Some food jars seem like they're actually designed to prevent you from enjoying every last bit inside. The remnants of sticky foods like Nutella and peanut butter are almost impossible to scrape out with a knife or spoon, and it's a shame to throw out something that tastes so good—especially when it's the best part.
A spatula could help you get that last drop out from the walls or bottom easier, but that's just ruining your chance at maximizing the full potential of those remains into something even more tasty. Rather than trying to get the food out of the jar, you should be pouring something else in.
I'm going to show you just a few of my favorite things you can do with those remaining bits of Nutella or peanut butter that will guarantee you won't ever waste them again.
#1. Treat Yourself to a Delicious Cup of Hot Chocolate
Pour cold milk into an almost empty bottle of chocolate syrup or Nutella to make a cold drink, or heat it first and make Nutella hot chocolate. All you have to do is shake it up a little and you've got an instant sweet beverage.
#2. Make Your Ice Cream Taste Even Better
Put a scoop of your favorite ice cream in the jar and use the leftover Nutella or peanut butter as a topping. That way, you avoid wasting food and sweeten your snack.
#3. Make Your Oatmeal Actually Taste Good
Some people would consider oatmeal a boring breakfast, but not when you add a sweet spread like peanut butter or Nutella. Use this recipe on HungryLittleGirl for an overnight refrigerator version, or if you don't feel like waiting, just make some regular oatmeal and put it in the jar while it's warm.
#4. Turn Your Healthy Cereal into a Tastier Breakfast
Make your plain-tasting healthy cereal better by using your almost empty jar as a bowl. Just pour it in, add some milk and gently shake to mix it all together.
#5. Indulge Yourself with a Single-Serving Cake
Pour about a cup of your favorite cake batter into the jar and stick it in the microwave for about 45 seconds. The result is a light and fluffy single serving cake that doesn't even need frosting.
Bonus: Treat Your Furry Friend
If none of these ideas appeal to you (or you just feel like pampering your pooch), let your dog have what's left in your peanut butter jar. It'll be a treat, plus it occupies them for a while. Win-win.
Just make sure to only do this with peanut butter, and preferably a brand without a ton of added sugar. Nutella and other chocolatey treats are like poison for dogs.
What's your favorite way to finish off an almost empty jar? Share with us in the comments.
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5 Comments
Add 1/4 cup hot water and maybe a little Sriracha or other hot sauce to a large peanut butter jar; shake, shake, shake; pour over noodles, potatoes, pasta, veggies, or add to anything that could use a little kick and a subtle peanutty flavor. So easy!
The milk one doesn't work at all. It lightly tints the milk, but it barely adds any flavor and there's plenty of Nutella left over after the fact.
Try scraping down the sides with a wide spoon or spatula, then stirring those bits into the milk. Warm milk should also help loosen up the extra Nutella; just make sure it doesn't get too hot so the plastic will stay intact.
i created an account just to upvote this
Also remember that some peanut butters have xylitol, which is poisonous to dogs.
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