PB2 for You

     First of all, what is PB2?  Simply put, It is powdered peanut butter.  Why in the world would you want powdered peanut butter?  It is made by compressing peanuts and removing the oils and fats.  Peanut butter is so readily available in many stores, including gas stations why would you want to switch to a powdered form?   Peanut butter already  comes available in many different forms: Organic, low sodium, natural, creamy, crunchy, etc.  Why add a powdered?  It has 85 percent less fat calories!  It is a great source of protein for those who do not eat meat.  I am not vegetarian by choice it is just that I can’t process the proteins in meat any longer.  That story will be for another day. Since our bodies need protein I have had to look to other foods to get it.
     You can get a lot of proteins from dairy and different veggies.   One higher protein food would be nuts.  Nuts obviously have different amounts of proteins (ranging from about 15-30 it seems) and fats (ranging from about 30-70 roughly) depending on the nut itself.   Peanuts themselves are not that healthy in the fat department.  I personally am a believer in anything in moderation. 
     That said, when using nuts, peanuts being my personal favorite, I feel that they may not be the best choice for a protein substitute oon a sole basis, because of the fat content . 

         I have found a way to add the peanut flavor with out the calories!  Enter PB2!  I purchased this powdered peanut butter to add to my smoothies and Greek yogurts.  Each serving of 2 TBS has only 45 calories (compared to 180 in Kroger creamy) and 1.5 grams of fat (compared to 15 in that Kroger creamy peanut butter).  There is definitely a huge difference. 

     As you can see to the right  this stuff doesn’t look at all like peanut butter.  It is definitely a fine powder and nothing like any peanut butter that I grew up with.  I wouldn’t recommend replacing all  your peanut butter with PB2 because it is more expensive than traditional/regular peanut butters.  However like I said it would be a great addition to your pantry.  You can also add it to things like pancakes or muffins!   

           The bottle states that you can even take this powdered peanut butter and make it into the creamy substance that you could spread on bread.  Without adding all the fat that it originally would have had.  Does this work?  Does it stand up to store bought?  Does it taste the same?  I made some of the powder into a creamy peanut butter just to find out! The directions say to take 2 Tbsp. of the powder and add 1 Tbsp. of water.  Stir until creamy.

   It looks like a pale version of peanut butter in this picture.  Jacob and Luke were eager to try it and see if it compared.  They said that they like Kroger’s creamy better however they did like it.  I could tell little difference myself.  There is even some differences between the different brands of store peanut butter.  So this is a win for me.  Looking at the two different    peanut  butters  on  the  spoons can  you  tell  the  difference?  The one on the right is the one I just  made.   Not  much of a difference at all.

           Where to purchase this?  You can find it online or in specialty stores.  Our Kroger Market place has it.  It is even on sale this week for $3.99 (reg $4.59)  I have found it between $3.50 and $5.50 for a 6.5oz container and that includes about 15 servings.  
     I have enjoyed peanut butter on bananas for a while and even tried Paula Deen's Grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich a few times, YUM!  I am going to try a chocolate chip banana muffin with a peanut butter glaze in the future.  Doesn't that sound yummy?  I will post the results!  They also make a chocolate PB2.  I haven’t tried this version yet, however it sounds right up my alley.  Who can go wrong with chocolate?

Enjoy!