Earth Balance Coconut Butter Spread

I usually keep some Earth Balance butter (soy free, vegan variety) stocked in my fridge. I don't use it daily but it's nice to have some on hand for when I need a quick butter. I don't like that it uses palm oil, but supposedly it is sourced "ethically." Also, many items contain palm oil but are listed as simply "vegetable oil." The palm oil debate is another post, but I want to review my recent purchase of Earth Balance Coconut Butter Spread.

My normal grocery store was out of my normal product, so I picked this up instead, wondering how it would taste.

I was worried the butter would taste too strongly of coconut, although if refined coconut oil was used it might not taste at all like it. I do like coconut, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a coconut flavored butter.

It turns out there is a slight coconut flavor but it also tastes like "traditional" butter as well. It's a great blend of a delicate coconut taste and regular butter flavor. I am happy with it but still prefer the regular soy free Earth Balance buttery spread.

The coconut butter is a white color, unlike the yellowish hue the regular Earth Balance has. It spreads, melts, and cooks the same as the regular butter, for the most part. The main difference is the color and the flavor.

If you're a fan of coconut as I am, you may enjoy the coconut butter spread on cinnamon bagels, toast, English muffins, in sweet baking recipes (cakes and cookies, for example), and even in other foods. If you dislike coconut I wouldn't highly recommend this item. Also, the Earth Balance Coconut Butter spread comes in a 10 ounce container whereas the regular Earth Balance Buttery Spread comes in a 15 ounce container, although the price was only very slightly lower than the 15 ounce product.

In the comparison photo below the nutrition information and ingredients are listed. The blue container is the coconut butter and the reddish container is the regular soy-free buttery spread.

Nutritionally they are incredibly similar. The largest difference is that the coconut butter version contains more saturated fat, which is to be expected. The ingredients are very similar as well except the difference in the types of oils used to make each variety.

Both product varieties are vegan so they contain no cholesterol like regular traditional dairy butter. The sodium and fat content are comparable to traditional dairy butters. Vegan butters are cruelty free! Go vegan. : )

Many Changes, More Posts Soon to Come

I've been on blog hiatus for awhile. I've been wanting to re-design my blog, even though it isn't very popular. I enjoy writing it and sharing my reviews and events I attend.

Recently I have had many changes in my life. My dogs, Kilo and Scrappy, were getting very old. They were both 14. Kilo had failing health and declined since late spring. He left us on August 14. Soon after, we discovered Scrappy had cancer. We opted for surgery to try to save him, but it was too far spread, and he passed September 19. It was devastating. I still cry. My dogs were fourteen wonderful years of friendship, laughter, and love, and they were my family and joy.

I also found out, during all of this, that I was going to be laid off from my regular job on October 24, which has come and gone, so I am no longer employed and it's very difficult to find a decent job in this area. We'd like to move but are not financially ready to at this time. Maybe in a couple years.

On a good note, however, we found out we are pregnant, so I am about 3 and a half months into my pregnancy now with my first child. We are incredibly happy about this as we've been trying for a couple years now and didn't think it would ever happen! We get to find out next month what the sex of our baby is. The baby will be raised vegan, of course.

We also decided to get a new puppy: Simba. He was born August 3, 2014 and we got him on September 25 -- six days after our Scrappy passed on from his battle with cancer. It was too sad and quiet in our house and we just couldn't stand it. Simba needed a home, so Bryan picked him up from the rescue and he's been making himself comfortable in our home ever since!

Throughout all these changes I've had to get a few things taken care of and have not been in the mood to write, but I am finally getting back to normalcy and expect to go on living my wonderful vegan life despite the struggles and changes. Some changes are great and others are heartbreaking, but life must go on. Best wishes to anyone reading this!