Post-CA Bar Life Update

Hi there! So, I survived the California bar exam.

Flash cards all day, every day. Actually, more practice essays and multiple choice questions. But flash cards, too.

Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. I think once you’ve billed well over 200 hours in a month, 18 hours of testing in three days just isn't as terrible as when you're coming off your laid back third year of law school. It was still stressful because memorization is not my strong suit, but nowhere near as nerve-wracking as when I took the New York bar in 2013. Also, Pasadena is really pretty!

It's nestled right up against the San Gabriel Mountains.

I ate most of my meals over the three days of the exam at Urth Caffe since it was close to my hotel and had delicious food. Highly recommend if you're in the area (it's an LA mini-chain focused on local and organic food).

Also: pretty outdoor seating.

There's not much to report life-wise or running-wise since studying took up the bulk of my time and my runs and workouts were strictly "let's burn off some stress and try not to lose fitness from Surf City training". Sourabh and I did a bit of hiking the weekend after the bar exam but both times were thwarted by nature/weather. 

First, we tried hiking in the Cleveland National Forest, but the area was closed because the area is trying to regrow from a forest fire. We hiked a few miles around the Irvine Regional Park instead but it wasn't quite the mountains I'd had in mind.

Still pretty, though.

We'd originally planned on heading up to Mammoth Lakes to hike but a major snowstorm was forecasted to dump a foot of snow on the mountain. Great for skiers, not so much for hikers with a foot-tall dog. So we did some short hikes in Orange County.

Apparently the powers-that-be were not going to let us escape from cold precipitation, though, because while hiking in the Santa Ana Mountains we were stuck in a freak hail storm. 

Before the hail...

We did catch a gorgeous, stormy sunset one night at Newport Beach.

Thankfully, last weekend was a bit more successful. My NYC office mate (and friend) Hana is visiting and the weather was great, so we got outside a bunch and had some delicious meals. Saturday dinner at Red O in Newport Beach (great Mexican food and even better people watching -- think the real housewives of OC types). One of our servers apparently wasn't used to normal appetites since he said "this is all for just you two?" when dropping off our food. And when he dropped off our dessert, he said "oh, only one?"

I mean, please confirm for me that this isn't that much...

Duck taquitos, beef short ribs sopes, ahi tuna tostaditas, guacamole and a chopped salad. (Unpictured: churros)
This is not SO MUCH food for two people.

Sunday morning we went to a SoulCycle class. It was hilarious after I'd watched the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episode with a parody of spin cults the day before. The candle part was just so spot on... (Decent workout, though.)

For class, I tried out this top that I kept from my SWEATSTYLE delivery:

It's an ALALA tank top in the water print. I don't normally pick up prints, but I liked this one a lot. There's also a line of mesh running along the arm holes, which was cool. SWEATSTYLE is a service where you receive an outfit of workout clothes every three months. I'm not normally a fan of the delivery box services since I'm pretty specific about what I wear for work, but I like fun workout clothes, and I think Helena (the founder of SWEATSTYLE, a co-founder of Uplift Studios and a former attorney) is awesome, so I wanted to sign up.

Short review: I really like this top and it held up very well to the amount of sweating I did in the SoulCycle class. I'm going to do a full review after the next shipment I receive, but after one shipment I'm a fan. Receiving and returning the items was easy (and I'm lazy about that kind of thing). I liked that it exposed me to new brands other than the big "default" workout brands. I'll report back next time...

Post-class we had breakfast at W Cafe. I made sure to pick a place that had outdoor seating since Hana was coming from a brutal NYC winter, and then we headed for the hills and hiked at Santiago Oaks Regional Park.

Everything is SO GREEN right now. 

We did a short hike but the route was steep (Hana's fitbit said we went up about 700 feet over a mile and a half or so).

Mason was a brat and refused to walk . I was worried he was overheated and kept carrying him and giving him water. But as soon as we reached the top and I said "we're going back", he started running downhill. He wasn't even subtle about it. He'd just been lazy and hadn't wanted to walk.

