first thing.

The alarm went off, I fumbled to figure out how to turn it off, and then laid in bed for four minutes playing the contemplation game with myself like I usually do. After four minutes, I rolled myself out of bed and got moving. I will say that is the hardest part for me of getting a workout in before work; the initial getting out of bed part.

I dress up in my workout gear with my eyes closed and stumble down the stairs. I begin my treadmill workout with a walk, to start to get the blood flowing and to wake me up. Before I know it I am increasing the speed and eventually crank out 3 miles at an easy slow pace. As I was running I was thinking of all of the reasons why I like to run before work. I decided I needed to write these down, and maybe print them off so that I can look at them while I am feeling like I don’t want to get out of bed.

Reasons why I like to workout in the morning before work:

  • It means I don’t have to workout AFTER work
  • It gives me extra energy throughout the work day
  • It helps me to make healthy food decisions
  • It jump-starts my metabolism and helps me to burn more calories throughout my day
  • It gives me more time after work to hang out with the boys or get things done around the house
  • It gives me more time to RELAX after work
  • I get to start my day knowing I did something great for my body

Reasons why I don’t like/it’s hard working out in the morning:

  • I like to sleep
  • It is dark in the morning
  • It is cold outside of my warm bed
  • The thought of heading down to the gym seems torturous sometimes

There’s no comparison! The reasons why I like to workout before work totally outweigh the reasons why I don’t. Who would have thought? I know that once spring rolls around and it is a little bit warmer outside and when the sun starts rising a little earlier again, it will be easier. The winter is always hard in Minnesota. We have been very lucky so far with a mild winter though! I really can’t complain about the weather.

After my run I made myself a bowl of creamy pumpkin oatmeal.

In the mix:

  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed

Microwave for 2 minutes watching carefully for explosive messes in the microwave. Remove, add stevia and cinnamon, mix. Top with a Tablespoon of PB2 and a drizzle of light maple syrup. Devour. I am off to start my day. Workout complete and all!

Continue Reading What to Remember When Contemplating Morning Workouts

Game Day Recipe Recap

Morning!

MMMm breakfast was a bowl of greek yogurt with honey, banana, and Peanut Butter Multigrain Cheerios. It has to be a good day because I had a good breakfast right? One can only hope!

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Quick recap from yesterday. Later in the afternoon after going through some bins in the basement, we turned on the puppy bowl for Moose. His kind of Super bowl.  He was really into it, see him watching the “game”?! Love this photo so much.

I spent a whole lot of time in the kitchen yesterday whipping up our Super Bowl snacks and Dana did an awesome job keeping up with the mega dishes!

At game time I plated up some goodies for myself: chicken bites, bean dip, guacamole (recipes below), sugar snap peas, Blue Corn with flaxseed tortilla chips, and home-made zucchini and potato chips. I went back for seconds of some more chips and guac.

I didn’t really tune in to the game until the half time show (way to go Madonna!) but then watched most of the last half.

Anyway, here are my Super Bowl recipes. I tried keeping everything healthy. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Poppers

Baked Chicken Poppers

Ingredients

  • 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 3/4 cup Fiber One Original
  • dash of onion powder
  • 1/3 cup egg white
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F; coat baking sheet with cooking spray (I laid aluminum foil down first, then sprayed it for less clean up)

2. Break down Fiber One in food processor until ground; pour cereal onto plate; add a dash of onion powder

3. Pour egg whites into small bowl and line up assembly line (L to R): chicken, egg white, cereal, pan

4. Drop chicken one at a time into egg mixture, then coat in cereal, and place on baking sheet. Repeat until all pieces are coated.

5. Spray chicken with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6. Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with warm with honey  mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce, light ranch, or your favorite dipping sauce. These were really good–I wasn’t sure how they would turn out but they were winners!

