International No Diet Day

May 6 is International No Diet Day. How are you going to celebrate? Since every day is a no-diet day for me (and hopefully, for many of you), I'm not planning anything out of the ordinary. However, I still think it's an important day to recognize. It's an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the benefits that come from not-dieting. For those of you still struggling with food and body image issues, I invite you to join the non-dieting world, just for a day. See how it feels and imagine what your life would be like without diets.

In celebration of the day, I share with you a recipe, courtesy of Ina Garten. One that I made last weekend. They're called Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars, and they're everything you want them to be. When I saw Ina make these on The Food Network, I knew I had to make them at home. So I did. And I loved them. And I still do. 

Having grown up eating PB&J for lunch almost every day for a good eight years of my life, I do have a special place on my tongue for these flavors. Put them in a sweet bar and I'm instantly brought back to my youth. Carefree and happy. (Warning: you may need to cut these with a glass of milk, or add a bit more jelly. They are VERY peanut-buttery)

By the way, when I made the bars last weekend, I understimated how much peanut butter we had at home, so I substituted some almond butter to make up the difference. They turned out as delicious as always so I suppose that means the recipe is fairly forgiving.

Happy International No Diet Day. Happy Baking. Happy Eating.