Mason's preferred position. Unless he could be eating.

Sunday night we grabbed sushi on Newport Peninsula (it was meh) and dessert at Monster in the UC Irvine area (very tasty) before we headed to Turtle Rock to catch the last of the evening's sunset.

And now you're about caught up. In training news, I *think* I've picked a new half marathon to aim for, and I just put together a training plan. This week is the first week of training, so I'll be back to workout recaps soon!

Is anyone interested in a more detailed description of the bar exam? Happy to write more about it but also don't want to do a long post about the exam only to bore people.

Life Lately

I haven't done much life updating in a while, so I thought it would be kind of fun to do that for my family/friends who read here to know what's happening down here in SoCal. Lately I've been...



Studying...

I just started my three week bar exam leave. If you've been reading for a while, you might recall that I spent summer of 2013 studying for the New York bar exam (and I passed, phew). Unfortunately, a lot of states do not accept the bar admittances of other states, so I have to retake the bar exam in California. Where it is three days instead of two. And instead of a summer, I have three weeks. Thankfully I wasn't too busy at work the past two weeks so got a fair amount of studying in, which was good. I will gladly be accepting all good luck wishes and/or condolences at having to retake the bar.


Listening to...



Still jamming out to my Surf City Half playlist. Some of these are "oldies" that show up on my playlists routinely and some are new to me. The MVP of the race's playlist was definitely David Guetta's "When Love Takes Over". I hadn't listened to it more than once before and it gave me such an energy boost heading up a hill, so I added it to the playlist mid-race, figuring I'd want that feeling at the end (I did).

Resting...

Today was my first day working out since race day. I'm really glad that I took five days to rest and recover. I stretched and foam rolled each day, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't jumping back into working out without giving myself both a mental and physical break. I think it worked because I was excited for my training session today (it went well) and can't wait to spin for two hours tomorrow in support of Cycle for Survival. I think giving yourself a mental break after a race is just as important as a physical one. By Friday, I was eagerly anticipating my first run on Monday, and that's the feeling I want to have about running.

Reading...

Well, mainly bar materials, but I've also been reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel before I go to bed at night. I'm trying to be strict about getting enough sleep, so I usually only read for 15-20 minutes, meaning it's slow going (the book is about 600 pages long), but it's reminding me why I was so fascinated by the Tudor period of England's history in undergrad. Thanks to a research grant, I actually spent a month in London doing research on Anne Boleyn and writing a paper on her impact on British culture and religion the summer after my freshman year of college. Wolf Hall focuses on Thomas Cromwell, a lawyer/banker/councillor of the king. It's part of a trilogy but the third book hasn't come out yet.


Eating...

I had a fantastic Korean dinner with a friend at Tang 190 last night. I love the fact that there are so many different cuisines in Irvine. I was a bit worried before we moved to Orange County that it would be all Applebee's and Chili's, but I've been pleasantly surprised at the quality and type of food here.

This probably doesn't look great, but it was delicious -- crispy chicken thighs with kumquat relish over freekeh with Swiss chard.

Sourabh and I recently signed up for Blue Apron, the ingredient-and-recipe delivery service, and have been enjoying it so far. It forces us to cook more and gives us recipes and ingredients we wouldn't normally think of making. We'll see if it's still feasible when we're both working, but for now, it's been a fun change of pace. I'd recommend it for home cooks who have a hard time making anything but standard, simple recipes (that would be me).


Wearing...

This awesome Beast Mode hat. Marshawn Lynch is my favorite Seahawk (please read this great article on him and why he doesn't talk to the media), so Sourabh surprised me with a Beast Mode hat. He ordered it before the Super Bowl, so it wasn't just a "please don't hate me because my team won" gift. Which is good because I'm still a bit bitter...


