Peanut Butter and Jelly

Jerrawuff
Jerrawuff Posts: 58
in Food and Nutrition
I love me some PB&J on wheat! I love peanut butter in general! But the calories for one sandwich is out of this world!!! Is there a way to enjoy it without all the calories? Any ideas would be awesome! Especially concerning the peanut butter.. I eat it with EVERYTHING!
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Replies

  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Nothing wrong with pb and j...just eat a smaller portion of peanut butter. It's FILLED with healthy fat and quite good for you.

    Make sure to use whole fruit preserves.

    You can warm the pb slightly so it spreads more easily and you can use less.
  • downsizinghoss
    downsizinghoss Posts: 1,035 Member
    I have been amazed by PB2. It is basically crushed peanuts. You reconstitute it with a little water and I can't taste the difference.

    Google it, you can order online or find a store through their website.
  • brk_1982
    brk_1982 Posts: 125 Member
    I like to let frozen raspberries melt and use those instead of jelly. You could also use rice cakes instead of bread. Three cheers for pb&j!:drinker:
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
    low-cal bread (100 cals for 2 slices), 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter (about 45 cals), and 1/2 tbsp of jelly (don't know the calorie content, but it can't be too high for 1/2 tbsp). The sandwich should only be about 200 cals, maybe a bit less. The 1/2 tbsp is plenty for the size of the low-cal bread which is smaller than regular-cal bread.
  • nirebelldandy
    nirebelldandy Posts: 75
    pb2 is the most amazing thing i have ever eaten. 45 calories for 2 tablespoons. add a little water and it is delicious!! i went to georgia and bought soooo many jars i don't have room for them all but I don't care i will sleep with them if I have to! it is a little pricey, at about $3.99 a jar, but well worth the price. don't get the walden farms crap. invest in the pb2!
  • JanetLM73
    JanetLM73 Posts: 1,226 Member
    I don't eat jelly....but I do eat peanut butter (the real stuff) everyday. Everything in moderation.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,315 Member
    What do you consider a calorie amount that is too high? I am just doing a quick mental calculation, 2 slices of dempsters whole wheat bread 190 calories, 1 Tablespoon of All Natural Peanut Butter 100 calories, a higher fruit content jam about 1 Tablespoon about 30 calories for a total of 320 calories. That isn't too bad in my book.
  • skinnylion
    skinnylion Posts: 213
    Nice to see I'm not the only peanut butter and jelly fanatic! A good low-calorie PB&J I like to make uses the 100-calorie thin bread (I think they're called deli flats by Pepperidge Farm). The small circular size makes it good for using only 1 tbsp of peanut butter, and for jelly I use the reduced sugar kind. It adds up to a little more than 200 calories for the whole thing.

    If you're more into "real" bread, Arnold makes a Light Wheat that's 80 calories for two slices. Tastes kind of like air, but it seems more like a sandwich (even if you do need an extra tbsp of peanut butter to fill it out).

    And if you're still not satisfied with those options then just make a half-sandwich! Use good bread, but instead of two slices use just one and drink plenty of water with it. You'll probably still be satisfied.
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    When I was young my mom introduced me to the love that is Natural PB and sliced strawberries.

    Whole grain wrap/Bread + 1 TBSP natural PB + 3 or 4 sliced strawberries. It's like making a PB&J sammich IN your mouth :bigsmile:

    I also enjoy a good bowl of oatmeal with lots of cinnamon, sliced fresh berries (any berry is great) and a drizzle of warm PB. YUM!
  • ajh1014
    ajh1014 Posts: 80 Member
    PB2 is awesome! - The chocolate kind is good too!
  • miseducation1327
    miseducation1327 Posts: 29 Member
    You can get PB2 at Whole Foods :) At least here in Charlottesville, VA!
  • rundgrenfan
    rundgrenfan Posts: 211
    I like to use rice cakes or puffed wheat cakes instead of the bread sometimes.
  • amazon75
    amazon75 Posts: 165
    I use the nature's own 40 calorie a slice bread. (80) + a tablespoon of peter pan whipped peanut butter (75) + a tablespoon of smuckers reduced sugar strawberry spread or welch's reduce sugar grape jelly (20) = 175 calories.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    i eat natural peanut butter with low sugar grape jellly... its awesome and good enough for breakfast meal
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    Peter Pan has whipped peanut butter which is a little lower in calories. 150 in two tablespoons. I'm waiting on some PB2 in the mail. I'm excited to try it!
  • mlemonroe2
    mlemonroe2 Posts: 603
    I use whole grain bread, 1tbs of natural PB, and whole fruit spread and sliced banana! It's about 450 calories, but they are filling caloires. A banana is one of the most filling of fruits. If you pair it with some carrots dipped in low fat ranch, we're taliking 500-550 calorie lunch. Not bad in my book!
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    You can get PB2 at Whole Foods :) At least here in Charlottesville, VA!
    Seriously? Well dang it! I've never seen it at ours. Is it in the PB section?
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Since (in my mind) bread is just a delivery device for the goods, I like to use a very low cal bread to maximize my taste-per-calorie :)

    Village Hearth Light Wheat is 40kcal per slice.

