I was making out a grocery list the other day and realized we were almost out of peanut butter. We don't make many peanut butter sandwiches around here, but celery with peanut butter is one of my son's favorite snacks. Even though I know most major brands of peanut butter aren't on the growing list of recalled peanut products, I have to admit that I paused. The whole salmonella scare is enough to put a person off peanut butter entirely.

Planet Green has a great solution; make your own peanut butter. Not only does DIY peanut butter eliminate any worries about salmonella, it also means you control the ingredients -- there's no partially hydrogenated oil in sight! All you'll need is shelled and skinned roasted peanuts, honey, sea salt and peanut oil. Homemade peanut butter lasts about two months when sealed in an airtight container.

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The peanut/salmonella debacle just keeps getting bigger ... and grosser.

The Georgia processing plant that has been determined as the source of the tainted peanut paste was previously cited for sanitation concerns. Things like dirty surfaces, greasy residue, exposed rust (in areas where it could fall into the food), and gaps in doors large enough for rodents to get through.

Do you have the heebie-jeebies yet? I know I do. The plant, thankfully, has been shut down.

Parnell's Pride and King Nut peanut butter and many products that use peanut paste from the plant have been recalled. To date, nearly 500 people have become ill after consuming tainted peanut butter products; seven have died.

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It looks like the Keebler elves have been laid off. After King Nut and Parnell's Pride peanut butter was recalled because of the recent salmonella outbreak, Kellogg's has decided to be cautious and halt sales of their peanut butter crackers.

Though no cases of salmonella can be traced to the Kellogg's crackers, one of the suppliers of the peanut paste is involved in the peanut butter recall. When it's something as serious as this, the old adage holds true -- an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The cracker varieties include Toasted Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Crackers, Cheese and Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, and Peanut Butter-Chocolate Sandwich Crackers and are sold under the Austin and Keebler brands.

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Is the PB&J doomed to be renamed the Salmonella Sandwich? For the second time in two years, peanut butter has been determined as the culprit in a salmonella outbreak.

People began getting ill with the most current outbreak in early October. Last weekend, when certain peanut butters were suspected, both King Nut and Parnell's Pride peanut butter with the lot code "8" were recalled. Lab tests on those peanut butters revealed that they were the source. Two years ago, Peter Pan brand peanut butter was recalled for the same reason.

So do you need to worry about the peanut butter sitting in your pantry? Only if it is part of the current recall.

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When you're in a time crunch, a piece of whole-wheat toast and some fruit is a quick and healthy breakfast. But what are you putting on top of your toast? Healthcastle's dietitians review some popular toast toppers and give us the nutritional low-down:

• Nutella. While a hazelnut spread may seem like a healthy option, Nutella is packed with more sugar and palm oil than hazelnuts.
• Margarine. Be sure to pick a spread that has zero trans-fats. (Look for non-hydrogenated vegetable oil on the ingredient list.) For an even better option, choose a spread that has plant sterols added for cholesterol health.
• Cream cheese. You may think this yummy spread counts as a serving of dairy. While technically it does, it's actually pretty low in calcium. Calorie-wise cream cheese isn't too bad when you pick the lite versions.
• Peanut butter. This tasty treat is packed with protein and also provides some monounsaturated fats. Just choose a natural peanut butter that doesn't contain hydrogenated oil.
  
• Jam. It's fruit... so it must be healthy, right? Not when it's paired with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Choose 100% fruit varieties that are sweetened with natural juice. Or, better yet, make your own.

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