Recipe: Fruit-Forward PB&J

Who says peanut-butter and jelly is just for kids? Not us! Adults and children alike will fall in love with our All-Fruit Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.

Scan the ingredients list and you’ll notice something odd — there’s no jelly…. or peanut butter, in the usual sense. We can see those raised eyebrows, but bear with us.

Most jams and jellies are loaded with added sugar — and have been heated to the point that some of the beneficial nutrients in the fruit get destroyed. Peanut butter, too, is often loaded with dubious “extras” like salt, sugar, and manufactured oils.

So we use naturally sweet (and deeply nutritious) bananas and smashed raspberries, along with peanut butter powder, which gives you the protein and flavor without additives or added calories —it makes a great addition to smoothies, too!. Add two slices of fiber-rich, whole-grain bread to the mix, and voila: a nutrient-rich, satisfying lunch.

Yes, we know it’s dicey to reinvent a beloved classic. But one bite of this new-and-improved PB&J will make you — and the kids in your life — true believers!

Ingredients

1 ripe banana
½ cup (sugar- and salt-free) peanut butter powder
6 ounces fresh raspberries
8 slices whole-grain bread

Instructions

1. In a food processor or blender, puree the banana and peanut butter powder until creamy.
2. Divide evenly and spread on four slices of the bread.
3. Puree or smash the raspberries and spread over the tops of the banana-peanut butter.
4. Top with the remaining slices of bread.

Nutritional facts per serving

Yield: 4 servings
Calories 233
Total fat 4 g
Saturated fat 0 g
Protein 13 g
Carbohydrate 37 g
Dietary fiber 9 g
Sugar 9 g
Added sugar 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 199 mg

Developed by Sara Quessenberry for Cleveland Clinic Wellness