    So, you're looking at 80 cals of bread, 100cals of PB (1tbsp is sufficient for me), and about 30-50 cals of jam.

    210-230 cals per sandwich.

    That's really not much, IMO.
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
    Why not try using less peanut butter?
  • nikki778
    nikki778 Posts: 148 Member
    Make a sandwich, enjoy it, work it into your day.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I use a sugar-free jelly. Only 20 calories and it tastes the same to me. Also, Sara Lee has a 45 calorie a slice bread that could help you cut down on the calories there. Peanutbutter is good for you. I don't think there is a low calorie version of it, but I eat the natural to cut down on the extra sodium. That is my PB&J summed up.
  • MissNordicLight
    MissNordicLight Posts: 140 Member
    I love PB too! What I sometimes do is that I mash cooked carrots and mix it with peanut butter to make my own spread. Keeps in a jar in the fridge for a few days and is yummy.
  • islandjumper
    islandjumper Posts: 369 Member
    I eat PB&J most days for lunch. It's transportable, super easy and quick to make and vegetarian. I use whole grain bread, all natural pb and preserves. It's usually around 300-350 cals...which is a decent amount for lunch.
    About pb2...i've never actually experienced it myself, but someone brought up a point that it's dried and the oils are removed?? The oil in peanut butter...while it tends to be a bit calorie heavy, is the best part. That's the part that is full of HDL and is going to help reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in your body (but be warned of pb's with vegetable oils added to them...go as natural as possible)
  • alexbelly
    alexbelly Posts: 277 Member
    Quest has a peanut butter and jelly protein bar that I love!
  • _HeathBar_
    _HeathBar_ Posts: 902 Member
    I love me some P&J. In fact I'm having one for lunch today, only 215 cals/sandwich.
  • MissNations
    MissNations Posts: 513 Member
    Open face sandwich.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I love me some PB&J on wheat! I love peanut butter in general! But the calories for one sandwich is out of this world!!! Is there a way to enjoy it without all the calories? Any ideas would be awesome! Especially concerning the peanut butter.. I eat it with EVERYTHING!

    Make it a half sandwich with a little less peanut butter. You get the taste and it's filling but fewer calories.
  • run4yourlife
    run4yourlife Posts: 379 Member
    Last summer I wanted to make my own jam, but there was no way I was going to make traditional jam with the unbelievable amount of sugar, so I went on a search, and discovered this recipe for Organic Low Sugar Strawberry Jam. I picked my own strawberries from a local farm (although you could just buy them of course) and made a double batch of these DELICIOUS jars of heaven!! Only 12 cals per Tbsp and better than store bought jam, by a long shot, in my opinion! It is so good you can have it on everything from PB & J sandwiches to crackers to yogurt to ice-cream....you name it. Great spread or topping for a million things.

    http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.ca/2009/06/how-to-make-organic-low-sugar.html
  • CarolinaGirlinVA
    CarolinaGirlinVA Posts: 1,508 Member
    My favorite sandwich is peanut butter (1 Tbsp), honey (1/2 Tbsp) and banana (1/2 of small banana) on Nature's Own 40cal bread. Sometimes I toast the bread and it melts all together. Total calories: 240
  • CarolinaGirlinVA
    CarolinaGirlinVA Posts: 1,508 Member
    Last summer I wanted to make my own jam, but there was no way I was going to make traditional jam with the unbelievable amount of sugar, so I went on a search, and discovered this recipe for Organic Low Sugar Strawberry Jam. I picked my own strawberries from a local farm (although you could just buy them of course) and made a double batch of these DELICIOUS jars of heaven!! Only 12 cals per Tbsp and better than store bought jam, by a long shot, in my opinion! It is so good you can have it on everything from PB & J sandwiches to crackers to yogurt to ice-cream....you name it. Great spread or topping for a million things.

    http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.ca/2009/06/how-to-make-organic-low-sugar.html

    RunForYourLife...thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!! Here in Virginia Beach every May we have the strawberry festival and all the fields are full of strawberries. I have never made my own for the same reason, now I am ready to try it!! I pinned it on my healthy foods/snacks board on Pinterest.
    http://pinterest.com/sherryann74/healthy-snacks-recipes/

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