For today’s Adventures in Bulk Foods selection, we’re experimenting with almond butter!
I found this where the peanut butter machine is, and was a little more than $3.50/lb if I remember correctly. It was kind of an odd looking little machine, and at first I wasn’t too sure what I was doing. My kids were quite curious, too – and I’m pretty sure the shopper an aisle over was checking out what I was doing in the corner of her eye.
So let me tell you what to do, if you want almond butter. You simply lift up the silver switch. The almond butter comes out. When you’re done, you turn it off. Don’t mess with the other knobs and jazz. It did look a little…questionable…coming out of the machine and I got a couple “ewwwws” from the kids. I guess I didn’t name this series Adventures in Bulk Foods for nothing!
Why Almond Butter?
Peanut butter, move over. It seems that other nut butters are appearing more readily on store shelves and in recipes.
Apparently, other nut butters – almond butter included – may be nutritionally superior to peanut butter. It has more of the good-for-you-fats and more Vitamin E. Plus that, you can use it pretty much the same way you would peanut butter.
Today’s Recipes: No Cook Almond Butter Balls
Sarah found this incredibly fast and easy recipe using almond butter! Not only are these no-cook almond butter balls a tasty snack, they are also pretty healthful too!
Mix 1 cup of almond butter and 3/4 cup powdered soymilk. I didn’t have soymilk, I just used powdered milk.
From here, make small balls with the mixture. I think I ended up using too much powdered milk because mine were kind of crumbly. If this happens, add a bit more almond butter – enough so you can make a little ball.
In a shallow bowl, mix together 1/2 cup shredded coconut and 2 tbsp ground flaxseed or hemp.
Then simply roll your almond balls into this mixture. That’s it! I thought it had a nice sweetness, but it was a bit chewy. It may be one of those recipes I’d work on tweaking a bit because it’s got a nice sweet flavor and is packed with healthy goodness.
According to the recipe at She Knows, you can save this up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Do you use other nut butters besides peanut? Have you ever purchased any in bulk before?
Stay tuned for more Adventures in Bulk Foods tomorrow!
 |
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I use almond butter all of the time for my child who has food intolerances and it is very expensive. This is a great price. I have a FABULOUS recipe for Gluten free, dairy free chocolate muffins that use almond butter. thanks for the tip I will definantly be looking for this at Winco, I have to admit I am a little nervous about the machine ( I was that way with grinding my own coffee too,) but for the savings I am willing to figure it out!
I promise = you can do it!
I have been buying the peanut butter (next to the almond butter machine) for about a year now. It’s about the same price as jarred peanut butter minus all the sugar. Love it! Add some jelly or honey to some bread… and the kids don’t even know they are eating healthy peanut butter. I will have to try the almond butter sometime…. the price scared me away from trying it…. but once in a while… what the heck
Your Adventures in Bulk inspired me to head over to Winco two days in a row now. My husband decided on a new diet and gave me a list of items to find that included flax seed and nuts. So the first day I went on my own and scouted out some things in bulk. I was short on time and grabbed just a few items. The second day the whole family went along to see all the variety that can be found in the bulk section. I think each time I am there I see something new. Today I purchased golden flax seed, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, and salted almonds. We got home and my husband ground flax seed into his plain Greek yogurt. He used the coffee grinder, so he ended up with slightly coffee flavored yogurt (I leave him to his own devices in the kitchen sometimes!). I used the cornmeal and whole wheat flour to make a fantastic cornbread recipe. I liked that I could get just enough for what I needed at a reasonable price. The cornbread went along with the pumpkin chili I started in the crockpot that morning (mostly made from items I had stockpiled from sales). We had a delicious and very affordable dinner tonight, and a nice little family adventure at the store. Thanks!
I love this!!! Thank you so much for taking the time out to share how this has inspired you!!
Enjoy!
Do you know if winco makes sure the almond butter is peanut free? My son is allergic and other places where you make your own they don’t bother keeping the machine peanut free
That is a great question, and I don’t know. But I can find out!
I live 3 hours from the closest winco, and any store that sells peanut free almond butter. But I would prefer to buy it fresh if I had the option.
I buy the almond butter in the same sort of machine at fred meyer; my husband is allergic to peanuts so I don’t have any in the house. It works quite well for making sandwiches with homemade jelly
I eat the fresh ground almond butter every morning on a banana, before my workouts. It is the perfect mix of carbs and protein. Love, Love, Love It! Also the ones in the jars usually have added salt and oils.
This is a great series of posts, as was your previous series on produce.
Winco can be a really fun place to shop sometimes, particularly in the bulk section. I like their baking items, and I was shown the box the bulk chocolate came from…Callebaut. That’s decent chocolate!
Your posts remind me that I’ve always wanted someone familiar with Asian food and culture walk through an Asian store with me, explain what some of these mysterious foods are, and show me how I can cook with them…that would be great!
Oooooo…..can I say…..I’ve been thinking about writing about Asian markets more. Um. Your last post *may* have just inspired another post or series of posts.
Oh boy…I’m thinking about baked chicken with five spice powder and ginger, anything with hoisin sauce, curries, glass noodles…yum!
Ooooo…love that idea!
Love Almond Butter… however I did not know Winco carried it in Bulk. I’ve bought Honey and regular Peanut Butter in Bulk, I should make sure “my” Winco has the Almond Butter! Another recipe for no cook Almond Butter Balls. Portions up to you… Take a cup or so of Almond Butter, mix in Honey to a nice consistency. Then add some Oatmeal to it, make several round balls out of the mix. Take more Oatmeal and grind it. Then roll the balls into the mix, place in refrigerator and let them sit about an hour. Then gobble them up! You can also roll the mix onto a bar pan and place in the fridge, them slice and serve! If really wanting to dress them up, pour a little caramel sauce over them, Yum!
p.s. I am loving your Adventures in Bulk Food Blog!!!!
{ 2 trackbacks }