If you are a peanut butter lover like myself you should already know about Skippy Natural or else I’d say you’re not much of a peanut butter connoisseur. That is my personal favorite peanut butter at the moment. I actually like the creamy better than the crunchy, which is a change, because of the superior taste and texture. If you’ve never tried it run to your local grocer, buy a jar, then come back and read the rest of this article while enjoying with a spoon.

My peanut butter journey began back in elementary school. Eventually the school lunches got tiring, and I asked my mom to prepare me a lunch. She prepared perhaps the most popular lunch item of all time, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After perhaps a grade or two of pb&j galore I got sick of it and could not stomach it anymore. After a few years out of the game I once again began pb&js for lunch in my early high school years. Take note that I still had not attempted to enjoy peanut by itself. In my mind at the time peanut butter was just a compliment to add some creaminess and crunchiness, not a fine food to be savored alone.

The epiphany came in my first year of college. As a result of trying to find a snack that was delectable, affordable, and low-in-carb-and-sugarable. Peanut butter was one of the only foods that fit the bill. It’s ridiculously cheap for the amount of nutrition it offers, and it is easier than shelling a bunch of peanuts and making a mess. I still enjoy settling down to a bag of peanuts, but peanut butter is easier. When I bought peanut butter I didn’t want anything with hydrogenated oils, like the Jiff of my childhood, or anything with unnecessary sugar, like the popular kinds with honey or jelly already added (I will admit Nutella is delicious and was put on this earth to be enjoyed with a warm croissant.) I started out with the normal natural peanut butters with only peanuts and salt. These are the kind you have to stir because the oil separates to the top. One day in Whole Foods I found a 365 brand (theirs) that had added palm oil and pure cane sugar to make a better texture. It also had peanuts crunched up. Needless to say it left quite an impression on me, but it was $3-$4 for a jar!

This brings us to the point I found Skippy Natural. It has the same ingredients as the Whole Foods brand but runs at about $2 a jar. Now I carry a jar around with me, along with a handy pocket-knife complete with spoon, fork and knife, and enjoy whenever. Peanut butter does have a high amount of Omega 6 fats, and some say may have certain pesticides, I consider those minimal concerns compared to the relative cheapness and nutrition offered. Normally I would not eat peanut butter that often, but I am in a situation where it is about the only decent thing I have to eat and it has pretty much kept me alive. I will forever be in debt to the immortal Skippy.