What do you do with Holiday leftover goodies?


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So Christmas and the arrival of New Year has come and gone. My little family was gifted an abundance of treats and goodies over the holidays, some we've managed to dig into and finish off, but there's a lot we won't ever open. We've tried the subtle passing it off to friends and family, but nobody wants it, since they've got their own ridiculous stashes. These aren't opened, they're all wrapped, so there's no concern of contamination. But how do I get rid of this stuff? I thought about having my daughter take it to preschool and her extracurricular activities, but then after more thought, I doubt the parents want MORE candy at home. I hate to toss it in the bin but I'm getting close to that option. What do you do with Holiday leftover goodies?

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When someone gives me food as a gift, I feel obligated to eat some of it, but I don't feel obligated to eat it all. I leave it around and enjoy it at times and in amounts that I choose, and when the time comes to dump it, I do so with a clear conscience.

 

You're right, wasting food feels wrong, but when it's the last resort, press ahead.

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So Christmas and the arrival of New Year has come and gone. My little family was gifted an abundance of treats and goodies over the holidays, some we've managed to dig into and finish off, but there's a lot we won't ever open. We've tried the subtle passing it off to friends and family, but nobody wants it, since they've got their own ridiculous stashes. These aren't opened, they're all wrapped, so there's no concern of contamination. But how do I get rid of this stuff? I thought about having my daughter take it to preschool and her extracurricular activities, but then after more thought, I doubt the parents want MORE candy at home. I hate to toss it in the bin but I'm getting close to that option. What do you do with Holiday leftover goodies?

Sometimes the Missionaries in your area might be happy to take them off your hands.

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Freeze the soft candy, put the hard candy in an airtight container. Or put them in a cool, dark cupboard. Chocolates need to be out of direct light- even sealed in original wrap they will lighten in color and get stale. 

 

My diabetes dietitian recommended that I take boxes and bags of *fun* size candies and toss them in the freezer. I took the boxed candy, put two pieces into vacuum seal custom sized bags and sealed them. It took a bit of creative doing, but I was able to do about 4 to 6 *servings* per bag, sealed but not vacuumed. That way I can cut away a serving and leave the rest in the freezer. 

 

My girlfriend buys Ding Dongs, Twinkies and Dolly Madison goodies on sale, repackages them in vacuum seal bags and puts them in the freezer. She also buys up seasonal candies after the holidays on 75% off; repackages them and freezes them. Her children and now her grandchildren love to go *treasure* hunting in the freezer for goodies. 

 

My husband and I cannot eat a whole cake or pie before they spoil. I make cupcakes, frost them, put two to a custom sized bag, vacuum seal a bit and toss in the freezer. The pies, I cut into slices and place three servings on foil. Freeze, then vacuum seal in a custom sized bag. When I vacuum seal, I don't let the machine go until it stops, I stop it before it crushes the food. The only *home made* stuff I don't do this to is cornbread. We gobble that up within 12 hours. 

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Send them to me.  Hah Hah.

 

But really... I recycle candy.  There's just a lot of uses for it in my house.  So, if it is chocolate, I store it in the pantry if I can use it within 6 months.  If not, it goes to the freezer.  If it is hard candy, it just stays in the pantry for up to a year.  If it is sealed cakes and cookies like twinkies and such, the kids eat it for snacks and gets served at parties - I haven't had to worry about it because it disappears within a month.

 

So... what I use candy for:

1.)  Put in the candy jar for the guests.

2.)  Add chocolates like reese's pb cups, milk choc bars, krackels, kitkats, etc. to shakes, pancakes and even eggrolls (put banana and Hershey's chocolate together in an eggroll and fry... to die for).

3.)  Add things like M&Ms, reese's pieces, tootsie rolls, and even twizzlers and sweettarts to a trail mix.

4.)  Put some in my purse and in the cars for emergencies.

5.)  Bring to my husband's office (disappears in a quickness!).

6.)  Give away for Valentine's presents.

7.)  Store to give away on Halloween.

 

But, if it has to really be gotten rid of (never had to do this) - please don't throw it in the trash... it's one thing I learned from Filipino culture... it just gives me the heebie jeebies to throw perfect food out... instead, donate all of it to Operation Shoebox.  One thing the military can use is candy...

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Send them to me.  Hah Hah.

 

But really... I recycle candy.  There's just a lot of uses for it in my house.  So, if it is chocolate, I store it in the pantry if I can use it within 6 months.  If not, it goes to the freezer.  If it is hard candy, it just stays in the pantry for up to a year.  If it is sealed cakes and cookies like twinkies and such, the kids eat it for snacks and gets served at parties - I haven't had to worry about it because it disappears within a month.

 

So... what I use candy for:

1.)  Put in the candy jar for the guests.

2.)  Add chocolates like reese's pb cups, milk choc bars, krackels, kitkats, etc. to shakes, pancakes and even eggrolls (put banana and Hershey's chocolate together in an eggroll and fry... to die for).

3.)  Add things like M&Ms, reese's pieces, tootsie rolls, and even twizzlers and sweettarts to a trail mix.

4.)  Put some in my purse and in the cars for emergencies.

5.)  Bring to my husband's office (disappears in a quickness!).

6.)  Give away for Valentine's presents.

7.)  Store to give away on Halloween.

