Ladies' Home Journal Blogs » Candy

In Defense of Decadent Holiday Foods

Amelia Harnish — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:07:12 +0000

We’ve seen quite a few stories this week offering tips for sticking with your diet during the spring holidays. But doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Easter and Passover are all about family time, fun and most importantly, food. Worrying about your waistline at Easter dinner or beating yourself up over indulging in a chocolate bunny can totally ruin it. “Food is intertwined in tradition and celebration, and that’s totally okay,” says Sally Kuzemchak, R.D., and frequent LHJ contributor. “It’s important to acknowledge these are special foods that mean something to us, and it’s good to enjoy them.”

Yes, exactly. We say forget the guilt and go for it (with some moderation, of course). Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your indulgences this week.

Savor your favorites. If you look forward to your sister-in-law’s famously rich macaroni and cheese on Easter every year, why change it? “I am not a fan of lightening up traditional foods or favorite family recipes,” Kuzemchak says. “Enjoy your favorites, but get back to your usual eating habits the next day.”

Save yourself for the right dessert. Eating too many Cadbury eggs or handfuls of jelly beans can make you feel gross and tired rather than satisfied. “Instead of pillaging the bowl of pastel M&M’s, save it for the homemade pie or allow yourself a good dark chocolate bar,” Kuzemchak says.

Drink to your health. ‘Tis the season for Manischewitz! If you indulged in the traditional four glasses at your family’s Seder, worry not. It’s just one day out of the year. “There are antioxidants in wine,” says Kuzemchak. “But moderate drinkers get the most benefits.”

Photo copyright Oksana2010, shutterstock.com

Food of the Week: Pretzel M&M’s

Khalil Hymore — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:08:51 +0000

First it was Q.Bels. Now it’s Pretzel M&M’s. Have you tried these yet? If not, you must! M&M’s newest flavor is winning rave reviews around our offices lately, and we’re not the only ones who think so. The salty, sweet, chocolaty center housed inside the classic M&M’s candy shell is what makes this new snack our FOOD OF THE WEEK!!!

Enjoy.

Wonka’s Back! And So Is The Golden Ticket

Rachel Shippy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:57:10 +0000

Remember Wonka candy from back in the day? Well they never really went away… but now the sweetmakers once known for such classics as Bottle Caps and Laffy Taffy are all grown up and rolling out their new line of premium candies called ‘Wonka Exceptionals’ – what a makeover! We caught up with the folks from Wonka at New York’s own candy wonderland, Dylan’s Candy Bar (fittingly) to try some of their new creations. Although we loved sampling while we were at Dylan’s (who doesn’t want to try new candy while sitting at a table made of gumballs?), our real field testing was conducted back at the office—do you think this means the Editors of LHJ might have a candy problem? The real fruit juice taste and sour finish made the Pomegranate Fruit Marvels my personal pick (the snozzberries taste like snozzberries!) but based on how quickly they disappeared from my desk, I think the Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate Bar (pictured) won the fan favorite thanks to its toffee, peanut, and cookie pieces scattered throughout.

With Wonka’s new ‘Feed Your Imagination’ approach, you can’t NOT feel like Charlie as you bite into a big bar wrapped in iridescent, zainy paper (the packaging is as much fun as the candy!)… plus there’s a chance of finding 1 of 10 golden tickets that Wonka is distributing behind the wrappers of their new ‘Exceptionals’ chocolate tablet bars and bags of minis. Rather than a trip to a chocolate factory, golden ticket finders win a trip around the world with their loved ones while thousands of secondary prizes are being awarded to those who find a purple ticket. If you want to start your hunt for a ticket now, ‘Wonka Exceptionals’ are available at Dylan’s Candy Bar, and will begin hitting stores nationwide on March 1st. Prizes or not, we had a great time trying Wonka’s new premium candies because they stay true to what we all love about the original story—it’s fun with a dash of fantasy.

Photos Courtesy of: Wonka / Debra Rothenberg