GF Taste Project: Justin's Maple Almond Butter

This delicious nut butter was the next sample up in my ongoing gluten-free taste-testing project. I received my sample compliments of GFree Connect, in one of their care packs. {If you follow a gluten free diet and haven't checked them out yet, click here. Their care packs are awesome!}

One taste of Justin's Maple Almond Butter was all I needed to fall in love. It had the raw, slightly grainy taste of a natural nut butter, which I love, thanks to the fact that it contains no hydrogenated oils. The palm oil, used in many products in lieu of trans-fat creating hydrogenated oils, adds minimal saturated fat. What makes Justin's Butter unique is the addition of just a touch of maple sugar, which lends the almond butter a slightly sweet taste. Just enough. And that's about it! This all-natural nut butter contains just four simple ingredients: dry roasted almonds, maple sugar, organic palm fruit oil and sea salt.

I love Justin's Maple Almond Butter as an alternative to peanut butter. It's great to mix things up now and then, right? I tried it this morning on my whole wheat waffle and here are some other ways I'll use it:

• On a whole wheat bagel
• On a sandwich with blackberry preserves
• On a sliced apple
• With celery sticks.

And I'll be looking forward to trying the other flavors too!

Justin's Nut Butters are available at Whole Foods and in the GoodFood store. They come packed in conventional jars or awesome portable, single-serving packs (as shown in the picture). That means they're great for travel, snacks or lunches-on-the-go. Plus the packaging is just so cute :)

The Maple Almond Butter is certified gluten free and dairy free. It's a no-go if you have severe peanut allergies, though, because the product could contain traces of peanuts.

Nutrition Facts (per pack; about 1 Tablespoon): Calories 90 | Total Fat 7g | Saturated Fat 1g | Sodium 30mg | Total Carb 3g | Fiber 1g | Sugars 1g | Protein 3g.

Find out more about Justin's Nut Butters here.

One of the perks of my job is receiving complementary samples of products or compensation for passing along my expert opinion as a Registered Dietitian. Please be assured that my opinion is my own and my review is not guaranteed to be positive solely because I have received compensation. I'm here to help you--the consumer--sort through the vast amounts of nutrition information available to find legitimate answers. This is my primary goal in providing product reviews and sponsored contests on my blog.