And that's about it. I don't know how much I'll be posting over the next few weeks as I cram for the bar, especially since I won't be training for anything, but if I do go silent, I'll hopefully have a triumphant return in March!

Friday Favorites: First Week of Work

Hi all!

It's Fridayyy!

I think I'll actually be free this weekend, since work is coming in slowly. I was so prepared to hit the ground running that I'm cherishing every evening I can leave a bit early (and by that I mean around 7:00). Weekend plans include a Flywheel class, a "short" long run of 10 miles, and seeing Gravity.

Since I don't have much happening besides the new job and training, I figured I'd share some of my favorite things right now.


Sunrises

Since I'm officially on the morning workout train, I've been enjoying sunrises this week. Well, enjoy might be a strong word since I'm not conscious enough to have any real feelings. But some part of my brain says "that's nice." And then later I look at the picture of the sunrise that I took and enjoy it.


Egg Sandwiches

I don't know when my love of these came back, but I'm officially obsessed with egg sandwiches. I used to have one every morning during my senior year of undergrad, but then stopped. I started making them at home -- an Ezekiel English muffin with a fried egg and half a slice of cheese -- but then realized I could get them at work with a whole wheat english muffin for only $1.50. This is totally reason for me to go without breakfast until I get to work at 9:30.


Grand Central Station

In order to get to my office, I have to go through both Times Square Station and Grand Central Station. The difference is enormous. While Times Square is a dirty, underground, awful place to walk through -- where I keep my head down and turn up my music and try to block out the world -- you emerge from the subway into Grand Central Station and get to see a beautiful Beaux Arts structure. It's a nice way to start my workday, even if the place is crowded.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the ceiling is in the color family of my favorite color, mint green.


Podcasts

I mentioned this in my workout recap on Monday, but I have to give podcasts a special shout out. Not only have I been listening to Nerdist podcasts on long runs, I'm listening to them during my commute. I really like how conversational and funny these podcasts are.

I'm saving a few with particularly funny/cool people for the Chicago Marathon which is in, gulp, less than ten days!


Do you have any fun weekend plans? What are your Friday Favorites?

Jen's Epic Road Trip: San Francisco

Here's part three of my road trip recap! There's a lot more to come (Monterey, Los Angeles, Grand Canyon and Sedona, Utah, Yellowstone and the Tetons, and Glacier!), so I'm going to try to mix these in with running/training posts over the next few weeks. I'm enjoying recapping my travels, and it'll be great to have a record of this once-in-a-lifetime road trip, but this isn't a travel blog, so I won't do too many in a week :) 

Anyway, when last I left you, I had just headed out of Eugene, OR, with my college bff, Katie. 

On the way, we passed Mount Shasta. IT WAS SO BIG AND BEAUTIFUL. If you've read my blog for a while, you might have noticed my weird obsession with mountains. Mount Shasta is the second largest volcano in the contiguous United States (after my home state beauty, Mount Rainier). You can see it for miles and miles away, and I kept peeking into my rear view mirror to see it as we drove away.

This conveys the size of the mountain slightly better, but honestly there's just no way for a picture to accurately capture the scale. It's over 14,000 feet tall and rises more than 10,000 feet from its base, so it looks absolutely humongous.

Okay fine, enough mountain talk. How about food talk instead? Katie and I were headed to San Francisco, but ended up taking a detour to Napa Valley after she found an open reservation on opentable.com for ad hoc, Thomas Keller's mid-priced restaurant in Yountville. 

Not only was the four course prix fixe menu only $52 each (compare that to fancy NYC restaurants and it's staggering what a good deal it was), there was a ton of food. I couldn't even finish dessert, which is a pretty impressive feat for a restaurant. Ad hoc - 1, Jen - 0. I guess I better go back?

Katie had the pork shank, which she raved about, and my salmon was probably the best-cooked salmon I've ever had. The vegetables were also incredible. And dessert was coconut-flavored! I was in heaven. We didn't get to San Francisco until 10:30 PM, but it was totally worth it.

