Saturday, November 18, 2006

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Protein is important for growing bodies but it can be a struggle to get small children to eat meat or cheese. You can try hiding the cheese by mixing it with macaroni or grilling it in a sandwich, but kids are bright and they’ll probably realize what you’re up to. An easier approach to getting your children eating protein is serving chocolate peanut butter to them. Most kids love peanut butter and chocolate so when they get to eat them together, they’re probably going to ask for seconds.
When most people think of peanut butter and chocolate they associate it with a candy. Granted those candies are delicious but with all the added sugar, they certainly can’t be viewed as a regular staple in anyone’s diet. However, actual chocolate peanut butter can be made from organic ingredients and sweetened without sugar.
Most grocery stores aren’t going to be selling this product. The main reason is that it’s viewed as a specialty item and the demand just isn’t there. It does have quite a different taste than traditional peanut butter does, but for children, especially, it can be very appealing. A good rule of thumb is to purchase a small jar of chocolate peanut butter to test on your children’s taste buds.
If jelly is a regular part of their lunch time sandwiches try to choose one that will complement the taste of the chocolate peanut butter. Strawberry goes very well, as does raspberry jam. Peach or apricot jam may not be the best choice, but again it’s really a matter of personal taste and your children may think it’s a delicious combination.
Some industrious individuals do their own canning and may decide they want to try this as well. The most important thing is to find a good recipe for chocolate peanut butter. Just making peanut butter and adding melted chocolate isn’t going to give you the same results. Again, it’s advisable that you make a small amount of the peanut butter with chocolate so your family can taste it. If it’s not a hit, you won’t have wasted money or time making more than anyone will ever eat.
It’s a great gift for the holidays as well. Most people welcome homemade gifts because of the extra thought and time that goes into them. You can purchase small jars along with colorful, festive ribbons. Fill the jars with the chocolate peanut butter and produce a label on your computer for it. Then tie the ribbon around the rim and you’ve got an original and delicious gift for almost everyone on your list.

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