This isn’t the healthiest post you’ll see from me. Actually, there is nothing ‘good for you in this post at all except for the fact that it might help you get rid of your Easter candy a little faster and possibly help you keep from snacking on it throughout the day.
Regardless of whether you celebrate Easter or not, odds are you might have accumulated some sweets in the past week. So, what are you going to do with that candy? Throwing it away is not an option — that is, to put it bluntly, just plain sinful.
The best things you can do are revamp it and share it. Use your leftover candy to make a few treats for weekend guests (or for yourself).
Get it out of your purse, away from your desk and out of its convenient kid-sized packaging. Turn your favorite candies into bark, trail mix, ice cream toppings or granola bars so that you go through it a little faster and are not tempted to snack all day.
Sweet Popcorn (Bunny Bait)
Ingredients
- 1 bag popcorn, popped (unsalted, unsweetened is best)
- 6 oz. white chocolate chips
- 1 cup of candies (whole M&Ms, crushed Mini-Cadbury Eggs, broken-up chocolate bars)
- Pretzel sticks broken into small pieces
- Colorful sprinkles (if you have some taking up space in your cupboard)
Directions
Place the popped popcorn, pretzels and candy in a large bowl. Heat the candy coating over the stove or in the microwave — stirring every 30 seconds or so until melted down.
Drizzle the candy coating over the popcorn mixture and stir to coat. The candy and pretzels will fall to the bottom of the bowl — stir well so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Spread out on a large piece of wax paper, top with sprinkles if you are using them. Let the mixture cool completely before breaking it into pieces to serve. Serve immediately after cooling or save for a day or too — the popcorn might just get a little stale.
Candy Bark
Ingredients
- Chocolate to melt (chips, bars, etc.)
- Misc. Candy
- Anything else (pretzels, nuts, etc.)
Directions
Cover a baking sheet with waxed paper. Melt chocolate in a medium sized pot over a stovetop on medium heat — stirring every 30 seconds or so (this can also be done in the microwave — in a microwave safe bowl, of course). Once melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Quickly spread onto wax paper. Cool completely. Break into pieces.
Trail Mix
Ingredients
- Misc. Candies
- Some healthy ingredients (whole wheat oats/cereal, unsalted nuts, dried fruit with no added salt or sugar)
Directions
Mix all of you ingredients together. Eat in moderation.
;)
Okay, I’ll be a little more descriptive. Make your usual healthy trail mix and then add your bits of candy for sweetness. Try to think of the candy as an accessory in the trail mix — adding to, but not overpowering the outfit.
Granola Bars (*adapted from one of my favorites from SkinnyTaste.com)
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour (or 1 cup oats finely ground in food processor or blender)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (unpacked) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1 cup of candy of your choice (the SkinnyTaste recipe calls for: 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup chopped pecans — use a mix of candy and nuts, or candy and dried fruit, or candy and coconut — whatever you like!)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 9 baking pan with parchment paper and then lightly spray with oil. If you don’t have parchment paper (I rarely do), spray the pan lightly on the bottom and sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oat flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. In a larger bowl, use a mixer to cream together butter and the sugar (medium speed). To this, add the egg followed by the honey, applesauce and vanilla extract.
Using your hands, stir in the dry mixture until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Last, add all of your candies and nuts.
Add the mixture to the prepared pan, flattening the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until light brown at the edges. They will seem soft and undercooked when you take them out of the oven, but will set after cooling completely. After cooled, use a long serrated knife and cut the bars in a sawing motion (this recipe makes about 16 servings — cutting the granola into 16 pieces will keep your calorie count under 200).