A couple weeks ago, on Instagram, I asked what kind of recipes you want to see & I heard SNACKS! So I want to share my favorite peanut butter rn & one way I like to have it.
My fave way, is probably a spoonful of it (we all do this right?)—but this snack is more nutritious ; )
& it’s nothing unusual…
It’s peanut butter & CELERY.
EASY.
Easy is good when I need a quick snack. Don’t you think? It keeps the hangry away.
Okay, so why celery? It’s crunchy, it’s fresh & we’ve all heard it’s “negative calories”, right? It’s not actually negative calories, but IT IS very low cal!
It also has a bunch of nutrients!
Here are some reasons to snack on celery:
- It’s low cal
- It’s anti-inflammatory
- It has a bunch of vitamins, minerals & antioxidants—like vitamin K, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin A
- It’s hydrating (it’s 95% water)
- It also has some fiber—fiber helps us stay full longer, keeps us “regular”, supports digestion, and helps us maintain a healthy weight
12 4″ (0.1oz) strips of celery is about 7 calories and provides 0.8g fiber.
P.S. if you can, buy organic. Celery’s been on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list of produce with the most pesticides for years now.
Okay, back to the PB now. YUMMM!!
I was having Justin’s almond butter for awhile & then I had this ah-ha moment that it wasn’t organic (I definitely overlooked that!) I’ll admit, sometimes good marketing & branding gets me, and I forget to check the ingredients—I’m human.
So I took a look at all the almond butters on the counter at Whole Foods and picked out this MaraNatha one. It has 1 ingredient only: 100% organic raw almonds. LOVE! So a couple weeks later, when I wanted PB, I went for the same brand & got this creamy, 2-ingredient peanut butter they also make.
Next time, I got this MaraNatha crunchy one—& rushing to get out of the store, I overlooked the fact that it has added sugar. It’s made with: organic peanuts, organic palm oil, organic evaporated cane sugar, sea salt.
I usually avoid sugar in my food. I save it for dessert ; ) Like with pasta sauce… I get this one because it doesn’t have any added sugar (plus, it’s delicious, organic & has great ingredients!)
But, back to the PB, again… MaraNatha has this crunchy 2-ingredient peanut butter, which doesn’t have any added sugar, but I don’t think it was on the shelf & I just grabbed this crunchy one & checked out.
& honestly, I’m okay with it, at least for now—because IT’S SOOO GOOD, the sugar is USDA certified organic & it’s not that much (it only has 1g of added sugar). & when I have it, I think of it as a treat.
The sugar is USDA organic so I know it wasn’t filtered through bone char, which is important to me.
If you’re curious—some sugar brands that are not USDA-certified organic use bone char to bleach and filter their cane sugar, which I’m definitely not down for. Since bone char isn’t on the National Organic Program National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, certified USDA organic sugar can’t be filtered through bone char. THANK GOD!
So I’m happy with this PB rn : ) It’s VERY delicious.
It also has a ton of protein: 2 tbsp of this PB has 7g of protein (14% DV) + 2g of fiber (8% DV)—& if you’re curious, it’s only 200 calories. And it provides healthy fat.
Sometimes, I add chia seeds too, for omega-3s, additional fiber & magnesium, & some more protein.
So basically, with PB + celery + chia seeds, you’re getting:
- Protein
- Fiber
- A bunch of vitamins, minerals & antioxidants
- Omega-3s
- & Magnesium
- all in a filling, hydrating, anti-inflammatory snack that’s low cal
BOOM ; ) Pretty good, right?
Do you snack on PB & celery? Or maybe PB & apples?
What’s your fave PB rn?
<3,
Bita
+ learn more about chia seeds
