7 Things to Do with All That Halloween Candy

The goal of every trick-or-treater on Halloween is to collect as much candy as possible, but eating that huge haul of candy in a week is a very bad idea, not to mention a huge nightmare for parents. Here's 7 things to do with all that Halloween candy this year, that is, if you can actually get it away from your kids.

I love me some candy, and even though we only took our daughter to family and a few neighbor's homes, she still ended up with a large stash of candy. Combine that with the leftover candy we bought for trick-or-treaters, and I see an extra 10 pounds at least coming soon to my waistline. No good.

Thank goodness I found these 7 ideas on the Country Outfitter website this morning, so that every piece of candy is put to good use this year:

1. Make a trail mix.
This gives it somewhat of a healthy twist. Add it to a mix of pretzels, nuts or dried fruits and store to eat later.

2. Donate it. 
An organization called Operation Gratitude, will ship your Halloween leftovers in care packages to soldiers. The candy should be heat and melt-resistant, but you probably ate all the chocolate anyway.

3. Do a little reverse trick-or-treating.
Take the candy to a nursing home, a children’s shelter or the homeless shelter. The recipients will be grateful for the candy and the company.

4. Participate in a candy exchange. 
A lot of dentists offer a candy exchange where kids turn in their candy and get healthy treats or some will pay $1 per pound! You can feel extra good about doing this because the dentists then donate the candy to soup kitchens or overseas troops.

5. Use it for holiday decor. 
Save the candy and use it to build a gingerbread house for Christmas.

6. Spice up family movie night. 
Add bits of the candy to your popcorn for family movie night!

7. Freeze it. 
Most candy freezes well. Pop it in the freezer to use later in recipes or just eat!

Personally, I think I shall start by freezing it so that I feel like I won a year's supply of candy! Hope this info helps, and that your scale thanks you in advance.