I believe peanut butter goes well with many partners—sweet, savory, crunchy, smooth, even spicy (as proclaimed by the wings recipe in my last post). But to keep it not only tasty, but healthy, picking the PB partner in crime requires just a little conscious thinking. Here to relieve the pressure from your own mind, I give you my list of the tastiest things to pair with your favorite nutty spread in a healthy snack:
low-sodium popcorn
Yes, I said it. Saltier than the peanut butter but light and airy, a few cups of light, air-popped popcorn are the perfect balance for two tablespoons of melted, all natural peanut butter, drizzled over top. Pour a bit directly into the bag, shake, and repeat until you have as much on as you’d like. Messy? Yes. Worth it? Hell yes.
fruit
If you knew me personally (which you can, if you visit my About Me page), you would know that I’m a fruit fiend. You would have seen this partnership coming from lightyears away. Melting the peanut butter slightly helps spread the love—and even the thickest of PBs—with whatever fruit strikes your fancy. I would choose strawberries, bananas, or pineapple, but the salty/sweet/juicy combination is killer with any of your favorites.
oats and almond milk
My favorite breakfasts have the power to drag my butt out of bed faster than any alarm clock. Try making overnight oats with one cup of rolled, quick-cooking, whole grain oats, 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk, and a tablespoon of melted peanut butter. To heat it up for the colder months, make the oats with water as the directions say to, but add a bit of extra water and cook a little longer for fluffier oats. Drop a tablespoon of PB onto the top and let it melt before you stir it in. Either way, the protein pumps you up while the carbs keep you going—even for that early meeting or class.
ice
Okay, so that partner proclamation was admittedly more of an attention-getter than a viable standalone pairing, but it’s partially true. Blended with unsweetened almond milk, low-sugar protein powder, and a handful of ice cubes, peanut butter adds some nutty flavor to the usually very drab protein shake. Throw in some plain greek yogurt to make it even creamier (you may want to add some extra water to balance it out if you do this), or whatever slightly-aging fruit you have sitting around. Top it with any kind of chopped nut or all-natural granola, and you have a perfect post-workout meal.
The Peanut Butter Blogger 