Foodie Pen Pals - April Reveal!

Hi all! First off, thanks so much for your kind, supportive words yesterday. I will certainly be writing a real race recap of the Nike Women's Half DC.

But first, I wanted to share the fabulous Foodie Pen Pal box I received on the proper day!

I will also be sharing what I sent my foodie pen pal, Lori, with some words from her later this week.So without further ado ... it's Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day!

I received my box from Abbey and it was awesome. I loved that she made it very representative of her state, Wisconsin. Check it out!

Maple popcorn! There was a lot of maple in this box. I'm a huge fan of all things maple syrup, so I wasn't complaining! This maple popcorn was gone in two days. SO good!! There were also these really tasty vegan cookies that she included. Again, gone very quickly!

The left is maple fudge -- super rich and delicious! We had to take it slowly because it was so sugary, but it was amazing. I ate a square of the dark chocolate after dinner every night and loved it. I hadn't had such great crystallized ginger in dark chocolate before, but I need to find this now.

And finally, she included cow-shaped sprinkles (see? so Wisconsin!), chunks of energy (full of cacao, goji, and nuts -- super tasty!), and a cranberry bread mix that I'm saving for the next time I have people over for brunch.

Thanks for the tasty treats, Abbey!!


Did you participate in Foodie Pen Pals? What's your favorite treat to share with people?

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?

Foodie Penpal Reveal!

Quick Note -- I started feeling a lot more human on Wednesday (AKA I had a bit of an appetite) and today I'm feeling much better after resting consistently, so it's off to my externship and back to regular programming.

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My January foodie penpal, Jillian, sent me an awesome foodie pen pal box that I'm very excited to share with you all! 

Jillian lives in Connecticut and did a great job of sending me some healthy treats along with some local specialties. I love that! I sent my foodie penpal some speculaas cookies, a Dutch spice cookie, because I was at home in Lynden, WA, which has a large Dutch population and, therefore, a delicious Dutch bakery. 

Jillian sent me some local Connecticut honey and a great snack bar that's made in Connecticut -- the True Bar. I was obsessed with this one. It was seriously delicious with a nice, short ingredient list. I might have to put in an order at some point...

There were also some cool nut butters, a delicious chocolate bar, some maple cookies, teas and hot chocolate, and a chocolate honey bar. 

One thing I love about the Foodie Penpals program is that it exposes me to foods I would normally never eat, like the seaweed snax. While it might not be something I'd buy again, I loved trying it but never would have bought it.


This month's package was a total winner. Thanks, Jillian!!

This was my second time doing the Foodie Penpals program, and I encourage everyone to try out the program for a month at least because it's a lot of fun. If you like getting packages in the mail filled with food (and who doesn't??), and if you like sharing your favorite foods with others, it's such a great way to meet people from across the country.

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And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

• 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!

Have you ever participated in foodie penpals? If you did this month, leave a link to your reveal!

Foodie Pen Pals - November

This month, I participated in Foodie Pen Pals. It's a fun program where you're paired up with other bloggers, one to whom you send a package and one from whom you receive a package. I love coming up with fun things to pack for people, and I get so excited when I receive packages in the mail (I think this is part of my addiction to using Amazon for basic purchases). 

This go around, I was paired with Falon, a blogger from the Midwest. Falon's blog, Pie in Pearls, not only chronicles the many delicious recipes she makes for her family, it also includes lots of pictures of her adorable children. Oh, and she's a very talented cake decorator!

Falon packed my box with an olive tapenade, mild and hot Mexican sauces, a Larabar, and home-baked chocolate chip cookies.

my goodies!

The olive tapenade is tasty, but after tasting it I set it aside to take back to Washington State with me for the holidays. My family always has a wine and cheese night, often for New Year's Eve, and this will be perfect paired with cheese and crackers!

Larabars are always a favorite of mine. The ingredient list is very short, which is always something I look for in packaged food, and they're quite filling. So glad she thought to include one since I ended up needing a quick on-the-go snack the day after the package arrived!

I don't know if Falon read my blog or if it was a happy coincidence, but I love Mexican food so receiving these was awesome. I've been using them in some of my Mexican dishes, adding some to black beans or pouring a bit onto a Mexican-flavored salad as a dressing. And the hot one is legitimately spicy!

The Jacques Torres cookies were amazing! Falon baked them and packed several into the box for me, and kindly sent me the recipe link when I asked for it. If you're looking for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, look no further.

from her blog -- look how much chocolate is inside!

This has been called the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in the world. The cookies were SO delicious, so considering that they were a couple of days old when they got to me, that's probably not an inaccurate description. Thank you, Falon, for a fun and tasty box of goodies!!

I also had so much fun putting together a box for Doug, the blogger with whom I was paired. If he posts a picture, I'll update this post with the items I got him. It was a fun mix of things I like and items I thought he'd enjoy. I had a lot of fun putting it together!

If you're interested in participating in Foodie Pen Pals, check out The Lean Green Bean for more details. You don't have to be a blogger to take part! Readers can join the fun, too. December will be for charity rather than a normal pairing, so participants are encouraged to donate the amount they'd spend on putting together a box ($15 maximum for items) to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Have you participated in Foodie Pen Pals?
Do you still get get excited to receive packages in the mail?