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Green Chili Bean Dip

Green Chili Bean Dip

Ingredients

  • 1/2 small white onion, diced
  • 4 oz can diced green chilies
  • 16 oz can reduced sodium pinto beans; rinsed, drained
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 cup salsa
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Saute onion until translucent

2. Add chilies, beans, garlic powder, and cumin; mix to combine

3. Remove from heat; place in food processor

4. Process until smooth; adding salt and pepper to taste

5. Pour into bowl; stir in 1/4 cup salsa

Serve hot or cold with tortilla chips, sugar snap peas, or your favorite veggies

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Guacamole Salsa (with peas)

Guacamole Salsa (with peas)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup peas, food processed to smooth
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 Roma tomato, diced
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix ingredients until combined. Chill before serving. Serve with tortilla chips. SO GOOD!

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I did baked up some home-made potato chips and zucchini chips for the game as well. We used the mandolin to cut thin slices then baked at 425° for I don’t know how long. We actually had to keep adjusting the temperature of the oven because we couldn’t get the chips to cook evenly. They tasted awesome but because of the experimenting with the temperature and not knowing exactly how long they baked, I won’t be able to give you an exact recipe. Sorry bout that! I’ll get ya next time.

In the midst of all of the super bowl snack prep, I also whipped up a batch of tomato soup for a weeknight dinner this week, as well as some energy balls, and pulled chicken for Dana’s lunches this week (and probably my lunches too). I told you I was a busy lady in the kitchen today!

I will share those recipes later this week. I didn’t want to bombard you with 5,000 recipes right off the bat Monday morning. 🙂

What a wonderful weekend. I am so happy I got to spend so much time with my honey. I felt like we had a very productive weekend. I’ll check in with you all later! Happy Monday.

Continue Reading Game Day Recipe Recap

Super Bowl Sunday and A Day in the Kitchen

Good morning! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Catching you up from last night….

I marinated two tilapia filets. The marinade included 3 Tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon ground dry ginger.

I let Dana cook them up on the stovetop because I didn’t want to smell fishy since we were meeting up with family soon after. My hair absorbs smells so quickly and I didn’t feel like nauseating myself and everyone else the rest of the night. He was more than happy to help me cook…take a look for yourself! All smiles. 😛

We served the honey soy tilapia with some mukimame (also a soy product!) and some brown rice with soy sauce. It was a soy kind of a dinner I guess. Ha! The tilapia turned out wonderfully. I usually need to put some kind of sauce on my tilapia, but I didn’t with this recipe. It was so easy too! Give it a shot.

It was a light dinner because I knew we would be snacking and having a couple of cocktails later at my aunt and uncle’s. Upon arrival my uncle made me one of his famous margaritas! He used light margarita mix with a splash of orange juice so really he made us “skinny” margaritas. I truly appreciate that since I am trying to watch my waist a little bit these days! I also snacked on some chips and cheese and crackers with a light cream cheese spread. I negated the skinny margarita with the chips and cheese, but I don’t care. I enjoyed every bite of the salty snacks.

We had a great time visiting and catching up with my mom and dad, my aunt and uncle (Chip and Patti), and their kids. It is always so great to see them. I have the best family!

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Sunday Morning

First off, I love Sunday mornings. I especially love Sunday mornings when I know I don’t have much on the agenda for the day. I started my morning off on the right foot by heading down to the treadmill for a quick two-mile run. After that I through a load of laundry in the wash, folded clothes from the dryer, went through a bin of old clothes from the basement, clipped coupons, and eventually came around to making myself some breakfast.

Fresh blueberries, strawberries, and banana topped with a dollop of greek yogurt sweetened with honey. It tasted like dessert it was so creamy and sweet.

Next on the agenda will be finding an at home strength workout on Demand. I am hoping to find a lower body workout including lots of squats. Make it burn baby! I am in a productive mood today.

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Super bowl plans include staying home with the boys and snacking on some real good treats. I am not the type of person who can sit and watch the whole game, so it will be nice to be home so that I can get some stuff done around the house. I’m hoping this will include going through some more bins in the basement. I am not a hoarder but I do have a lot of junk that I do not need. Like Dana says, “just let go.” I need him with me when I’m going through my old clothes so he can help me justify why I DON’T need that swimsuit anymore that would most likely cover only one half of my behind. Kidding, but seriously, I do have a hard time letting go of old clothes.

