I eat peanut butter on toast, in oatmeal, cookies, and sandwiches. I have a favorite African groundnut stew recipe that my husband whips up. It never fails to make me happy when I'm feeling blue. I spread PB on pancakes, crackers, and celery. If I am feeling especially wicked, I will scoop it out of the jar and eat it neat, right off the damn spoon. Secretly, of course...
You see, peanut butter is a comfort food for me. My other comfort foods are anything red, and milk chocolate. I know dark chocolate is better for you, but it just doesn't float my boat like milk chocolate. Still, I force myself to choose dark chocolate from time to time just in case I have somehow changed my mind. I try to keep an open mind about these things.
I fully realize one "should not" use food to comfort, soothe, or pacify one's tortured self; however, it works. Anyway, I hate "should nots." "Should nots" make me want to do the opposite. So, in the interest of not gaining a million pounds during these dark nights of the soul, I am looking for alternate ideas. NOT alternative facts, mind you. Do you have healthier and lighter comfort food you choose when you are simply eating to fill that empty part deep down inside? Lay it on me. I want to know.
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| Pomona in winter, no doubt yearning for apples and cherries |
Fresh fruit. Ice cream. Fresh baked bread. Salt and vinegar potato chips. Chocolate (I do the dark, so we can share those mixed bags of all kinds of chocolate). Repeat all of the above. And French champagne.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, total pleasure. I see where you're going with this. For some sick reason, salt and vinegar potato chips are the only thing I want at this moment.
DeleteHello Collette! I found you via a comment you made on Birdie's blog on her Mary Tyler Moore post. I, too, am a baby boomer (born in Montreal, Canada, 1956...and still live here). I do love peanut butter. Unfortunately Jif was discontinued being sold in my area, but a very kind blog friend of mine sent me some and I was very touched by her kind gesture. I, too, am fortunate to not have any peanut allergies! I also love chocolate and roast chicken is another comfort food for me as well. And a nice hot cup of tea, too.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, very happy to meet you and welcome. Roast chicken and a hot cup of tea. Thanks. Those sound inviting to me, and they are not bad for us.
DeleteAs I became less active, because I couldn't recover muscle after the stroke, I realized I needed to curtail my calories to match my life style. I eat the same foods now, over and over. For breakfast I toast two pieces of multigrain bread, arrange four pats of butter on one and peanut butter on the other. Slap them together and eat with coffee. For lunch, I eat one half of a good apple, quartered and each quarter slathered with PB. For supper I eat whatever is put in front of me. For my fourth meal I have the other half of the apple, slathered with PB. Not so much coffee, as bedtime is approaching. I maintained my weight at 135 for years. Since Laura began cooking seven months ago, I've lost another ten pounds, simply because her meals are smaller, though completely nutritious. I realized we had left a house where my sister cooked for her husband, who demanded "a man's meal." She served meat, potatoes and vegetables for every meal, in some form, and often made with cheese.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, PB is a staple. It's a lot of good protein. And if I had a bad morning at work, I often scoop an extra slather of PB from the jar and eat it right off the knife. It's my jar of PB, by the way. Anyone else who wants PB must open their own jar.
Joanne! And here I was thinking I couldn't like you any more than I already did. There is just something about that PB! I will have to try it with apple. Sounds good.
DeleteI think i shall try Joanne's breakfast from now on,at the moment i am going to look for some PB in my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, I know right where mine is. Her breakfast sounds great.
DeleteHave you tried peanut butter on apple slices or celery sticks? It's like having dessert.
ReplyDeleteI've tried it on celery sticks, but not on apple slices. I'm going to soon though because it sounds so good.
DeleteI love peanut butter and eat it everyday. Sometimes on a rice cracker with apple, or just on a plain saltine. It is my comfort food. I also like homemade maple almond granola with plain yogurt, raisins and more maple syrup. Yum. Lots of rice and veggies for dinner with tofu or chicken. Dark chocolate for dessert.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm. Interesting to discover how popular PB really is.
DeleteI love almond butter on Granny Smith apples. Delicious and healthy.
ReplyDeleteSounds great. As a retiree, I find I am reluctant to pay the extra coin to purchase almond butter. I need to get over that, because life is too short to go without almond butter. I look forward to it becoming more mainstream so it becomes cheaper. Yum.
DeleteI wait for it to come on sale then stock up. Because it is very expensive, even on sale. But, oh so yummy.
DeleteHaving just finished off a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a bourbon topping as well as a slice of apple pie with extra butter -- can I also recall a peanut butter, apple, and mayo sandwhich. Burp.
ReplyDeleteGeez O Freakin' Pete, you gently bred Southern women are killin' me. I'm making a run to the liquor store right now.
DeleteSweet potatoes are my favorite comfort food. I buy cases of Farmer's Market Organic Sweet Potato puree. I eat it out of the can with a spoon. During the summer I put the cans in the refrigerator. It is comforting and refreshing when the weather is hot. When I have time, I cook whole sweet potatoes in a crockpot. Might be an acquired taste (-:
ReplyDeleteI love peanut butter as much as anyone but have developed an allergy to legumes! Unfortunately, I have numerous food allergies and intolerances. Fortunately I'm not allergic to almonds and cashews or sesame seeds or sesame seeds. I love tahini and sunflower seed butter.
I am sorry about the allergies. Thanks for revealing the joys of sweet potato puree, though. They are nutritionally dense and naturally sweet. I'll give it a try.
DeleteA cup of hot, strong Yorkshire or Barry's tea with hunks of brown Irish soda bread, don't spare the butter or the marmalade...
