It had been a while and I had one thing on my mind:
Sunflower Seed Butter.
Yes, that was my mission as I entered my happy place Whole Foods. I intended to make my own, but I remain undecided as to whether that is actually cheaper in the end.
I headed over to pick up my favorite –MaraNatha Sunflower Seed Butter.
But to my displeasure they were out of stock.
Then, to what my wondering eyes should appear but this little beauty. On sale, no less. $4.99.
I got super excited because I had found the coon!
Say whaaaa?
A certain friendly awesome* of mine had sent me this photo. There is an inexorable mind link for some of my friends between me and PBJ. I love it.
(*Two adjectives can make one noun in my Missyese.)
She asked if I had tried that nut butter brand before but I’d never seen it – but I got a kick out of that raccoon on the label. So when I saw it in the store I thought “Stacy!”
Stacy is inexorably linked in my mind with supreme awesomeness. So the Sunflower Butter was purchased.
Well.
In the middle of a serious spoonage sesh on the couch I remembered the reason I only buy Maranatha Brand.
It is the only one with no sugar. (If you missed it, I don’t like sugar.)
I flipped the jar over and yup.
Not just sugar, but evaporated Cane juice. Evaporated cane juice as the second ingredient!
This week I really mean it. For real ‘do.
I’m okay with it and glad it happened. I will be consuming the rest of this butter and I don’t give a coon’s azz. Yes, I am still leery of it but I am swallowing all those thoughts because it’s JUST FOOD.
There was a time when there is no way this would have made it in my cart because I obsessed over food labels (ingredients) determined to stick to my meal plan. I never forgot to check.
There was a time when I would have pawned the open container off on my family – never to be consumed by me again.
But not now.
I am glad that I have a little wiggle room, it makes me feel sane.
PLUS I now know the story behind the coon.
Sorry to bore you, this was kind-of sort of a big deal that turned into the most inconsequential thing ever.
In summary: I bought sunflower seed butter and ate it.
My first thought when I saw that you bought the Once Again stuff was WHOA, she’s eating sugar now?!? And then….yeah.
I make my own because I don’t like the sugar either and the Maranatha stuff is so $$$$. I make mine with a bit of stevia and it is every bit as good. And for a little over $3, I get almost two full jars. Real jars. Not the Maranatha size.
But that’s not the point of this post, is it. I think this is HUGE that you did that! Good on you. Good on you BIG TIME.
Yeah..to be honest I’d have returned the jar to the store if it were not already broken into. I have been wanting to relax a bit recently to test myself and motives for being sugar free so this was a good thing.
I actually prefer the Maranatha — this of course is good (nut/seed butters being a bit like pizza (or some say sex) — even when they are bad it’s still pretty good) It’s a rich deep roasted flavor and the texture a bit more gritty. But I’m not wasting any time tackling it..lol.
PS- I need to get with you on how many oz of the seeds produces one jar.
I usually buy 2 10 oz bags of seeds and get about 1 1/2 jars. Each bag is about 1.75 (I get the cheap-o ones), so WAY cheaper than either of the brands you mentioned here. Not organic, of course. But….at least I control what is in it?
I think the Once Again is too sweet, but the Maranatha is too bitter without any sweetener. I guess I’m a bit goldilocks with my sunflower seed butter, which is good that I can now make my own.
16 oz bags go down here for around $3.50.
SoFla, baby.
We pay for the sunshine. I think I’ll just try it. Sounds like it will be cheaper.
Missy!
and while I’m at it I’ll say I’m amazed that you’d even consider making sunflower seed butter I don’t think I’d know how
I’m so proud of you
Pretty easy-peas-y.
Dump sunflower seeds in processor…press go…walk the dog…come back. BOOM.
Ps- Look! Your necklace: http://missymiller.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/thinks-you-should-know-thursday-6/
Oh man this is like when I was duped w/ the maranatha almond butter.
So many emotions just related to consuming one silly product, huh?
And who wouldn’t trust the coon?
But CONGRATS! This is a big deal.
This morning I ate household PB w/ added sugar. Cheers!
Oh you KNOW I was channeling my inner Joss.
I think I have one.
Or if anything I have a “wanna-be” Joss somewhere up in hurrrr.
YES for the wiggle room! One proud missy!
Things that may seem little and trivial, are yet such advancements in our journeys…kudos Missy
Thanks girl!
Love love love this post!! For so many reasons. I love the coon..too cute. I have only seen this brand once and it was online. Now I know where I too can find the coon. I love that you ate it still, and I love that I now know that MaraNatha is the only one without sugar. GOOD TO KNOW!
Maranatha used to make peanut butter and almond butter too with no sugar but suddenly they added it.
YIPPEEEE!! <3
It’s a big deal! So happy and proud
And wonderful to prove to yourself that the sky doesn’t fall when you consume things that were formerly verboten. 
xxx
Evaporated cane juice is the shizzz
Lulz for that one. For real…my dog must think I am talking on the phone. You are just so wonder-full.
Nothing about this is inconsequential. COON!
And now you will have a craving for nut/seed butter whenever you spot a coon in 5…4..3…2…
i’m so happy you decided to just go with it. food is food i can’t think of the worst thing that could happen..because nothing would. i used to avoid foods with added sugar because i thought they would lead to a binge, so in theory I was avoiding them for my own good, but then I realized the only reason sugary foods were leading (and sometimes still do) to binges is because of the weight i put on food/eating/body in general. sugar or no sugar, i eat and i binge sometimes, and there are bigger issues than STUPID shit like how much I weigh or the ingredients in my food. that’s tackling the issue at the surface with trivial issues in my opinion. I know we differ on this a little.
This sunflower seed butter can be a great alternative to peanut butter (or almond butter / cashew butter, etc.) if you’re avoiding giving your toddler nuts due to the possibility of an allergic reaction.
Very true and my friend’s kids LOVE it.