Tuesday, July 31, 2012

JULY Foodie Pen Pal Reveal!!!

Soooo so much for updating the blog more. Last update was Junes reveal, YIKES. I'll try harder this month since life is getting slower again. :)

So what is a Foodie Pen Pal?
The oh-so amazing Lindsay  over at The Lean Green Bean created this last year.
-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.

For more information Click on Lindsays name above!


This month was pretty neat although, due to the heat and a mishap with my daughter getting into the goodies I bought as I was packing them up to go...it wasn't the best box I've sent. *NOTE* somethings are not good to send in the heat no matter where you are sending your box. I got to send my box to Sarah over at Zoes Lunch Box it was her first month to participate which is always exciting. Check out her awesome creativity with her daughters lunches!

I was sent a amazing box of snacks from Brittany . I must say, this Pregnant person was ubber happy when she opened her box! Just look....
I'm a snack addict and these were all new to me!

Dried fruit, my ultimate fave snack other than trail mix. These are bigger than most dried fruits I've tried and are super juicy! They lasted a day between Avery and I. :)

Roasted Chickpeas. I love slightly salted chickpeas but have never tried them with any other flavor. Sadly, the baby was not a fan when I tried these :( I spread the love though and passed them along to my Father-in-love who really liked them!

HANDS DOWN one of the BEST Granolas I have ever had!! Britt said in her notes that this is a locally made fave and I can easily see why, it was so tasty and I still have some stashed away to enjoy with some greek yogurt, if you can, get some of this and try it out!!

And finally, a limited edition Clif Bar that I can not/ have not found here in my town. I have been very frugal with this bar, it's so good and a mix of my favorite things. I have half a bar left. :)

Sunday, July 1, 2012

June Foodie PenPal Reveal Day!!

WHOO HOO!!!

It's Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day!!!! I swear I still get giddy on the 5th and last weekend of every month because of this. It's just too fun to pass up!


For those of you unaware yet to what Foodie Penpal is all about, the awesome Lindsey created this last year and it has since spread to both Canada and England.  It's pretty simple.....
-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 July, please check out Linseys blog for all the information and sign up!
You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 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!


I got the pleasure of sending my box to a really amazing person who I must say is making me miss running. She is very passionate about what she blogs and I've enjoyed it this month. You can check out  Miss Mackenzie's Blog here to see what I sent her way.

Megan over at I Run For Wine SPOILED me rotten this month, I must say she is the first match I have had who actually emailed me other than getting the basics, it was refreshing getting to connect with her and I simple adore her outlook on running and wine. :) Obviously more so since I can't enjoy either at the moment. HA!

Just check out my goodies!!!

How she got everything wrapped up neatly in such a small box is beyond me. :)

See, SPOILED.
Her theme for me was fruit since she knew I was a fruit lover. I made the cute mistake of opening the box with Avery beside me and I will admit, we had ZERO self control with these goodies and about 80% was eaten within the first hour of it arriving. (Shameless, I know) The popchips lasted 5min. I also mentioned to her how I've never been to Whole Foods since the nearest one to me is 45minutes away. She sent me a cute "I <3 Veggies" reusable bag from there. I am now determined to make the drive and check it out with my bag in hand. :)


As a Texan, I love me some Salsa and my all time fave is from Fredricksburg, TX and it's peach salsa so when I unwrapped this I was giddy! My main craving with this pregnancy is mexican food so I was so happy to have a jar of salsa I knew Evan wouldn't touch. Yes it's fruity but it also has a kick to it.


Avery saw this and grabbed it from the box saying "Can I eat bunnies?!" I literally had to grab them and take a picture in the bedroom before I gave them to her, she was determined to have them and just like the popchips, they didn't last long at all. (Thanks Megan, she now wants these instead of welch's and I'm okay with that!)


                                Fruit Leathers, doesn't matter how old you are, you love em'.

Dried Strawberries, so good as a snack alone or as a added treat to greek yogurt or granola in the morning.

Besides being the cutest Tea package I have seen, I enjoyed this tea immensley! I added a touch of honey and a wedge of orange one evening. So good! I'm saving my other packet for a stressful day. :)

Not going to lie, I felt dumb when I read this package front to back and still had no idea what it really was or how to eat it. I waited a few days before opening it and they turn out to be tasty nut clusters with fruit and seaseme seeds covering them. I snacked on these in the car on the way to visit a friend and was suprised how good they were and how much they didn't dry out my mouth like most nuts. I still have a small bit left for our vacation this week, they are really good and an easy on hand snack.

And last but not least......
CHOCOLATE. I have allowed myself 4 pieces so far and Evan hasn't dared touch the bar in the fridge. Godiva is so good and I've never tried this flavor but the strawberry isn't tart, it's sweet.

Thanks again Megan for taking the time to put together such a fun and vastly new experience in a box for me. I loved it!!

Be sure to head over to these 3 blogs and be sure to join Foodie Penpal!

Happy Snacking,
Britt The HLC