Unless of course you are allergic to nuts, I consider them and their butter counterparts to be essentials in a dairy-free houshold. Richness, flavor, healthy fats, protein, vitamins and minerals, these little gems have it all. Some, like almonds, even have a fair little dose of calcium and magnesium (famous as a bone-building duo).

I often make my own nut butters with the spice grinder, but I do pick up jars on occasion. For example, this past weekend I found an insane deal on these almond butters …

Guess how much I got them for? No seriously, guess?

Okay … $.99 each – yes, 99 cents! They had expired last week at my local (usually expensive) Village Market … but really, expired nut butter? Not an immediate concern.

My husband had been begging all week for some fresh baked bread, so I made this Spelt Bread (with a few tweeks – I am always experimenting with my bread recipe!). I just bought a big package of Red Star Yeast, and oh my was that stuff active. The bread rose out of control.

Anyway, my first (very thick) slice was slathered in this new-to-me almond butter from Blue Diamond.

The verdict? Definitely worth the $.99 and then some, but not one I would repeat. I don’t typically like crunchy nut butters, but the large bits in this must have been toasted, because they popped in my mouth like firm rice crispies. I loved that. But the flavor was a bit low on the almond scale in my opinion. It included a wee bit of palm oil (to make it “spreadable”) and evaporated cane juice. I just prefer my almond butter raw, creamy, and with nothing added … like a blank canvas.

Nonetheless, for 99 cents, I did return to buy the last two jars of crunchy. They also had “honey” versions on discount, but these had corn maltodextrin and peanut flavor added … getting into the strange zone for me.

What are your favorite types and brands of nut butter?

Fitness Log:

Tuesday – 40 min Insanity Pure Cardio, 3/4 mile walk (just a wee trip).