Better late than never: November Foodie Pen Pals

I've been completely irresponsible and forgot about November's Foodie Penpal!

I sent my package to Deb over at Deb's Daily Life. Check out the package I sent her here.

My penpal was Stephanie who doesn't have a blog.

The package I received was amazing!

Take 1: Hippie Chow granola which is actually good + chips + chocolate

Take 2: Famous Kansas City BBQ sauce + salsa + spices

Thanks Steph!

October Foodie Penpal

This month's Foodie Penpal package went to Carla. The post office was out of the square boxes so I ended up shoving everything into a long, rectangular box!

I was ecstatic to get Jenny as my October Foodie Penpal. She owns Sweet Six Candy and got me a fun package.

Right on top was one of her candies.

All the swag (yes, I just used that word):

• Edamame - right up my uncle's alley
• Peeled dried fruit - (see below)
• Pumpkin chips - I love pumpkin, but these were super salty. Yikes!
• Cold blooded ice tray - (see below!)
• Lychee candies - real lychee taste
• Calming tea, green tea, and Egyptian Licorice tea - Hey Jenny, you probably didn't know that Egyptian Licorice is my favorite tea ever!
• Jelly Belly buttered popcorn jelly beans - So I always avoided this flavor in the mix bag. Hopefully my kids will eat them.
• Sarasota honey - (see below)
• Sweet Six Candy - (see below)

Brown sugar candy with crispy bacon! I love the vintage-y label.

Jenny didn't know I've been craving figs and dates because of all these fig recipes floating around this season. I just didn't want to commit to buying a lot of them. This baggie has dates, figs, and apricots - perfect!

Fun and informative card!

You have no idea how much I've needed honey. There are tons of recipes that require honey, which I never buy for myself.

I loved the vampire teeth ice cubes. So much fun! We made them immediately.

Have you tried anything in this box? 
What would you want to try?

Belated September Foodie Penpal

I'm a little late, but I wanted to share my Foodie Penpal box from September.

Lots of great things, including kettle chips, dried fruit, a giant oatmeal raisin cookie...

Soup mix and oatmeal.

I share everything with my kids, or as always, my family gobbled them up.

My favorite was a couple of fruit strips. I haven't had fruits strips in a long time, but they were a perfect compliment to my breakfast when there was no fresh fruit on hand.

Here's what I sent my Foodie Penpal:

Inside the box I sent:

• Chronic Jerky beef jerky
• Strawberry and black peppercorn jam
• Dried hibiscus flowers
• Hatch chile powder
• Spanish curry powder
• Rice paper flower
• Strawberry caramels

Want to join in? Here's the info:
-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 September, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
You must submit your information by October 4th as pairings will be emailed on October 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!

July Foodie PenPal: Coincidental

My July Foodie PenPal was Lindsay from Live. Love. Nutrition. and did she know me well!

I love all these nut butters. See how I already ate a little of each one. I do that, all the time. Variation is not a good idea for me.

Local-ish granola, Ola! Granola from Connecticut.

I made The Lean Green Bean's Chocolate Dipped Frozen Yogurt Bites with the granola and Chobani peach. Note: Chobani freezes better than Fage.

I've never had this peanut butter.

And of course, a note, on notebook paper. I do that all the time too!

And guess who Lindsay just met who I didn't see but came to the Fair: Robert Irvine! What a coincidence!

If you're interested in Foodie PenPals...
-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 Penpals 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 August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th! You will receive a confirmation email from me within 24 hours if you sign up. IF YOU DON’T GET ONE, send me an email!

Have you ever watched "Restaurant Impossible?" I haven't because I don't have cable. I've only ever seen shows with Gordon Ramsay.

June Foodie Penpal

Don't forget to enter my 1000th post giveaway. Ends tonight, Saturday, June 30th!

My June box was awesome. Perfectly packed. Thanks Esther from D.C.! You're my second D.C. penpal! *I sent my box to Maren over at Maren's Morsels. Go over there and check it out!

Inside the box

• Annie's White Cheddar shells looked amazing. I've been wanting to try them.
• I have no clue where the True North nut clusters went. I ate a few and think my family consumed them all.
• I haven't seen the Eat. Thin. Smile. brand in awhile. I loved the tiny pieces because it let me eat tons without guilt.
• Nori crackers are my cousin's favorite. I'm not a fan though.
• The Go Lean oatmeal was perfect for my trip to Austin. I even bought a box of them for the rest of the trip.
• The Breakfast on the Go! was addictive. I wouldn't buy these for myself because I would overeat.
• Lately I've enjoyed salty chips. I've had so many bags open, I haven't eaten these yet.

• She baked me a semi-healthy snack: The Lean Green Bean's zucchini carrot muffins... maybe with apples. I forget.

• I'm just not a Larabar fan. I don't get it...

Loved the whole package! So many new things for me to try.

Want to join in?
-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!

May Foodie Penpal: Trade Joe's Favorites

Every month, I rip open and devour all the contents of my Foodie Penpal package before I take a picture. I have to backtrack and eventually end up with bad photos. This month I did okay.

I came home after my PM job and found a nicely put together box from Amber of Hungry 4 A Healthy Life. She packaged everything so beautifully in pretty tissue paper! I loved unwrapping each item.

