Tag: Foodie Pen Pals

June Foodie Pen Pals

Another month come and gone – I can’t believe it’s officially summer and I just had my birthday! But, the close of another month means another Foodie Pen Pal recap! This month I received my box-o-goodies from Maria over at Lil Mys Ninja, who is also into food and fitness. After checking out her blog, I knew I’d be receiving some awesome treats!

The box came as they always do, waiting for me on my doorstep after a long day of work. When I opened the box, I was greeted with a  sweet little note – how cute!

When Maria first e-mailed me to get my information, she asked if I preferred salty or sweet, healthy, etc. I felt silly responding that I like it all, but it’s true! SOmehow she was able to give me just the right amount of everything, and it was all new to me except for the Justin’s Nut Butter, which I love. I joke that their chocolate hazelnut butter is magical. I always buy the packets because I have no self control, and they prevent me from eating the entire thing. I also got a new-to-me larabar flavor, blueberry pie, which was awesome. I’m yet to meet a larabar I don’t like!

There were also some completely new treats, including some Back to Nature crackers, fruit leather, a granola Powerbar, a Zone Perfect bar , and a Power Crunch bar. I think the Zone Perfect and Power Crunch bars were my favorite, probably because they tasted like dessert! I’m always weary of “health” food bars, usually because the ones that taste good are high in calories, and the rest really aren’t that good flavor wise. So I was pleasantly surprised that these bars actually taste like they say they do. There was also a bar of dark chocolate, which is always a favorite of mine. I was bummed when they were gone, but that just means I’ll have to go get some for myself!

I couldn’t be happier with the goodies I received this month, which is evident by the fact that I barely have anything left! I’m bummed I won’t be able to participate in July, but hopefully I’ll find my own yummy treats while on vacation. Thanks again for the goodies, Maria !

If you’re interested in joining, here’s what you need to know to get started:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

May Foodie Pen Pals!

This month I was paired up with fellow FitFluential Abassador, Annica for Foodie Pen Pals. I know I say it every month, but coming home to these goodies at my doorstep is such a treat. I order a lot of stuff online (oops), but this is always my favorite package! If you haven’t joined yet and are thinking about it – do it! There are details of how to join below.

I received my package just after finding out my gastroenterologist wanted me to temporarily cut out dairy. Naturally, I cursed myself for mentioning how much I love chocolate, because of course Annica included a delicious looking chocolate bar! Thankfully, I was able to enjoy everything else in the package, and had all the crackers as my go-to snacks over the past two weeks, as the only crackers we had in the house were Cheese It’s. I was so excited about the rice crackers, I wound up devouring the entire bag before snapping a picture! They were an interesting twist on a typical chip, and reminded me a lot of a tortilla chip since it was on the grainy side.

There were also some tomato & basil crackers which were so flavorful – they were a lot like a pita chip (with that fluffy crunch, if that makes any sense), rasberry chipotle salsa, and blueberry granola. I’ve never had jarred fruit salsa, but this one is good! I love chipotle, so I knew it was right up my alley. It’s a great smoky/sweet combo, and most of the jar is already gone. I’m also a huge fan of the blueberry granola – it tastes like a blueberry muffin, and has been so delicious with some vanilla almond milk!

SO delicious

While I haven’t been able to try the mint chocolate bar, FiberOne bar (one of my favorites!), or the tortellini, I’m anxiously awaiting the go-ahead from my doctor to have dairy again. When I get the OK, you better believe I’ll be sampling each of these goodies! I’ve also been saving the Gevalia coffee because I know how yummy it is, but I think I’ll be giving in soon.

Everything was so delicious, and Annica did a great job picking out some really fun treats for me to try – I love getting to sample new things!

I had the privilege of sending some goodies to Heather, and since she doesn’t have a blog, I offered for her to do a review here!

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This month I decided to try something new, Ive really been trying to eat healthier and make better choices and try new things. I ran accross this awesome blog http://www.theleangreenbean.com and on this blog found something called FOODIE PEN PALS turns out it’s this amazing program to exchange food with others – If you haven’t heard of it you definitely need to check it out! It’s a great way to meet new poeple and find new blogs to follow with amazing recipes and ideas!

