Just got back from a 2000 mile road trip from Houston to Cincinnati. So great to see old friends and enjoy cooler weather. Since I was traveling by car, I packed a bag full of healthy snacks. My favorite thing that I brought along was a sleeve of rice cakes and a jar of creamy Sunbutter.

It’s amazing how satisfying this little snack is to me. I got my good friend Kristin hooked on it too. We’d spend a day shopping or go for a long walk and come home and make this treat. Couldn’t be easier: spread a generous tablespoon of Sunbutter on lightly salted rice cake. Top with fruit if you feel like it…bananas, strawberries, peaches…whatever. Oh, and a little drizzle of maple syrup is pretty awesome, too.

This is the store bought brand that I used. It’s really pretty good. But what kind of foodie yoga girl would I be if I didn’t try to make my own homemade version? So that’s exactly what I did. Bought raw sunflower seeds and threw them into my trusty food processor. Added a little salt and coconut oil and the result was great. I love it. You could also add cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg or ginger if you want to spice it up.

Sunflower Butter

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups raw sunflower seeds

4+ Tbsp melted extra virgin coconut oil

1 tsp evaporated cane sugar (optional)

Kosher salt to taste

Place sunflower seeds and 1/2 tsp salt in food processor and process until they become fine and crumbly. Slowly add coconut oil, one tablespoon at a time, until mixture starts to clump together. Taste. Add sugar if using and more salt if you would like. Continue to process until mixture becomes creamy. Adding more coconut oil if needed. Butter should be spreadable. Remove from food processor and store in jar in pantry.