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)