Now onto the FUN part……my box i received……I never thought i would be so excited to get something in the mail. I patiently waited for my box of goodies and when it arrived it was even better than i imagined! This month i received goodies from Danielle with Foodosaurus Rex turns out after reading her blog we have a couple things in common – Running and Cupcakes – 2 of my favorite things!! My box was filled the perfect assortment of goodies to satisfy my sweet tooth! Unfortunately i didn’t take any pics as im new to this and it didn’t cross my mind. 😦

First i found a bag of Trade Joe’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bites, we are in the process of remodeling our house so i thought i would put these away for a day when i needed a little snack in the middle of painting. Well turns out that day wasn’t too far down the road and i made the mistake of opening the bag while my family was over helping us work on the house. The bag was gone in no time, they were AMAZING!!! These were a huge hit with help and like Danielle said “dangerously addictive” possibly it’s a good thing I dont live near a Trader Joe’s! 🙂 Well after that chocolate kick we decided to go ahead and try the chocolate and almond bar – AGAIN AMAZING!!! I was glad there were lots of other people there to help me eat it otherwise I’m sure i would have had no problem devouring it all to myself!!!

Next was Perky Jerky my husband and I tried this on one of our many late nights of painting and was without a doubt the freshest, tastiest jerky i have ever had! YUMMO –

Also included in my box was a fiber one bar – I took this with me to eat after one of my 5k races – loved it, I have since bought a box and keep them on hand at the house. I also found a bag of Trader Joe’s Nut and Berry mix it included Almonds, Cranberries, Raisins, Cashews, Blueberries, Walnuts and Raspberries. I would never have thought of snagging this up on my own but beings that i got it i thought what the heck and tried it and sure enough LOVED it. This bag went with me to work for my mid-day snacks on several days! On one day i picked a few of the dried fruit out and put them on top my chocolate rice cake covered with pb2 mix – FABULOUS!!!! Could not believe how good this mix was loved it all!

And to top it off i also received some altoids, a little fresh breath after all my yummy goodies!!
Thank you Danielle for the AWESOME box of goodies can’t wait til i receive my next box next month!

If you are interested in joining the Foodie Pen Pals, check out the details below!
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Big thanks to Annica for the awesome goodies, and to Heather for the wonderful words about what I sent her!

The Lean Green Bean

If this hasn’t convinced you to join yet, I don’t know what will! Here are the details if you’re interested in joining:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for June, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by June 4th as pairings will be emailed on June 5th!

*If you’re from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send Lindsay an email and she’ll see if we get enough interest this month!

April Foodie Pen Pals!

I can always tell just how quickly time is passing when I have to sit down to write another Foodie Pen Pal post. I joined the fun back in December, and have been loving every minute of it since! The idea of getting to put together a box of goodies and exchange with people who also love food and blogging is right up my alley. I’ve yet to be disappointed with anything in any of the packages I’ve received, and usually devour everything.

This month’s box came from Emily over at The Last Corral. Emily asked if there was anything that I liked/didn’t like, and I mentioned my affinity for chocolate. Well, she didn’t skimp and sent me quite a few goodies that had chocolate in them! To balance out the chocolate, there was also some healthy stuff, but you know what I went for first!

As you can see, there was plenty of snack foods, which my husband and I are always on the hunt for. We both like to have portable snacks to enjoy throughout the day at work, and I was able to use pretty much all of what Emily sent me as a snack at one point or another! First up was the chocolate – dark chocolate malt balls, a chocolate covered Peep, and homemade “slutty” brownies! I couldn’t help but laugh at the name, and Emily’s note hoping that I wasn’t offended. She said they’re called slutty brownies because they’re fast and easy – ha! The Wheat Thins were also appreciated and quickly devoured – I loved the little hint of buffalo hot sauce right when you first eat the cracker, and then it mellows out to a regular Wheat Thin. I may or may not have had them as a snack at work for a week straight…

Emily also included some healthier options, like the berry edamame blend and two KIND bars. I’ve actually never had a KIND bar, and I’m not sure why – I seem to always pass them by in the aisle at the store. But not anymore – these things are delicious!