Saturday morning we had a lazy start since we were exhausted after being on the road all day Friday. We decided to walk a few blocks from our hotel to the Ferry Building Farmers Market. Instead of a regular breakfast, we tasted our way through stalls and booths. The inside of the building is more restaurant and shop-focused, while the outside of the Ferry Building has your typical farmers market stalls. It was a fun way to do breakfast!

Next, we drove across town and wandered around Golden Gate Park, which is even larger than Central Park in NYC! Several museums are located in the park, similar to how they are in New York.

The odd thing about San Francisco weather is that Golden Gate Park, which is on the western side of the city, was completely shrouded in fog, but the Ferry Plaza on the east side was bright and sunny all day. It was really weird, but I guess would be nice as a runner -- you could take your pick of weather!

The Bay Bridge was actually closed over Labor Day weekend, which was crazy since it's such a major entry point for San Francisco. While driving from Napa to San Francisco Friday night, Katie and I saw some insane traffic exiting the city for the long weekend.

We had dinner at Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant, in the Ferry Building. Our appetizers -- soup and a seafood-stuffed blossom -- were really tasty, but our entrees were kind of "meh." Good, but nothing amazing. Maybe a good place to start off an evening with drinks and appetizers then head elsewhere?

On our drive out of town Sunday morning, we had breakfast at Craftsman & Wolves in the Mission District. I had a fantastic yogurt and granola bowl, and Katie loved the croissant she had. I'd definitely go back if I were in San Francisco again!


Have you ever been to San Francisco? Do you like to explore local markets and parks when you're traveling?

Jen's Epic Road Trip: Eugene

Eugene was a short stop on Katie and my journey southward. When I proposed stopping in Eugene, it was mainly to chop two hours off the drive from Portland to San Francisco, but I also was excited to fit in a run here. Eugene is kind of famous for running, and all of my friends who have run the Eugene Marathon or Half Marathon raved about the area, so I figured it'd be a fun place to stay.

And I was totally right! Between two runs on Eugene's plentiful trails, including Pre's Running Trail, and a fantastic dinner at Izakaya Meiji Company, Eugene proved itself to be an awesome town and I'll definitely be back at some point.

First off, the trails. There were so many! We arrived much later than expected, due to traffic getting out of Portland, so the minute we arrived at our hotel, I hopped onto a trail that ran along the Willamette River right nearby. It turned out to be part of a huge network of trails in Alton Baker Park, and it eventually led me to Pre's Trail!

It also led me to a beautiful sunset over the Willamette River.

I hadn't heard of Steve Prefontaine before I started running, and it wasn't until someone mentioned Pre's Running trail when they described running in Eugene that I actually read more about Pre and realized what a huge impact he had on the sport of running in the 1970s. For a quick summary of his life and accomplishments, I recommend this Wikipedia article.

Pre was a student and track athlete at the University of Oregon, and set American records in every race from 2,000 to 10,000 meters (the 10K). 

Pre's Trail is a four mile route that was created after Prefontaine came back to Eugene impressed by European walking and running trails and suggested that something similar be created in Oregon. The trail became a memorial to him when he died in a car accident in 1975. It's a beautiful trail, and is an absolute must if you visit Eugene!

Since we arrived late, I had to fit in my final miles the following morning, which was easy since I knew there was a fantastic trail system right outside my hotel (the Eugene La Quinta, in case you're interested).

(source)

Katie and I had dinner at the Izakaya Meiji Company and were both shocked by how good our meal was. We shared small plates and enjoyed every dish, although the creamy corn and shishito croquettes were definitely the standout. I also had an amazing tea called Mugi-Cha, described as "roasted Barley tea with a beautiful brown hue, nutty flavor and mellow taste." I wish I were a food blogger so that I could properly describe this tea, but all I can say is that it was totally different and totally delicious. It tasted like the perfect fall or winter tea, somehow thicker than your average tea. Anyway, if you ever get the chance, try it!

