Just Add Cayenne: peanut butter and co

Today is my no weight lifting day. Good thing since it was 75 degrees and made for a great run without a shirt. How many places can you (comfortably) run without a shirt in January? Not many in the U.S. for as much as I know.

After getting home from work, I made the quick decision to make use of the nice weather and changed into running shorts and my Vibram Five Finger Bikila's. I put our dog, Abby, on a leash and had a nice, moderate pace run for about 30 minutes; this equates to about 4 miles.

The run was nice and I followed up with 3 rounds of 5 handstand push ups and 8 strict chin-ups. Good stuff. I then made a giant protein smoothie with strawberries, vanilla egg white protein powder (sweetened with stevia), steamed spaghetti sqaush, carrots, and more stevia. Delicious!

I would be posting pics of my food, but right now I have the slowest internet and no more space on my Blogger account. I need to find another picture hosting website soon! Any suggestions?

Another picture I wish I could share is from part of my dinner tonight; sweet potato with Peanut Butter & Co. The Heat is On peanut butter. I've mentioned how good sweet potatoes and pb can be, but the spicy factor makes it just that much better! Have you tried?

Question of the Day: Do you follow a certain training routine or just wing it each day? Mix it with cardio and strength or only one?

Hey....tomorrow is Friday...Rejoice!

With a website address like ilovepeanutbutter.com, you know this company has some serious peanut butter lovers. Peanut Butter and Co offers 10 delicious, all natural peanut butters ranging from plain, decadent dark chocolate, and spicy cayenne-infused. If you haven't picked up one of their jars, don't wait any longer, to try.

I don't know of another peanut butter company that offers both a sweat inducing spicy pb and a super rich chocolate pb that will please anyone's tastes. Peanut Butter and Co graciously sent me their pure, Old Fashioned Crunchy and The Heat is On flavors to sample and review, and man am I glad they did!

I've noticed that most of the foodie bloggers out in bloggerdom (yes, it's a word; I looked it up in my brain) tend to love peanut butter, including me. If you're a fan of the peanuts and salt pb's, the Old Fashioned Smooth or Crunchy is a "must-try." If you want something a little sweeter, they offer the Smooth Operator or Crunch Time with a bit of added sweetness. Although sweet foods are a real treat, plain pb suits me fine, and the Old Fashioned Crunchy was a delight on a sandwich or in a homemade protein dip.

On the topic of dips, The Heat Is On lives up to its name with four different spices; including Cayenne! Just licking the spoon after stirring had my senses going at full throttle as sweat beads started to form. How can anyone just dip or spread this on and still have taste buds left? I am known to be extremely liberal with cayenne on just about everything, but this stuff is Hot!

The Heat Is On can really bring it on! The heat, that is....

So in an effort to turn down the heat and have a delicious dip or spread as well, I decided to make a spicy cauliflower-carrot dip with The Heat Is On. I added 1 cup each of steamed carrots and cauliflower, 1 heaping tablespoon of The Heat Is On peanut butter, 1 tablespoon honey mustard, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon cumin in a blender and mixed it all together.

The heat was still amazingly intense, but flavorful and addicting too. I will make this again and add 1/2 cup of chickpeas or another bean for added protein and to use as a healthy filling in a wrap. It's basically hummus with peanut butter at that point; why not? I haven't been using this dip as a dip at all because I enjoy plopping it on my salad at night for an extra spicy kick. Spicy peanut butter carrot dip dressing, anyone?

Check out Peanut Butter and Co's full line of pb's including White Chocolate Wonderful, The Bee's Knees, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, and Might Maple. I think their names say it all and even my full stomach seems to set some room aside each time I think of these flavors. I'm not a fan of products with added sugar, and I loved that my samples of Old Fashioned Crunchy and The Heat Is On both had zero sugar added.

I'd like to thank Peanut Butter and Co for the opportunity to sample their quality peanut butter and can't wait to go try more. Maybe I'll get the Old Fashioned Smooth version for when I just want something creamy. Straight from the jar or mixed into a healthy dip, their peanut butters are worth seeking out and trying.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a crunchy pb & chia jam sandwich to tend to; or do I want a spicy carrot dip? Hmmm, maybe both! Have a wonderful Monday!