Peanut Butter and Jelly

Ah yes, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich! How many of these have we all consumed in a lifetime? I remember big globs of grape jelly on White Wonder bread. My we have learned a lot since then about what we eat. If you have not made over your PBJ's here are some tips to make them over.

In our house we always use 100% whole wheat bread, not wheat bread. There is a difference. When you look at the ingredients, the first thing it should see is whole wheat, not enriched bleached whole wheat. It should be a whole grain bread. Also, there should be no high fructose sugars. Many breads are now taking them out.

Peanut Butter: You should always buy organic or all natural peanut butter. All the rest are loaded with FULLY (not even partially) hydrogenated oils...very bad for your arteries. My personal favorite is my Organic Cashew Butter! Yum! Also, the best tasting and best bargain in town is the Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter from Costco. This is what I use in my Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Jelly: Your jelly should be a fruit spread, all fruit product or organic. You don't want anything with high fructose corn syrup. You don't want you kids to have the least amount of sugar possible...much better for learning and paying attention too! You want it to have gone through as little processing as possible. I'm really bummed because Costco had big jars of organic jelly for a great price and it is no longer there! I am now forced to buy these small expensive jars!

We have now turned a starchy sugary sandwich into a healthy staple. We benefit from the whole grains, proteins in the natural peanut butter and a trace amount of fruit in the jelly...gotta have the jelly....with just natural sugars.