What To Do With All That Candy?!

It’s that time of the year, and the candy is everywhere.

Very shortly Halloween will be a memory and Christmas will be fast approaching. Followed by Valentine chocolate hearts then Easter peeps! What’s a person suppose to do…live in their Thanksgiving Day pants FOREVER??

So whether you overbought at Halloween and didn’t get enough ghouls and goblins knocking at your door, or perhaps your children brought home over 600 pieces (like mine did last year!) this dietitian has a few helpful tips to offload some of that candy to keep your own doctor and dentist happy.

Tip #1:

Re-USE! At my house the kids turn their Halloween candy into Advent candy. They make their own advent calendars with paper cones they decorate, than stuff each cone with a piece of candy. Not only is it a fun craft, but at my house it immediately uses up 75 pieces of candy in the Halloween bowl. Plus there’s no more begging for candy every day with built in portion control! Don’t have kids living at your home? Create a DIY kit for the special children in your life.

Tip#2

Re-PURPOSE! I’m looking at you gingerbread house. No matter what kit you buy, they never seem to include enough different styles of candy (or frosting!). With chopped up pieces of Halloween candy, your imagination can run wild on exterior gingerbread house décor. If yours doesn’t collapse before the holiday decorations come down (mine always do), into the garbage it will go, stale candy and all.

Tip#3

Share the candy wealth! Know a school that likes to give Smarties ® to their student’s pre-test, offer to re-fill the candy bucket.  Or even better, take all your leftover candy, stuff it into a clear jar and donate it to your favorite non-profit. Chances are they can raise a little money raffling it off. Just a friendly reminder, this candy should be no more than 3 months old when you purchased it.

Tip#4

The last tip may bring on the hate mail, but . . . it’s ok to throw it out. If the candy is not serving you well, you have my permission to put it in the trash. I promise the guilt doesn’t last longer than an hour. Your health is worth more than $3.99 per bag of fancy packaged sugar.