ReplyDeleteMmmmm. I like Yorkshire Gold. I was so happy to see that Publix (the ubiquitous Florida grocery store) sells it. I'll have to figure out how to make the brown Irish soda bread.
DeleteBelieve it or not, my comfort food is porridge, plain (rolled oats and water) and maybe added blueberries and fruit yoghurt or just milk. This is entirely due to the fact porridge has so far never caused an upset stomach. Whereas my real (secret) comfort foods often do - depending on intake size. These include all forms of milk chocolate, soft boiled egg with buttered brown toast, buttered brown toast without egg, brown toast without butter but with avocado, croissants, brioche, spicy Indian spinach paneer curry, everything with aubergines, fresh pasta, oh wait, all real Italian food.
ReplyDeleteBut the absolute top comfort food for me is fresh apricots which are in season from late May to Sept., I always eat too many. Far far far too many. I could take a bath in them, I love them so much.
Holy shit, Sabine! I think I have experienced transcendence after reading your list. Wow. I just saw a photo in a food book of a piece of whole grain toast topped with guacamole and then crowned with a sunny side up fried egg. I showed it to my granddaughter who agreed we must make those for breakfast the next time she spends the night. I eat oatmeal most mornings. With fruit, nuts, and yogurt. I usually add frozen cherries before steaming the oats because I am dead serious about anything red.
DeleteAnd sometimes I eat my hot oatmeal mixed with peanut butter and soy milk. If I'm feeling particularly ecstatic I throw in a few unsalted Virginia peanuts.
DeleteI go for pasta. I am eating a lot of it lately.
ReplyDeleteYes, pasta is a sure fire distraction from all that is ugly and base. Especially with a red sauce, although I just started making a quick linguini meal with sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, and onions in a super simple goat cheese sauce.
DeleteYou can look up charts about cravings and what they are meeting. Cravings for chocolate are often about minerals - magnesium and such. So you can also eat greens, kale chips, etc. if you are craving chocolate, for example. There is a drink called "Calm." It comes in different flavors. It has magnesium. You can easily find it on the Internet, at places like Whole Foods, etc. It sounds like umami flavors might satisfy you. I would peanut butter and chocolate in the savory category - although milk chocolate not so much. Do you like miso? how about miso soup? Miso soup is super light, almost no calories, super nutritious, and good for you. Do you like seaweed? I don't and have tried it a million times - but many - like my daughter - really like it. It is nutritious, savory, salty, etc. You can make all sorts of great snacks with nuts and chocolate. Have you tried making chocolates with avocado. They are amazing! Let's see if I can remember the blog I used for those recipes... Ah! I found it! It's called "oh she glows." ohsheglows.com Great recipes. In general, I'd counsel... for you... working on things that are savory, with a little sweet, have umami, and provide minerals - such as calcium. I think you might be craving, low on minerals. Also important for satisfaction: do you like creamy, crunchy, chewy? For real satisfaction, we need our preferred texture. Look for foods and recipes that have that. I love crunch, for example. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteIt does!
DeleteI read this yesterday but waited to come back today for people's suggestions, as I too am a PBaholic. But except for the sweet potatoes, which I like but don't necessarily think of as comfort food, there is nothing else here that appeals to me in the same, comforting way. I think I will just sit with my jar of Nutella and ponder this some more : )
ReplyDeleteYou will be in great company!
DeleteFor many years, my morning breakfast (Weight Watcher inspired) was 1/2 an English muffin - toasted - and slathered with 2 T. peanut butter and topped with raisins. Yum. Never got tired of it. Now I don't eat breakfast, but it makes a fine snack :)
ReplyDeleteOh gee, I am afraid I wouldn't be able to stop at just 1/2 of an English muffin. I salute you!
DeleteComfort Food for me is usually not on the dietary Health List... sorry... and I shouldn't do it either, but I do... I'm a Foodie, I just Love Good Food, Wish that my metabolism was as it used to be before I turned 50 and Food wasn't the Devil! *Le Sigh* Ah, well, it's not like it's something I can give up completely and it is so damned Comforting! Dawn... The Bohemian
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if maybe metabolism after 50 is the Devil?
DeleteI can remember being tiny (maybe two) and not liking peanut butter. I couldn't eat a pb&j if I wanted to. I wish I could. A nice high protein snack in moderation.
ReplyDeletePS. I adore Reeses Peanut Butter cups and Peanut butter M&M's...go figure?
It is interesting that you like Reeses and PB M&M's. Must be the chocolate that makes the difference?
DeleteI vote for peanut butter, which I've eaten almost everyday for years. As for an alternative, I would suggest that—if you’re not already doing it—you eat peanut butter that doesn’t have added oil and sugar. Adams is the brand for that here in Oregon. I buy big container of Adams at Costco, put it into my mixer, stir it up good (because the oil will have risen to the top), put it into several individual jars, and store it in the refrigerator.
ReplyDeleteI like my peanut butter with maple syrup and homemade crackers.
Maple syrup with PB and crackers, I'm in. Yes, the ubiquitous grocery store here in FL (Publix) has an all natural store brand we buy. I actually dread opening the jar because I have to battle the oil to stir it up, but it is so much better (on so many levels). I really should check out Costco, though, and look for a big monster size like you describe above.
DeleteI stir it with a Kitchen Aid mixer. I would guess that the jars I buy weigh about five pounds, and a medium size Kitchen Aid handles that amount just fine. Still, I wish I had a bigger Kitchen Aid because the one I have has to work hard to mix dough. When I bake crackers, for example, I used eleven cups of flour, and I have to divided it into two parts so as not to overload the mixer.
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