Taste-Testing Maranatha Organic Peanut Butter

As a child I went to school nearly everyday with a PB&J sandwich. It was an easy lunch for my mom to pack, and I never got tired of peanut butter. I still love it, too - despite the high fat content, peanut butter is a great source of protein.

But Cordy has gone far beyond my love for peanut butter. She practically worships the stuff. At school they serve PB&J sandwiches with graham crackers instead of bread, and she has been known to eat two or more of them. When she gets home for lunch each day, she requests a PB&J 99% of the time. Yes, I worry about last month's peanut scare, and I also don't like many of the trans-fats and additives in peanut butter. But I can't deny her peanut butter - it's one of her few sources of protein!

Parent Bloggers recently asked if I wanted to try some organic peanut butter by Maranatha. I was interested - after all, if my child's diet is going to contain this much of a single food, maybe I should look into finding the most healthy version of this food, right?

Why haven't I bought organic before this? It's mostly due to my laziness. I know, dumb reason, but most organic peanut butters have that layer of oil on the top, requiring stirring. Yes, I refused to buy it because I had to take the extra step of stirring.

However, I was informed that Maranatha has a no-stir peanut butter. Well now you're talking! Once I got my coupon I ran to the grocery to pick up my jar. (I found it at two local groceries in the organic section - no need to visit Whole Foods.)

I opened the jar and peered inside. The peanut butter looked more dense than my popular brand, and more oily as well. (But it didn't require stirring!) Maranatha peanut butters are trans-fat free and made in small, preservative-free batches. They're also low in sugar and salt. I grabbed a spoon and tried a bite. Yum!

It's very creamy and smooth. And while this may sound dumb, it had a strong roasted peanut flavor, as opposed to the sugary taste that I usually find in most peanut butters. The peanut taste wasn't overpowered by sugar and salt. In other words, I think I was tasting real peanut butter for the first time!

But what about Cordy? Would she like it? She's very particular about her peanut butter. When I accidentally used Aaron's reduced fat peanut butter, she turned her nose up at it. When I tried another variety, she again refused to eat. You can imagine how nervous I was as I prepared her sandwich, thinking back to the old Folger's commercials:

We're here at this everyday home where we've secretly replaced their usual peanut butter with Maranatha organic peanut butter. Can they tell the difference? Let's find out.

Cordy ate every bite of her sandwich, declaring it delicious. I don't know if she thought it was the same as or better than her usual peanut butter, but at least she didn't dislike it. Victory!

Maranatha organic peanut butter does need to be refrigerated after opening due to having no preservatives in it. You can also find Maranatha in a crunchy no-stir variety, as well as almond, cashew and macadamia butters.

Want to try Maranatha for free? Leave a comment below telling me your current brand of peanut butter by Friday, April 3 at 11:59pm EDT. I'll choose one winner by random draw to receive a coupon for a free jar of Maranatha. (US residents only.)