The real Halloween evil witch is the one who dangles your favorite Halloween treats in front of you, for days on end and long after the 31st has come and gone.
Even with your usual successful strategies like the 6 D’s, mindful eating, and portion control, there’s something about Halloween candy that tends to outsmart our best efforts. This year, don’t let Halloween derail your healthy lifestyle.
Here are 7 ideas for all that Halloween candy. Discuss with others in your household and be ready with an action plan that works for your family.
1. Freeze it.
This one you may already do. Candy kept in the freezer (especially in an opaque bag behind the veggies) is far less tempting and can be tossed into lunchboxes for occasional treats, or saved to stuff the pinata for your child’s, grandchild’s, or nephew’s next birthday party, when it’s finally safe to do so!
2. Give it to friends and neighbors
Some people would greatly appreciate the stash as is, but if you’d rather be fancy, you could always bake cupcakes and top each one with a Halloween mini and deliver them to your neighbors as a “thinking-of-you” treat.
3. Bake it into your next birthday cake or bake sale brownies.
If you bake for others, leftover Halloween candy is perfect as a surprise ingredient in the cake itself, or put on top of the cake (either whole or broken up in a design pattern). Chocolate candy like peanut butter cups is the perfect addition to brownies, blondies, cupcakes, and cookies for an upcoming bake sale. Make sure to store the candy in an airtight bag or container with your flour and sugar, and designate it as a baking ingredient.
4. use as a teaching tool.
If you have toddlers in the house, delight them with counting games and sorting games using Smarties and Skittles. Older kids can use gumdrops and toothpicks to make models of atoms and 3-D shapes.
5. Use as ingredients for treats you can feel good about
If you’re inundated with M&Ms and Milk Duds, toss a few in an otherwise whole-food trail mix with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Make sure most of the mix is the healthy stuff!
Rather than a traditional milkshake, make a healthy version using plant milk, ice, a banana, and a mini leftover peanut butter cup.
Top plain, nonfat Greek yogurt with one crushed mini for a special dessert.
6. Donate to an organization or business that welcomes Halloween candy.
Your dentist (who may participate in one of the above programs on behalf of their patients)
Local businesses that you frequent, like the dry cleaners, optician, bank, post office, barber shop, nail salon, etc.
7. Use as decoration and celebration this holiday season.
Unless keeping candy around is too tempting, earmark this year’s candy to use for crafts and gifts. For example, you can garnish wrapped holiday gifts candy; include in gift bags in place of tissue paper; use in place of than marbles in a vase with dried or faux flowers; include with gifts that you can “fill up,” like a jewelry box or mug; even use for your next gingerbread house, Christmas ornaments, or save for Hanukah gelt!
