Which peanut butter are you guys using? I tried this natural one but it is very hard and hard to spread and blah in taste, between it and the creamy reduced fat peanut butter i buy for my family there is 3 grams more sugar but the rest is the same, can i use that?
I am using Smucker's Natural - once you stir in the oil and keep it in the fridge it stays fine. My husband didn't like it at all, I think it was the lack of sweeteners - so he mixes some honey with it and then he likes it fine. You can buy it that way.
Personally I really like it - has a rich peanuty flavor, but I always spread a T on whole wheat toast and it rather melts in.
I go to whole foods and grind my own peanuts, I keep them in the frige. and they don't get hard. That is about as natural as you can get. It will taste bland to you if your use to regular store bought peanut butter. I guess they stay soft because it has all the oil in the peanuts.
I use Smucker's Natural too and I like it. Any other peanut butter tastes too sweet to me now. It is necessary to keep it stirred though! It might just be a matter of getting used to the taste. It is healthier than other commercial peanut butters because it has good fat with no trans fat.
I recently bought a jar of Smart Balance peanut butter. It has a soft creamy texture and tastes good. I'll probably buy it again. I do like the fresh ground kind from the natural grocery store, but it gets so hard it's difficult to use. The Smart Balance is much easier.
Sorry guys, I can't get away from Jif, plain ole creamy peanut butter. I use it as a treat instead of a staple, only once a week or every 10 days. I was never a big peanut butter person, so I allow myself that little indulgence.
Hey Debbers, I live in Carlinville, IL about 70 miles NE of the city. I fly to and from Clevelamd each week for work so I'm at the airport nearly every Friday and Sunday or Monday. :-)
I, too, LOVE the Hill! Just the Italian grocery markets are enough for sheer pleasure. Ah Cunetto's or Charlie Gitto's - true delights and you're right, no Barilla Plus or whole wheat on The Hill.
I live in St. Louis too. I work at Barnes Hospital and the drug reps are always bringing in food from the Hill. sigh... I just avoid the kitchen on those days