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the almond & apricot simply because I’m not a big apricot fan. This bar didn’t taste like the dried apricots I remember from my childhood, but instead it was fruity and tropical. The fact that there were full-sized almonds in the bar was also a nice change of pace. I knew I’d be in love with the almond & coconut bar, and it didn’t disappoint. It had huge chunks of coconut, and again the whole almonds. They were SO good and I can’t wait to get more. I’m really glad Emily introduced me to them!

Thanks again to Emily for the goodies – I loved them all!

If you’re interested in finding out what I sent this month, head over to Richa’s blog, Hobby and More and check it out! And if you want to participate next month, here are the details (you really should!):

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for May, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by May 4th as pairings will be emailed on May 5th!

*If you’re from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I’ll see if we get enough interest this month!

March Foodie Pen Pals!

Another month, another box of delicious goodies! This time, I received my box of treats from Ashley over at Simple Food Healthy Life.

I think everyone is catching on, because I’ve received a bar of chocolate from almost every foodie pen pal I’ve had. Certainly keep it coming – I love chocolate! In addition to the chocolate, Ashley sent me some treats from a local whole foods store in Connecticut, Mrs. Greens, which I loved! There were some dried veggies, strawberry yogurt covered pretzels, wasabi peas, and cheddar sesame sticks. Unfortunately, one of the containers had a little accident while en route, and exploded everywhere in the box.

Whoops!

I would be lying if I told you I just quickly discarded the box… I totally tried to salvage some and sampled each of the dried veggies. Totally gross, I know, but I just couldn’t bear throwing it out without at least taking a sample! Thankfully everything else made it in one piece, and I’ve been enjoying everything throughout the month.

If I had to pick a favorite (aside from the chocolate bar, of course), I’d have to go with the cheddar sesame sticks. It may be a bit of a stretch, but they reminded me a lot of crunchy Cheetos. I’ve also been enjoying the strawberry yogurt covered pretzels when I’m looking for something salty and sweet, and the wasabi peas are a nice kick every once in awhile. I just recently finished the chocolate bar, which I was somehow able to restrain myself with, and I was sad to see it go. But, there’s always next month’s box!

I’m so thankful for all the goodies Ashley sent me, and if you’re interested in finding out what I sent this month, head over to Diana’s blog Veggie Next Door to check it out!

If you’d like to join in on the fun, here are the details:
-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for April, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-Whether you are a US or Canadian resident (Super important to make sure you’re on the right list!)

You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th!

February Foodie Pen Pals!

Every month, I feel like I hit the jackpot when it comes to my Foodie Pen Pals package. February was no exception, and since I got my package nice and early, I’ve had the opportunity to sample almost everything that the wonderful Mellissa from A Fit & Spicy Life sent me.

It’s as though Mellissa read my mind when she sent me Target’s Archer Farms granola. My absolute favorite is the chocolate chunk hazelnut biscotti, so I was beside myself when I saw that was included! I also got to try the pecan sticky bun, and that is definitely a close second favorite. These granola goodies were just in time, since only a few days before I finished my Pure Bliss Eats peanut butter chocolate chip granola. Now I’m itching to take a trip to Target and grab a full sized box of each flavor!

Since I’ve been teaching, granola bars for breakfast have become my new best friends. Naturally, seeing a box of blueberry almond flax bars got me excited. I enjoyed one every morning last week, and am looking forward to checking out what other flavors they have (while getting more granola, of course). While I was a little wary of the black currant chocolate, I was pleasantly surprised when I had a taste – it’s a nice balance of fruity sweet with chocolate – I’ll be taking my time to finish off that bad-boy. The “Monster” trail mix has also been a great afternoon snack to help get me through grading essay after essay. My 11th graders are taking the HSPAs next week, so we’ve been all about practicing expository, open ended, and persuasive writing. Nuts and chocolate are the right kind of pick me up for that!

While I haven’t tried the Mio yet, every single time I see it, myself and my husband start singing the commercial jingle… who would have thought Foodie Pen Pals could bring music to the home! I also haven’t tried the Gatorade energy bites, but I’ll have to report back after I devour some pre-run.

I’m so thankful for all the goodies Mellissa sent me, and if you’re interested in finding out what I sent this month, head over to Linday’s blog It’s Linz to check it out!

