Life is Healthy

You all know I love PB2 by Bell Plantation – a dried peanut butter that mixes with water or jelly. I eat it almost every day. Last month, my maintaining diva friend AJ asked me if I’d tried the new chocolate PB2. I hadn’t explored the Bell site in awhile, so no, I hadn’t heard the news, but being such a huge PB2 fan, I went online immediately to order a few jars. I wasn’t disappointed. Chocolate PB2 has nearly identical nutritional information as the plain PB2 – 2 T for around 50 calories and less than 2 grams of fat – and so far I recommend it as a really nice dip for bananas. I’m looking forward to trying some of the recipes posted on their site.

PB2 is part of my monthly food budget. I order a case every month and the good folks at Bell ship it to me ASAP. Imagine my surprise when I found out this morning that I can get PB2 locally, right here in little tiny podunkville Clarion at a store called The Bathtub and Kitchen Sink! PB2, here in Clarion! I don’t have to trek 100 miles to Pittsburgh like I have to for so many other food products I like and can never get here.

I’m going to the Bathtub next week to thank Andrea, the owner, for carrying PB2 and to ask if she can order some low-fat cheese for me, too. While I’m at the Bathtub, I’ll stop in next door to Sage Meadow, a great little health food store that carries red lentils, edamame, my favorite tea, and low-sodium vegetable broth. The grocery stores around here don’t carry (very good) vegetable broth, let alone low-sodium broth, even in chicken or beef flavors. When I asked for it, the manager looked at me like I was questioning his hygiene or something. “No one will buy that,” he said. It reminded me of the time (and I promise I’ll be done bitching after this one) when I asked the bread manager (as in the guy who runs the bread department) where the pita bread was. He said, and I kid you not, “What’s pita bread?” Oy.

Anyway, why not browse the PB2 site to find a store near you that sells PB2? You might get lucky, like me, and find it’s being sold right down the street!

A few of you might remember several months ago when I asked about flax seeds and how you use them. I got some great suggestions and now add it to soups and cereal. I’ve also been putting it in the Hungry Girl pumpkin/pudding concoction (scroll down to #3) I love so much, too. That’s what gave me the idea to add it to Jell-O’s new sugar-free dark chocolate pudding. Seriously good. And filling. Grind up a tablespoon of flax seeds and throw it in the pudding. Maybe eat the pudding with a graham cracker instead of a spoon. Not that I do that or anything…hehe.

It’s time for lunch and then a hair cut. I’m thinking a bigass salad. Hmmm… Then maybe some pudding. Hmmmm… Then maybe some PB2 on Wasa with just a little homemade blackberry jam. Man, I’m really having an “I love food!” day. Oh who am I kidding? Most every day is an “I love food!” day! LOL

Have a great weekend, folks! I’ll check in with ya’ll on Sunday.