On the menu for tonight:

  • Guacamole-made with avocado AND peas
  • Healthy bean dip
  • Home made sweet potato chips and possibly zucchini chips depending on how motivated I am
  • Baked chicken poppers
  • Home made caramel corn

We will see if all of these things actually get made. I also want to make up a batch of tomato soup to have for a week night meal this week. It sounds like I will be in the kitchen all day. I LOVE IT! I am feeling ambitious. I feel like someone injected a triple espresso into my bloodstream. I better stay on top of this.

I will be sharing ALL of these recipes with you once I have developed them! I am excited to get creative in the kitchen. Have a wonderful Sunday everyone! Much love to all!

Continue Reading Super Bowl Sunday and A Day in the Kitchen

This is My Confession

G’ Morning! It was so nice to sleep in this morning and not have to be woken up by an alarm clock! I’m up, had some breakfast and a cup of coffee, and now gearing up for a little run. To be perfectly honest though I don’t have much drive to go run right now. I’m going to do it, I just don’t wannaaaa.

Breakfast: Banana and Peanut butter with cinnamon and my morning mo jo lovingly placed on a perfectly pink valentine tableclotch.

I’m on my second cup of coffee now. I decided I want to enjoy my Saturday morning leisurely before I tackle the day.

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Last night, I was dead on in saying I ruined my appetite with all of those almonds. We got home at about 7 pm after running our errands and I wasn’t very hungry yet. Eventually I came around though and put together a summery salad (in the dead of winter).

Mixed greens topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and feta cheese. In the mini food processor I made a homemade viniagrette by adding 5 frozen (thawed) strawberries and 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I whirled it together and made a refreshing salad topper. This is one of my absolute favorite salads in the summer and it was nice to be reminded of the sunny season through this dish.

For dessert an hour later I ate a single serving box of Fruit Loops, only 100 calories but 12 g of sugar! Yikes! They are made with whole grain now so at least they have something good (and 3 g of fiber). Anyway, I also had a nice little glass of Tazo Chai tea with a splash of creamer.

We actually did not end up playing games last night. Dana was a little too  intimidated I think. Kidding. We decided to start talking about our plans for an upcoming vacation we have planned at the end of February to……beautiful Southern California! We are going to be visiting three of our friends that live out there and I am ecstatic. More to come on this later. 🙂

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Peanut butter confession time.

Okay, so you all know that I have a slight obsession love for peanut butter. Well, about 4 years ago, a great friend of mine from college, who also happens to love pb as much as I do, told me about this product she found called PB2. She said she found it online, and that it is a powdered peanut butter. They remove most of the fat so that there’s only 1.5 grams of fat and 45 calories per 2 Tablespoon.

Initial thoughts were gross, powdered peanut butter? That can’t be good. Only 45 calories though and 1.5 grams of fat? I don’t know. Completely skeptical. We decided to give it a go together.

We followed the directions and mixed 2 Tablespoons of the powdered PB to 1 Tablespoon of water, and we tasted. Initial thoughts were that it was way different than full fat delicious peanut butter. The texture was lighter, not as sticky, and it had a more subtle flavor. But hmmm….I kind of like. It grew on me.

The only ingredients are roasted peanuts, sugar and salt (1 grams of sugar and 94 mg of sodium per 2 Tablespoons which is not bad). It has 5 grams of protein per serving and regular peanut butter has 7 grams, so a little bit less, but still, it’s good.

I’m not saying I don’t eat regular peanut butter anymore because I do. I switch it up though. Pb2 is a little spendy, almost $5 per jar, but it’s kind of like a treat to me. When I feel like my peanut butter intake is getting a little out of hand, I order some of this stuff and it helps slow me down a bit. I can’t just open up the top and dig in. If I want it I actually have to make it. We do always have the natural peanut butter around the house as well because I’m not going to give that stuff up but I do really enjoy the taste of PB2 as well.

I really like the PB2 because I can add spices to it such as cinnamon, and make a cinnamon peanut butter which is delicious on bananas. Also, you can change the consistency of the pb by adding more or less water to your liking.

PB2 is not in many grocery stores in my area, so I end up ordering it online. You can check it out for yourself at http://www.bellplantation.com/. They have recipes on their website too which are fun.

And that’s my confession. Don’t judge.

Off to run!

Continue Reading This is My Confession
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