So, you may be wondering how you too can get in on the fun. Need not fret, here are all the details!:
-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for March, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-Whether you are a US or Canadian resident (Super important to make sure you’re on the right list!)

You must submit your information by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!

January Foodie Pen Pals!

I can’t believe that my last post about donuts marked my 300th post! That’s not a lot for some who blogs daily, but for me, that’s a nice round number I can relate to.

Anyway, after having such a great experience in December, I decided to participate in the Foodie Pen Pal Program in January, and was once again pleasantly surprised with my goodies. My package arrived nice and early from Betsy at A Dancer in the Kitchen. Coming home to a package that’s for you, but you don’t know what’s inside is so exciting – I look forward to it all month! Betsy was generous and everything I’ve tried so far is absolutely delicious!

The package had a little bit of everything – savory, sweet, healthy… I couldn’t wait to dig in! Of course, I had to wait long enough to snap some photos, but then everything was fair game. I’ve sampled everything, and I think my favorite may be the Wasa crackers. At first I wasn’t too sure about them – they’re almost paper thin, and were pretty bland looking. The taste, however, is far from bland. Betsy sent me a box of rosemary, and they pack a serious flavor punch! I’ve been having a cracker or two almost every day since I opened the package, and I am most definitely adding them to my future grocery list!

I have also been enjoying the Kashi cereal that Betsy sent before I head off to school. I even had the two delicious granola bars she sent as mid-morning snacks my first week! I’ve also been loving the cinnamon honey and preserves from Utah (where Betsy lives) – getting something a little regional is always a nice surprise. While I haven’t tried the Vega Sport goodies that also came, I definitely are keeping my eye on them for when I get into some longer runs again. I’ve only heard good things about their products and can’t wait to sample them for myself.

This month I had the pleasure of sending a package to Kristen of Mind Your Bees and Trees all the way in Japan! You’ll have to head over to her blog to see what I sent!

So you may be asking yourself – what exactly is Foodie Pen Pals, and more importantly, how can I get in on the deliciousness? Well, here’s all the info in case you want to join for February!:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
*Canada is now included!

If you’re interested in participating for February, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com by February 4th and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-Whether you are a US or Canada resident (to be paired up accordingly)

Foodie Pen Pals

Thanks to a post by Megan, I learned about Foodie Pen Pals a few weeks ago. After e-mailing the wonderful host Lindsay, I was in on the fun and couldn’t wait to give and receive some goodies. The idea is pretty straight forward – you are then randomly matched up with fellow bloggers to exchange a foodie package with monthly. The spending limit is $15, and you can send them whatever you’d like – of course checking with them first for any preferences, restrictions, or allergies (see below for details on how to join in!).

It was so exciting to come home from work last week and see a package for me I could actually open right then. Up until that point, everything waiting for us on our door step was either something I ordered as a gift for someone, or a gift my husband ordered for me, that I couldn’t see! I received quite the package from Ashley over at Southern Purple Vegan.

I couldn’t wait to devour everything in my package, but I had to wait long enough to take a picture of it all first. My goodies included maple and hazelnut Justin’s Nut Butter, two packages of ground flax,  spicy popcorn, a Texas shaped  lollipop and cookie cutter, a larabar, a Pure bar, a little trail mix, some Emergen-C, and vanilla pepper. Ashley really hooked me up! I love Justin’s nut butters so that was an awesome surprise. The vanilla pepper is so interesting I can’t wait to use it in some dishes instead of black pepper. We also have a bottle of Dave’s hot sauce, so I can’t wait to try the hot sauce infused popcorn – my husband is going to be all over that. I also love the little travel packets of flax – I have huge bags of flaxseed, but that requires grinding to use it in most dishes (unless I’m throwing it in granola), so I’m excited to try that. I already devoured the larabar, and it didn’t disappoint. It blows my mind how few ingredients they use, but how flavorful those little bars are. So I guess you could say I’m extremely happy with my treats!

My package went to Karen over at The Tamale Girl. You’ll have to head over to her blog and check out the goodies I sent!

I would highly recommend joining in – it’s nice to come home to a package of handpicked goodies from a fellow blogger and food lover! See below for details.

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. *US Residents only please at this time- hopefully we can expand soon!*
If you’re interested in participating for January, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)