I will admit that since Tyler was diagnosed with PA, I've missed peanut butter. Knowing what it could do to him keeps me far, far away from it. Then I started hearing the buzz a couple of months ago about Sunbutter, a spread made from sunflower seeds. Only problem was I couldn't find it. I heard Target carried it but the one closest to our house did not.
Then I got smart and visited a different Target. And there it was!! It was promising to fulfill the PB cravings that I have been harboring deep in my soul. As I reached out to pick it up, I felt a little guilty buying anything that was next to the real stuff. (A few weeks later, I saw it at Whole Foods, too. )
I brought the jar of potential goodness home. Tyler was napping. So my husband and I opened it. It smelled just like peanut butter!! I grabbed a knife and put a big glob on a saltine cracker. It tasted just like peanut butter!! My husband, a former PB&J junkie, got very excited. He said this event called for something special. Out came the grape jelly and a slice of Wonder bread.
We both sat there eating like little kids saying, "Oh, this tastes so good!" and "This is awesome!" We felt like little kids and, heck, we even ruined our dinner as a result of little snack!
The verdict of this amazing spread? G-R-E-A-T (just like Tony the Tiger says). It really did taste almost identical to PB (keep in mind its been nearly 3 years since I tasted the real stuff, though). The only complaint I have and have (and this was very minor to me) is that it leaves a slight aftertaste of sunflower seeds. Funny enough, that is the only time I taste the sunflower seeds. While eating it, it truly does taste just like PB.
Just a note about how we are handling this with Tyler. He is petrified of peanut butter. Really, I don't mind that a bit. Giving him Sunbutter (if we determine he is not allergic to sunflower seeds) would only confuse him at this point. If we eat it while he is around, he gets a scared look in his eyes. So, we usually eat it while he is in bed.
My husband and I are so happy about my little discovery. Hubby asked me to order it by the case...and he was not kidding. Amazon carries them from time to time. Right now, they have it by the jar instead. If you can't find it near your home, it really is worth a try.
Then I got smart and visited a different Target. And there it was!! It was promising to fulfill the PB cravings that I have been harboring deep in my soul. As I reached out to pick it up, I felt a little guilty buying anything that was next to the real stuff. (A few weeks later, I saw it at Whole Foods, too. )
I brought the jar of potential goodness home. Tyler was napping. So my husband and I opened it. It smelled just like peanut butter!! I grabbed a knife and put a big glob on a saltine cracker. It tasted just like peanut butter!! My husband, a former PB&J junkie, got very excited. He said this event called for something special. Out came the grape jelly and a slice of Wonder bread.
We both sat there eating like little kids saying, "Oh, this tastes so good!" and "This is awesome!" We felt like little kids and, heck, we even ruined our dinner as a result of little snack!
The verdict of this amazing spread? G-R-E-A-T (just like Tony the Tiger says). It really did taste almost identical to PB (keep in mind its been nearly 3 years since I tasted the real stuff, though). The only complaint I have and have (and this was very minor to me) is that it leaves a slight aftertaste of sunflower seeds. Funny enough, that is the only time I taste the sunflower seeds. While eating it, it truly does taste just like PB.
Just a note about how we are handling this with Tyler. He is petrified of peanut butter. Really, I don't mind that a bit. Giving him Sunbutter (if we determine he is not allergic to sunflower seeds) would only confuse him at this point. If we eat it while he is around, he gets a scared look in his eyes. So, we usually eat it while he is in bed.
My husband and I are so happy about my little discovery. Hubby asked me to order it by the case...and he was not kidding. Amazon carries them from time to time. Right now, they have it by the jar instead. If you can't find it near your home, it really is worth a try.
I would love to hear from of you who have tried Sunbutter. What's your verdict? Do have a PB alternative that you like better?
10 comments:
I have never tried Sunbutter and we also, don't know if Savannah is allergic to sunflower seeds. My one brother is, so I stay away from them with Savannah until we have her tested. My husband and I LOVE Soy Butter that we found at Walmart. It tastes exactly like peanut butter and no "aftertaste" that I've noticed. We don't give it to Savannah, though, because I don't want her to think she can have anything that looks like it. . .and it looks exactly like peanut butter. Maybe one day when she's old enough to know the difference, but for now, it's just mommy and daddy's treat! :) (more so daddy!)