Thursday morning, I finished up my miles then Katie and I grabbed some much-needed caffeine and hit the road towards San Francisco!

Happy Independence Day!

Mason is wearing his jersey to be patriotic, not as a Patriots fan. 

This afternoon, Sourabh and I are heading to New Jersey to spend the long weekend at his house and on the beach. I can study while lounging on the sand, after all! Don't worry, Mason is coming, too. He's part of the family!

July 4th is actually one of my favorite holidays because I love summer picnic and BBQ foods. There's a family potato salad recipe that is ah-mah-zing. Unfortunately I won't be home in WA to enjoy it! Someday...

Until that day comes, I found a few collections of awesome healthy recipes that I'll be using for our July 4 feast. If you're still scrambling to put something together, check these out!

Cooking Light <--- love the red, white and blue potato salad!
Health.com <--- grilled corn with chipotle butter, anyone?
Eating Well <--- if I were craftsy enough to make that flag cake I totally would. Someone else do it for me and send a pic?
Greatist <--- raspberry blackberry lemonade sounds super delicious.

PS: don't forget to enter yesterday's Red Mango gift card giveaway!

Enjoy the holiday!!!

What's your favorite holiday? 

Flash Cards, Fancy Cheap Eats, and New Brooks

Quick reminder! Google Reader is going away as of July 1. If you follow Jen's Best Life via Google Reader, make sure to switch to another one so you don't miss any posts! I'm using Feedly but have heard great things about BlogLovin' as well. I believe you can transfer all your subscriptions from Google Reader on both. This is a great article outlining lots of different reader options.
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Hi guys!

Yesterday was my rest day, so I just foam rolled, sticked, and stretched a bit. Oh, and watched a lecture and made piles and piles of flash cards, as I've been doing all day every day since I started studying for the bar. So many notecards, so little time!

Each stack is 1-2 inches thick. Yes, I need to (try to) memorize all that by the end of July, plus the three weeks more of lecture material I still have coming. Operation: Learn ALL the law!

Unfortunately I got a bit behind because I spent most of the morning reading legal analysis of the DOMA and Prop 8 Supreme Court decisions. I was so incredibly excited that the Supreme Court struck down DOMA!!!

Quick law talk: the ruling doesn't mean that gay marriage is legal; it means that the federal government recognizes gay marriages from states where gay marriage is legal. And, unfortunately, it's not clear that states will have to recognize gay marriages from other states because that part of DOMA was not challenged.

But it does mean that people like Sourabh's friend, whose husband was kept in Canada for months because he could not get a visa, will no longer be separated. I was tearing up as I read some of the language of the opinion because this issue is particularly close to my heart. I not only have close friends and relatives who are gay, I'm part of an interracial couple. Just over 40 years ago, Sourabh and I could not have married. It was a Supreme Court opinion in 1967, Loving v. Virginia, that proclaimed that laws banning interracial marriage were unconstitutional. Yesterday felt like another important step in equality for all loving couples.


New Shoes!
In less life-altering but still running blog newsworthy news... I bought a new pair of long run shoes yesterday!

BOOM. Brooks Adrenaline 13's!! I had the 11's and really liked them, so I'm super excited to try these  out on my long run Friday morning. Or this morning for an easy run, since I have no patience.

I also tried on a pair of Hokas for fun since I'd read about them on several other blogs. They were crazy! I felt like I was walking on pillows and my legs seemed to turn out a bit. Ultimately it felt a bit too different for me -- I don't want to totally change my gait as I start marathon training. But I'd love to try them out further at some point.


"Cheap" Eats at Fancy Restaurants
We rarely have a weekday off together, so Sourabh and I also went out to lunch at one of our favorite Indian restaurants in the city, Junoon. They have this awesome $20 thali platter where you get several different curries, lentils, raita (yogurt), and bread and rice. It's a Michelin-starred restaurant that's normally quite expensive, so this weekday lunch deal is amazing. I got the vegetarian platter and Sourabh got the non-vegetarian.

