Yesterday was Easter and many of us enjoyed the day celebrating with family and friends. Some went to church, some had people over, and many went to brunch.
Everyone celebrates differently, but practically anybody who observed Easter probably also had a decent amount of candy. In fact, according to CNBC, Easter is number one holiday for candy sales in U.S.
That’s right, it narrowly beats Halloween.
In the week before Easter last year, Americans bought $823 million in candy.
So you’re not crazy… There is a lot of candy in your house right now.
And I don’t see any issue with the large majority of us that love candy in soaking up all the sugary goodness that comes with Easter.
Easter happens one day a year.
But with that in mind, many people may feel sluggish and maybe even a little remorseful for overdoing it yesterday.
My advice- let it go. Calories don’t burn any faster when there is guilt attached to them.
But that doesn’t mean that Easter should go from one Sunday in spring to a couple weeks that take you through the start of swimsuit season.
So what do you do with all this candy that has taken over your house?
What works best for me is out of sight, out of mind. That’s right, getting rid of holiday candy you don’t love will make save you hundreds, if not thousands, of empty calories.
Yesterday as I was meal prepping for the week, I took small portions of our favorite candies and moved them into ziplock baggies. Those bags went into a cabinet that I have to get a step stool out to access.
This works for me.
I’m far less likely to make the conscious decision to take out the step stool and get the candy.
If it’s within arm’s reach, then it’s an instinct grab and I’m mindlessly eating candy in no time.
I hold onto a small amount and enjoy it on “special” occasions. For me, that means a Reese Egg on Friday night. Or a hand full of jelly beans on the day of a long run.
Sweets are my weakness, so enjoying one piece of candy as my evening dessert is a little difficult.
I’d rather have a larger portion of something sweet with less sugar, like Siggi’s Vanilla Yogurt and strawberries.
But if you are the kind of person that just likes a small piece of chocolate post-dinner, then by all means enjoy!
So after you’ve portioned out the small amount you want to hold onto, what do you do with all that leftover candy you are STILL left with?
Well, I have two adult stepkids, so to be honest, most of it is at either Chico State or Long Beach State right now.
Don’t have kids in college but want the candy out of your house (and not at work where you are just going to encounter it again)?
Why not take it down to your local fire station?
Or call a local nonprofit that supports the troops and see if they are taking donations for soldier’s care packages?
Maybe you have a friend that bakes? If so ask him or her if they want some of your leftover sweets for their next baking experiment.
The great thing is just because you have the candy on hand doesn’t mean it has to end up on your hips!
Here’s to a wonderful week!
