August Foodie Penpal

After getting totally ignored last month, I was more than thrilled to receive my Foodie Penpal treasure box this month!  And treasure it was.  I always feel a little guilty when I have to tell my pal that I prefer non-processed, healthy, vegan foods.  I know that throws a wrench in their shopping but I would hate to waste the items that they might purchase otherwise.  
This month, Leigh Ann did a fabulous job meeting our families needs.  There was literally something in the box for each of us.  Some of the products we know and love, but many were totally new to me, which I love!  I love trying new things and can't wait to dig into some of them.  See that "Heart Thrive" goody on the far left, that was one of the first things I pulled out and was thrilled and excited to see that it's also vegan!  It is (was) an apricot-flavored energy bar and there are 2 adorable heart shaped bars inside.  I have never seen these before but Leigh Ann said she just got them at her local grocery store.  The grocery stores in Florida must be more hip than the ones in Kentucky!  
Colin has been begging me for one of those honey sticks every time we go to the Farmer's Market and I've never bought him one.  He was beyond excited to see one for each of us in the box!  He's also a big fan of the "Pirate's Booty" snacks, so he was glad to see that bag as well.  
Leigh Ann also included a recipe from her trainer for Baked Oatmeal, which was very thoughtful.  I love oatmeal anyway you give it to me, so I know this will be a hit.  
Leigh Ann, I can't thank you enough for all the goodies and the effort you put into putting my box together.  You redeemed my faith in humanity after my last "pal" dissed and lied to me last month.  Thanks for making it up to me (:

If you are interested in joining the Foodie Penpal program, here's a brief overview and a link to follow to sign up.

-On the 5th of the 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 can choose 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 Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK 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!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!

Foodie Penpal: Month 2

It's time once again for me to introduce my Foodie Penpal and show you the awesome loot he sent me.  I have to admit I was a bit surprised to find out my penpal was a male.  Not that males don't eat, I just assumed they wouldn't be interested.  I'm so glad Jason decided to participate because he sent me some great stuff!  Turns out, Jason and my husband have quite a bit in common.  They are both lawyers, they're funny (Jason gets paid for it, Wes does not!), and they both are passionate about food.


I didn't realize my food preferences were that uncommon but Jason said he wasn't used to looking at labels and generally ate whatever looked good to him.  I can certainly appreciate that but maybe I was able to introduce him to some new products that he hadn't seen before.
He definitely introduced me to a new product in this Alo Drink.  He said it's one of his favorites and that it's a slightly acquired taste.  He's right in that it has a slightly odd consistency but the flavor is quite refreshing and light.  The kids appreciated his efforts for them with their Clif Kids Fruit Ropes.  Colin loves to help me open the packages and his eyes lit up when he saw those.  He asked if he could have one and later when I read Jason's letter, I realized he had picked those our especially for the boys.  How thoughtful?!
Jason also included some quinoa and one of his favorite recipes to go along with it.  He wants a chance to post his great recipe on his blog, Maur Power Foodie, so I'll oblige and not give any spoilers.  It looks delicious though!

To round out the box, we got some organic gingersnap cookies (because I told him I didn't love chocolate), and some Nature's Path Love Granola, Aloha Blend.  That stuff is the bomb!  I could eat it by the bowl-fulls!  Colin is a huge fan too and now requests it when he has cereal.  I've already picked up their Carrot Cake flavor to try next.
So thanks, Jason for introducing me to some new products and for taking the time to participate in such a fun group!  I'm already looking forward to seeing who I'm paired with next month and getting to go shopping for them.  I know Colin is looking forward to opening our next box of goodies!
If you're interested in learning more or participating, contact Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean.  You don't have to be a avid cook, just someone who loves food!  Lindsay send the pairings on the 5th and then you have until the 15th to contact your pal and find out their dietary restrictions/preferences and get their package out in the mail.  Then you sit tight and wait for your pal to send your box.  Open, enjoy, and write a post on the last day of the month.  Easy!  

Foodie Penpal

I'm not sure how I stumble upon these things but I'm certainly glad I do! While I loved being a part of the Secret Recipe Club, I will be taking a short brief break from that. In the meantime, I found this fun idea to be a foodie penpal. One lone blogger, Lindsey at The Lean Green Bean, is the mastermind behind the program. There is a brief synopsis of how it works at the bottom of this post in case you might be interested. 

I was assigned a girl in Oklahoma who had very similar dietary preferences as me. No meat, no processed foods, and lots of fruits and veggies. I wanted to introduce her to Kentucky, so I packed her box full of Kentucky-inspired goodies. I hope she enjoyed!

 Meanwhile, Jennifer, from Atlanta was assigned to me. She wanted to make sure I was open to International fare because her favorite place to shop is a huge International grocery store. Clearly this place must be huge and offer a wide variety of cuisines. Just look at all that she packed into my box.

There's a little Mexican, a little Asian, and some American too.  The boys thoroughly enjoyed taking each item out of the box and asking what it was.  We took a few of the items on our trip with us.  The sweet potato crisps were a big hit, as were the veggie chips.  I'm looking forward to using the spring roll wrappers and Wes is looking forward to some pho.  I'm excited to get to experiment with lots of new products and flavors!

Here are the details in case you'd like to take part!

 -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.