Leftover Halloween candy...

If your house is anything like mine, you have a whole lot of excess Halloween candy. There is no way we can let Andrew eat all of this junk, and if I don't do something about it soon, I will keep picking away at it for weeks to come! I have read about organizations that allow you to donate your candy, but we don't really have that much. There are also "buy back" programs at dental offices, but our little monkey is still a bit young for that concept! Here are a few of the ways I have decided to put these treats to good use:

1. Baking - If you like Rice Krispie squares, you will love the Mars Bar version! I think I will need about 15 of the treat size bars to make the recipe, but I may need a few more. Here's how to make them:

Melt together 15 treat size Mars bars, along with 1/2 a cup of butter. 

Once smooth, stir in 2 cups of Rice Krispies. Press into an 8 x 8 bake pan and top with 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (or crumbled chocolate bars). 

Warm under the broiler until the chocolate chips melt. 

Cool and enjoy!

2. Loot Bags - we didn't have the number of trick or treaters that we were anticipating this year (must have been the rain). With Andrew's birthday party coming up, I decided to set this candy aside to use for the kids loot bags. I would normally go out and purchase something similar anyway, and now I can check this off my to do list!

3. Potty Motivation - There is a lot of "potty talk" happening in the Leeper house these days. Andrew is almost three and is just starting to show some signs of interest. As a teacher I am well aware of the danger of using extrinsic rewards to motivate children. However, I also know that sometimes it is these little incentives that get the ball rolling... so in our house, a #1 earns you a Jelly Bean, and a #2 a treat from the candy jar (perhaps a little too much information??). I'm really hoping this gets Andrew excited, two kids in diapers is getting expensive!