Sandwiched between National Pie Day (Jan. 23) and National Irish Coffee Day (Jan. 25), we celebrate peanut butter and all its deliciousness, with National Peanut Butter Day on Jan. 24.

Peanut butter is more than just good to eat. It’s also a good source of plant-based protein. Peanut butter is shelf stable which makes it good to keep on hand during the hurricane season. It can be enjoyed as smooth, chunky, and even crunchy—with devoted fans eager to argue the merits of their preference. Peanut butter is even relatively inexpensive.

Whether you make a peanut butter sandwich, put it on celery or crackers for a snack, enjoy it in your salads or as an ingredient in a meal, combined with chocolate, or featured in baked goods (say, by combining national days for a peanut butter pie), you really can’t beat this versatile staple.

Fans of peanut butter also know they can get some goodness with a variety of, well, peanut varieties in stores: raw, salted, unsalted, honey-roasted, dry-roasted, and even spice-coated. If you are concerned about the amount of sodium you consume, try to limit salted and sugar-coated nuts.

Stepping away, for the briefest of moments, from the peanut: flax, chia, sunflower or pumpkin seeds also make for good, crunchy snacks. These seeds are also great in salads and, like nuts, provide fiber, protein and phytonutrients.

And, while you can find flax butter and chia butter and other such items on store shelves, you’ll only find a national day honoring peanut butter.

So, celebrate with a peanut butter sandwich today and, of course, with another on National Peanut Butter Day.

For more information on peanuts, check out my recent “Grocery Shopping for Your Health: Nuts, peanuts and peanut butter” post.

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