A lot of the "top" restaurants in New York have much less expensive weekday prix fixe lunch specials. I've taken my family to some amazing restaurants where we've spent less than $50 per person, tax included, when a meal is normally $100+ each at these places. For example, Del Posto and Jean Georges are $39 and $38, while dinner is $115 and $118, respectively. If you're visiting New York, it's definitely worth checking out!

I was roundly mocked for the food picture. Whatevah, Sourabh, I do what I want. Also, c'mon, the presentation is great.


Cool New App!
Something all you iPhone users might want to know about: Tempo Run. It helps you sync up music to the pace you're running. It sounds amazing and I want it terribly, but it's not on Android yet! Get on that, people. If anyone gets it on their iPhone, let me know what I'm missing.


Do you have any dining out tips? Do you feel like a super hero when the song you're listening to syncs to your foot beats?

My Go-To Breakfasts

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? I always eat breakfast. It's my favorite meal. I get excited about going to bed so that I can wake up and eat breakfast. Seriously. I'm special, I know. 

These are my go-to breakfasts, the ones I make consistently; sometimes I change it up, but at least six days a week, I'm having one of these. Obviously, if I'm out to brunch I eat something different! (egg and hashbrown scramble with copious amounts of ketchup, hi.)

These are also super basic, I admit, but I love them all so much that I figured, on the off chance someone doesn't eat one of these, I had to share.

P.S. A smaller version of the parfait or protein smoothie are also great snacks!

Greek Yogurt Fruit Parfait 

• 1 cup Greek yogurt

• sliced fruit (mixed berries are fantastic)

• drizzle of maple syrup

• 1/8 cup granola

• sprinkle of chia seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, etc.

Last summer, when I was a summer associate at the firm I'm returning to this fall, I would eat this for dinner all the time. Typically we'd have large lunches, so on a hot summer day, coming back around 8 or 9 PM and downing a big bowl of berries and Greek yogurt was the perfectly light and refreshing meal I craved. Nowadays, it's one of my favorite warm weather breakfasts. The fiber from the berries keeps you full and the Greek yogurt gives you that protein punch that's great in the morning.

Nut Butter and Toast

• 1-2 slices whole wheat toast (depending on size of bread)

• peanut butter or almond butter

• topping (banana, apple spread, etc)

• sprinkle of chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp hearts

This is a frequent breakfast but also my go-to pre-long run meal. It seems to fuel me pretty well and there's something to be said for feeling like a long run or race day is just part of the routine.

Protein Smoothie

Peanut Butter Cup Milkshake 

• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder

• 1 small spoonful peanut butter

• 1 frozen banana

• 1/2 cup almond milk

Chai Tea Latte Smoothie

• 1 scoop French vanilla protein powder

• 1 frozen banana

• 1/2 cup almond milk

• generous pinches of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger

This is my number one summer go-to right now. With hotter temperatures comes me not wanting to eat anything hot in the morning, and I love a protein boost first thing. I use Designer Whey and Whole Foods generic brand of whey protein powder (I prefer the nutritional stats on Designer Whey).

Oatmeal

OMG! A blogger who likes oatmeal! But oatmeal is so gooooood. I love a bowl of oatmeal, particularly mixed up with banana and a spoonful of peanut butter. Go crazy and add a few chocolate chips. I also posted this Very Berry Banana Oatmeal recipe back in January and stand by its deliciousness. 

What are your go-to breakfasts? 

Burlington, VT, and Bar Exam Prep Begins

Getting a late start today after arriving in New York at 9:30 PM last night, completing 550 miles from Quebec to Montreal to Burlington, VT, and finally home to NYC. To say I'm a bit creaky this morning is an understatement.

Since we had such a long day ahead of us, we decided to do two minor detours -- drop by Mont Royal to see the views of Montreal and eat lunch in Burlington, VT.