The goods:

• 3 cookie cutters. Sadly, I haven't been baking since moving back. I do need to work on my cut-out cookies.
• 3 fruit leathers shared between me, my dad (visiting), and my little cousin.
• 2 spices. I love the cinnamon sugar one, but I'm not sure what to make with the 21 Seasoning Salute. Any ideas?
• 2 Greens+ bars. I've never tried these. I like the taste of the energy bar. They're calorie-dense, like all bars, so I do what I always do - eat a few bites for a sugar/energy fix. :)
• Maple sugar. New product I believe. When I bake I'll try it out...
• Powerberries. I've purchased these before. Yum.
• Locally made jalapeno popcorn. I love spicy so this was perfect. I devoured this while watching a movie.

These went first!

Amber sent me her favorite Trader Joe's items, which got me to thinking - what are my favorites and what are yours? Off the top of my head:

• Cookie Butter
• Sea Salt & Turbinado Dark Chocolate Almonds
• Astounding Multi-Flavor Joe Joe's Cookies
• Tricolor Quinoa
• Chocolate Croissants
• Bistro Biscuits
• Cat Cookies
• Sunflower Butter

Check out the box I sent to Jessica Is Baking - I even took a quick picture. I thought it was cute. :)

Here are the Foodie Penpals 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 Penpals 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.

Better than yesterday: work & packages!

Yesterday was a doozy and I never use that word. I was all ready for yoga at lululemon when... I found a nail in my tire. Of course, it wasn't just ANY nail. It had to be a big, long one that was on the EDGE. On a Sunday. I didn't want to deal with it today so I got it fixed. 3 tires changed this week! The man at the tire place tried to cheer me up: "At least it wasn't one of the new tires." Thanks dude.

We ran errands and I had lunch at The Iron Press. The service was slow, the waffle maker kept burning waffles, and the space was long and narrow. Not great. The food was okay. I chose the tilapia even though fried chicken is king. I ate all the fish and half the waffles.

 

(source)

Right now, they can't beat Bruxie's, who just opened a new location in south county.

Afterwards, I was wiped out and decided to take a 2 hour nap instead. It was HOT.

I headed to chill with my cousins, eat popcorn, and watch "Dodgeball" and "Contraband." Two completely different but awesome movies. I have never seen all of "Dodgeball" and I love Marky Mark as an actor - "Shooter" is one of my favorite movies.

 

(source) 

In the morning, I headed to TurboKick. I've been having good kickboxing classes lately and I'm sure the New Balances are a big help. That and a much heartier appetite.

Pre-workout Shakeology and post-workout brunch: Amy's Indian Samosa Wrap over mixed greens.

 

 I've been so into this combo that I bought a few other burritos. :)

My dinner was the same as yesterday: shirataki noodles with 1/2 can of salmon and spaghetti sauce. So good and warm. Plus some shared Cabo chips.

...and post-work low carb (8 cals per ounce) chocolate mint froyo with a little PB too.

I ended the day on a happy note in terms of work.

• One of my students asked me if I was coming back next year. I hope so!
• I was fought over by 2 students who needed help in U.S. history. I still remember some things from my major! Hah.
• I did a one-on-one English lesson.
• I converted the secret shopper at my PM job into a customer!

I came home to not ONE but TWO packages! The first one: SPIGEN SGP Modello iPhone case. It's made of a soft rubbery material. I've never seen this design and I chose tangerine over green this time.

In the same package was the Speck Candyshell case in white/pink. There was tons of color choices but this was the cheapest and best combo.

My family members voted for this one so it's on the phone right now.

I also ordered my dad a new battery cover for his phone/my old myTouch that came earlier in the week.

My second package was from my Foodie Penpal. You'll have to wait till the end of the month to hear about that though.

Another item I got in the mail for kicks: Goodnight Bunion. I finally figured out how to use it. Most articles I've read say bunions are irreversible. I'm just hoping for relief and to stunt the eventual grossness since it's not very bad yet.

Onto something more delectable that I want to order: Reginald's Homemade nut butters. I just saw this on PB Fingers and am intrigued especially by the cheap prices!

Off to bed. My students are testing tomorrow so I work early. Note to self: don't forget to buy maple bars for Moose - I already got the chocolate milk he wanted.

What do you buy most online? I buy nut butter a lot and all of my phone covers thus far. And vitamins, which I always forget to take!

More homemade cookies please (April Foodie PenPal)

Another fantastic month with Foodie PenPals! My PenPal was blog reader Carolyn, who compiled a thoughtful package and sent it so quickly that I've been itching to write this post for weeks!

*My package went to Arielle at Everyday College Girl's Guide to Life.

I wanted to try this granola after hearing about it through the Blend Retreat - I'm not going, but I can dream.

I've portioned out the precious granola. I put a little in my breakfast oats and a little bit in my Fage 0% + instant pudding mix concoction.

Fruity flavors! I used the raspberry & roasted chipotle sauce on top of eggs?

She also sent these delicious preserves. I've never canned/jarred, but it was big when I lived in the South. My family loves orange jam so this was perfect. So far, I've only eaten it from the jar!

 

What I love most about Foodie PenPals, besides shopping for and sending packages, is getting baked goods. These "lime away(?)" shortbread cookies were amazing. There was lime zest and it was tangy.

Peanut butter chocolate brownies were great when warmed up.

And a special thank you for these special chocolate bars. I forgot to mention how much I love local, but she must have read my mind! The cherry flavor is mild next to the dark chocolate.

Thanks again Carolyn for my package and thanks Lindsay for hosting! If you'd like to join in (there are 600 people in the U.S. and Canada), read below:

-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!