My PA son is not allergic to sunflower seeds, so the dr. actually recommended sunbutter as an alternative. We have to drive over an hour to get some though! When I went to Target they had 2 jars, so I bought them both. We absolutely love it! I'm a fan of sunflower seeds, so I don't really mind the aftertaste. My 1st grader (no food allergies) takes it in his lunch and eats it just like it's PB. My 2 year old PA child has not tasted it and shows no interest in it. We only have 1/2 of a jar left, so I plan to order some online this week!
Angie
My kids call it seed butter, we all love it here. I buy several jars at a time, at our local Trader Joes. My PA son is young enough not to remember his one and only PB&J sandwich, so there is no confussion issue yet.
Oh my goodness, I totally LOOOOVE sunbutter!! I found it at Lowes Foods. My favorite is the crunchy-it has sunflower seeds all in it-gotta stir it up really well when you first open it though and it's runny at first. I eat sunbutter almost every day! My pa son doesn't care for it, but I am actually kind of glad because I don't want him to confuse sunbutter with pb at some point. So funny about you and your husband, I was the same way....gobbling it down like a little kid-YUM Take care, Karen
We love the stuff at my house too! When our local elementary school went peanut-free they presented Sunbutter as an acceptable alternative. I use to have to hunt for it in the natural/organic aisle at the grocery store, but my local store now has it right next to the real Peanut Butter.
We always call it Sunbutter at our house. I don't want to confuse my PA child.
I think PB alternatives are good to have on hand, but I worry that they will confuse our allergic kids. Also, my daughter is repelled by anything that looks/smells like peanut butter. She wouldn't try the stuff, but it would be good to offer it to kids in her class who like peanut butter.
Does anyone else have mixed feelings about peanut butter substitutes?
Jenny,
I do have some reservations about the substitutes. At the start of this school year there was a new crop of parents furious about the peanut ban at our school. They really do not seem to get it. I was concerned that they would send PB&J in their kids lunch and tell their kid to say it was Sunbutter. I know that's horrible thing to think about people but their overblown reactions and selfish comments had me thinking along those lines :-(
At home I'm not concerned, I believe in educating my child as much as possible about his food allergies. I present it as a peanut-free alternative. We discuss the ingredients label and how it's made. I tell him that even if someone tells him it's peanut-free he needs to have an adult check the label before he eats anything.
My PA son LOVES Sunbutter. It is his absolute favorite sandwich. We just got an order in yesterday (we order in bulk- 5 lb tubs). My non-allergic son (who was a PB&J lover) loves it. The whole family loves it, really! It has given us a nice alternative to peanut butter. My allergic son prefers the crunchy version. We order ours from sunbutter.com. My allergic son is not confused by sunbutter. He is aware that it looks the same but is very different. Honestly, he is disappointed when I make something else for lunch!
My biggest concern is that it would confuse other people. I haven't had to deal with that yet (because he isn't bringing a lunch anywhere yet) but I definitely wouldn't want there to be any confusion.
SO- (wow, this is long) Sunbutter has been such a treat for us! And, I truly love the SunGold version. We tried other brands before we found this one and we didn't like them as much.
We don't do Sunbutter at our house. I don't want to present any confusion to my son...We do keep peanut butter in our house...far away where he cannot reach it. I see no reason not to have it in the house as long as we are careful about eating it. I am so thankful for our very realiztic allergist who has not instilled terror in me. If you use common sense with these things, life doesn't have to change that much. I cannot imagine living in fear all the time.
Hi, I'm soybutter girl. So, I love SoyButter like Charmaine above. I ate peanut butter most everyday at school and couldn't imagine not having peanut butter for lunch.
School Policy made changes for lunch preparation and consumers needed peanut and tree nut free products. SchoolSafe SoyButter is one of the several different spreads available that are peanut and tree nut free. There is a School Safe Procedure for complete disclosure of lunch contents if needed. www.schoolsafeprocedure.com
The price is right and it's available in many locations now www.soybutter.com.
Living with allergies is easier now than in the past. There are choices for the allergic, family and friends.
Thumbs up to these companies.
Post a Comment