Montreal cityscape from Mont Royal

Montreal was unfortunately a bit hazy but it was still wonderful to look out over the city and see the Olympic Stadium from the top of Mont Royal. 

Next up -- Burlington, VT! I officially get the Vermont love after driving through more of this state than I had before. The northern part, with its mountains and lakes, is truly beautiful. Make sure you take the Ethan Allen Highway (Route 7) if you are driving through Vermont!

Adirondacks view and the bottom of Lake Champlain from Route 7

Burlington, VT, was also a really cool town that I'd love to travel back to this summer. It's right on Lake Champlain and has a lot of neat local stores and cafes plus plenty of chain stores, like Banana Republic. 

The downtown, walking-only area

I feel like going to school at the University of Vermont here would be like summer camp. I went to school in a town less than 1/10 the size of Burlington and always wished there was more to do, so Burlington seemed like the perfect mix of country and city!  I am officially applying for enrollment (ok, not really, no more student debt for me).

See? Adorable!

Using Yelp, I found my parents and I a great little cafe in downtown Burlington: Zabby & Elf's Stone Soup. It had lots of vegetarian and vegan options, a hot and cold salad bar, and some incredible baked goods. I got a plate of mixed salads and veggies from the salad bar then split a piece of apple cake with my mom. It was stuffed with chunks of apple and spice. It was so good that my dad got a piece for himself as well!

The fabulous Zabby & Elf's Stone Soup

So, as of today, I'm officially in bar exam study mode. That means 3.5-4 hours of online lectures every day, Monday to Friday, and homework assignments for the afternoons. It should be lots of fun (*sarcasm*). Still, it'll be nice to have a clear-cut schedule for studying. I'll update you all on how it's going occasionally because I know some of you are grad students who have similar exams that you'll be studying for and may be curious to hear how it goes!


Do you ever have college town envy? Have you had to study for something like the bar exam?

Foodie Pen Pals - March Reveal!

I am kind of obsessed with what I received in my Foodie Pen Pal box for March. It was fantastic! My foodie pen pal was Michelle, who is sadly not a blogger so I cannot link you up to her blog, but she sent some amazing goodies. Check them out!

First off, sorry for the dark photos. I picked it up at night and knew I needed to take pictures immediately because they were about to get eaten...

Yes, you saw correctly up there. Homemade dog treats! How amazing is that? Michelle read my blog, saw that I had a dog, and decided to bake him something.

Mason LOVED them. We just finished off the bag since we broke them into pieces so he wouldn't get too spoiled. (Haha, just kidding, he's already spoiled. We're just trying to keep him from getting fat.)

This dark chocolate was delicious. I mean... dark chocolate with hazelnut toffee? How could it not be? I was able to ration it into post-meal bites since it was dark chocolate and I can make that last. The milk chocolate stands much less of a chance with me. This was such a great treat to have for a week!

I loved this idea. Michelle included the recipe for her favorite lentil soup with the dry ingredients in a mason jar. So cute and so cool! I still haven't made it -- I think the next few days will be perfect as it warmed up and now is going back to being cold here in NYC. Some warm soup is just what I'll need!

This was probably my favorite thing in the pack. At first, I read, "vegan trail mix cookies," and gagged a bit. I love vegan baked goods when they're made well, but I just thought these would be terrible on sight. I was sooooo wrong. They were fantastic!!! Peanut buttery and packed with dried fruit and nuts. Such a great 4 PM snack with a cup of tea! I actually really want to buy more (FYI, you can do so here).

I love how Foodie Pen Pals connects people from across the country in a love of food. It's so much fun to look for items you think the other person might like and then receive a box in the mail filled with treats and fun new items. For more information or to sign up (you need to do so by Thursday!!), check out the details on The Lean Green Bean.


Did you participate in Foodie Pen Pals? What did you get? Has the taste of something ever shocked you?