A Better PB&J Two Ways

My love affair with the convenient, affordable, totally-packable PB&J ended abruptly two years ago when we discovered one of our twins - O - had a severe peanut allergy. I was eating peanut butter and jelly for lunch to try to keep up with the caloric toll of nursing two 5 month-olds. Without washing my hands, I bent down to pick up O (who was shirtless at the time.) Huge, angry welts in the shape of handprints instantly swelled where I had touched his bare tummy and back. Hello, peanut allergy! Seven months later at his one-year appointment, it was confirmed. Severe -very sever- peanut allergy. There was nothing I had done "wrong" (although strangers still like to inform me that I either overexposed or underexposed him to peanuts in utero and as an infant). Two babies had grown in exactly the same environment and one twin had peanut antibodies off the charts (literally off the charts - they stop measuring at 100) and the other had 0.03 reaction.

We immediately stripped the house of everything peanut and after that, it was on like Goldilocks and the Three Bears trying to find a nut butter replacement. Nothing suited.

• Name brand almond butter - too pricey.
• Store brands - nonexistent 
• Sunbutter - cheap, but too salty. 
• Cashew butter - too fattening. 
• Justin's Almond Butter - delicious! But processed with peanuts. 
• Jiff alternative nut butters - surprisingly not processed with peanuts, but full of additives. 

Sigh.

We didn't even have a health food store in town to help us out.

Then - all hail Kroger - their Simple Truth brand came out with an affordable almond butter. Nothing could match the economy of peanut butter, but as a store brand this fell within the realm of "reasonable". It was smooth and creamy with just a little mixing (not rock solid on the bottom and all oil on the top). And the ingredients? One: "Dry roasted almonds". We fell in love. We now use this brand in all our thai dishes, oatmeals, smoothies and ... sandwiches. Because, let's face it, when you're a busy mom the PB&J (or AB&J in our case) is just too convenient to give up. How else are you supposed to one-hand lunch while nursing a baby with two hungry toddlers wailing in the background and only ten bucks left in your grocery budget?

But I ramble. Besides containing deadly poison PEANUTS, the other looming problem with the traditional PB&J is its sugar content. Read the labels on your jelly, nut butter, and bread. The average peanut butter and jelly sandwich can contain nearly 20 grams of sugar. That's an awful lot for a little tyke's lunch. So here are my three suggestions. They are extremely simple. But, then again, so is the humble PB&J.

1. Go for a natural, one-ingredient nut butter. If your child is used to regular nut butter, this can be a slow transition because the all one-ingredient brands lack the sweetness they've come to expect. But if you find one in your price range with a good creamy consistency and mash it with banana (about 1/4 a banana per Tbs of nut butter), with a little patience you can overcome!

1. Ditch the jelly. Jelly is really where all the added sugar is at. Try fresh berries instead. You lose the sugar and gain antioxidants. My kids love arranging their own berries on sandwiches and wraps. 

1. Use whole wheat. Whether it's bread or a wrap, don't be fooled by the sneaky "whole grain" label. This is NOT the loaf you are looking for. Look for "100% Whole Wheat" and carefully check the nutrition label for sugars and syrups. (Note: If you've ever baked you know that some sugar is required to start the yeast.)

The simplest way to better your PB&J is just to mash 1/2 a banana with 2 tablespoons of natural nut butter, spread on whole wheat bread of your choosing, and top with fresh berries. But, I'm the first to admit, it's a little messy.

The second (and better IMO) option is to make "banana dogs" loaded with "strawberry ketchup" and "blueberry relish"! Not only are they whimsical and fun to make, but they are neater and wrap up tidily for picnics or lunches on run. Simply spread your nut butter on a whole wheat wrap, top with half a banana (sliced lengthwise), and add lightly mashed strawberries or blackberries* and whole blueberries if desired. This has the added bonus of being a "recipe" that even a toddler can feel very grown-up following.

*Strawberries and blackberries are rather big for a wrap. They have the tendency to "pop" out when my kids try to bite them leading to an empty tortillas, berries all over the table, and MELT. DOWNS. Simple crushing the berries a little first with a fork saves all the sanity! Plus, mashing things is fun when you're two.

**Coming soon for my paleo friends will be the the PB&J non-sandwich option ;)**