 

But, if it has to really be gotten rid of (never had to do this) - please don't throw it in the trash... it's one thing I learned from Filipino culture... it just gives me the heebie jeebies to throw perfect food out... instead, donate all of it to Operation Shoebox.  One thing the military can use is candy...

You are correct....we should have asked what they are and provided addresses for the food to be sent too. Lol!!!
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In our home all sugar based season stuff is carefully and thankfully placed in the garbage.  My dear wife is type 1 diabetic and has spent years and tears getting over a pre diabetic sugar addiction and she watched her weight and indulged sparingly.  Besides weight and health problems - sugar will cause degraded brain functions and accelerated cellular aging - none of which I would wish on anyone.   In all honesty I cannot find a single intelligent reason to have a seasonal increase in sugar or sugar based products nor reason to encourage any degree of addiction by gift increases to others.

 

I realize many good people are offended by my efforts to honestly express my feelings.  Some of my LDS friends have found offense with my health concerns - much like an non-LDS friend was upset when I pored a $100+ gift of spirits down the drain and not re-gifting it to them.  Sorry friends - If this spoils your Christmas traditions - perhaps you are centered on things not needed to appreciate the purpose for which Jesus was born as the original or first Christmas gift to mankind.

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Rolling my eyes isn't the same as being offended. 

 

Enjoying parts of life, like sweets, in a moderate way and as cultural part of celebration doesn't mean losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas, for crying out loud.

 

But I also don't have any interest in ant larva, so I don't suppose we'd ever see eye to eye.

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Just today on Drudge there was a link to a story on the possible danger of sugar:

 

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-01-scientific-team-alarm-sugar-source.html

 

We are what we eat, and food we eat when we're not hungry is a drug.

 

This problem would never happen in my family.  If food is given as a gift, it's devoured within moments.  For a while I used to experiment with gifts of various weights, thinking that gifts of more food (2 pounds of chocolate vs. 1 pound) would cause my relatives to space the consumption out over several days so they could enjoy it over more time.  Nope.  Everything was sucked down this black hole right before my eyes.  Then they'd get sick and blame me.

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Before I became a parent, I was way too uptight about diet and tidiness, I'm just a major control freak. I'm probably still overboard for a lot of people. But now that I got a little one running around, I'm realising that there's a balance in all this, and that it's okay to enjoy treats and for the house to be a mess sometimes.

 

I agree with, Eowyn, the holidays is a fun time to give yourself a break and not be so dang uptight. Obviously, if you have health concerns, it's important to manage what you consume. (And if you don't, everything in moderation, of course.) I don't think anyone has implied otherwise.

 

Anyway, update on my treats (mostly candy) situation. I think my husband might take some to work and leave it out for whomever wants it.

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This year I had no money to buy gifts for the family.  I didn't have the money to buy fabric or yarn to make anything.  But, I did have the ingredients to make banana bread, peanut brittle, chocolate fudge, and pumpkin pie.  So, that's what I made for gifts this year.  I knew that some of it would be thrown out.  I was okay with that.  I was not okay with not giving anything.  I don't know if that makes any sense?  I wanted to give something, and all I could give were things that I cooked.  I hope my children appreciated the effort.  I have one daughter-in-law that is into fitness and participates in body building competitions. I'm thinking she probably only had a nibble, but I still would rather give the treats than nothing at all.

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Classylady, unless you're heartless, I think everyone is appreciative of homemade and handmade goodies, edible or not. Sometimes, depending on lifestyle, the recipient doesn't always eat or use it, but that doesn't change the sentiment. A nice gesture is a nice gesture.

 

My original post is referring to commercial packaged candy.

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This year I had no money to buy gifts for the family.  I didn't have the money to buy fabric or yarn to make anything.  But, I did have the ingredients to make banana bread, peanut brittle, chocolate fudge, and pumpkin pie.  So, that's what I made for gifts this year.  I knew that some of it would be thrown out.  I was okay with that.  I was not okay with not giving anything.  I don't know if that makes any sense?  I wanted to give something, and all I could give were things that I cooked.  I hope my children appreciated the effort.  I have one daughter-in-law that is into fitness and participates in body building competitions. I'm thinking she probably only had a nibble, but I still would rather give the treats than nothing at all.

I would take banana bread anytime. Not a fan of fudge.

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Rolling my eyes isn't the same as being offended. 

 

Enjoying parts of life, like sweets, in a moderate way and as cultural part of celebration doesn't mean losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas, for crying out loud.

 

But I also don't have any interest in ant larva, so I don't suppose we'd ever see eye to eye.

Hmmmmm: Could you handle some tins of Cashews or mixed nuts?  Perhaps some tins with pistachios.  Maybe some home dried fruit chips - banana, apple, apricot or strawberry?

 

I do agree that sugar in moderation is tolerable.   But what is moderation?  Sugar comes to us in various forms such as corn sirup that has been added to breads and other basic non-desert items that if one is not careful the moderation of sugar has been surpassed before even thinking about desert.

 

Experts agree that even if sugar is to be classified as not addictive - it is darn close and we know from studies that some individuals have developed sugar addictions.    I would submit that the #1 health problem in the USA is involved more with sugar that even the most addictive drugs. 

 

Since I am already the bad guy I will quit here; with just this one exception.   - I wish all happiness and health for the new year.  Honestly - I do care and my wish is sincere.

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