It is so weird to think that my family did not grow up on peanut butter. No allergies, we just didn’t buy it. Now that I am grown up and married to someone who did grow up on peanut butter, it is a staple that is picked up every time I go shopping. Over the years, we have tried various brands of PB. We switched to the natural stuff a couple of years ago. If you have never tried natural PB, you are in for a treat. You will also be doing your body a HUGE favor because the natural stuff does not have all the sugar that the processed ones do. I do have to caution you, with every jar of the natural, you will find a thick layer of oil sitting on top of it. At first glance, it can be scary and you will be tempted to 1) never buy the natural again because the reasonable side of you will consider that this can’t be healthy to eat 2) pour the oil out of the jar. As much as those two options may instinctively feel right, DON’T DO IT. Simply take a butter knife and begin stirring that oil into the packed peanut butter. If you eat peanut butter, you have to already know that it provides a healthy fat-like olive oil, salmon, and avocado. The main reason (and most important) for stirring in the oil is that you will not be able to spread the peanut butter because it will be a hard paste. So, no matter how wrong stirring in that inch of oil may seem, go for it! Your PB will then be smooth, creamy, and manageable.

I also want to recommend that you leave your natural PB in the cupboard. Some companies recommend that you place the PB in the fridge. I find that this hardens the PB and makes it unable to spread.