January Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

This month I received a package from blog reader Gina. Everything she sent was new to me! About half of the items were local things from Ohio, which I love!

Low Fat Grand-ola Bar from the Schlabach Amish Bakery- notice how it's just an empty package? Yep, it didn't last long. A homemade soft granola bar is right up my alley!

Pr* Bar iced brownie- I love the name- Personal Record Nutrition Bar. I haven't tried this yet but with 15 grams of protein, I'll definitely enjoy it after an upcoming long run.

Moser Roth Orange & Almond Dark European Chocolate bar- This is definitely not something I would've bought for myself because I don't typically pair fruits and chocolate, but I love almonds. The best part is that what looks like a large chocolate bar actually contains several smaller, individually wrapped chocolate bars. The perfect size for a quick treat!

Manischewitz Vegetable w/ Mushrooms Soup Mix- I love soup and I'm looking forward to making this!

Made Flavored Soft Licorice, made in Australia- this is something I'd never heard of and again, not something I ever would've bought. But it's something I can share with the whole family and again, it's the right size for a quick treat!

Locust Lane Homestyle Elderberry Jelly & Sugar Chalet Maple Mustard (both locally made)- I haven't had the chance to try these yet, but I love getting local homemade goodies!

Thank you Gina, for a wonderful box filled with local goodies that are all new to me! I really need to get better about trying the items I get before I post about them. I usually put them aside and don't even put them away in my kitchen until after I've posted. But that's whack! I'll do better next time. :)

And as always, thanks to Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean for starting and running this great program. Anyone can join in on the fun! Just click the link and look for the tab about Foodie Pen Pals.

November Foodie Pen Pals Reveal!

November was my second month participating in the Foodie Pen Pals program and I'm hooked! I had a lot of fun putting together my box this month and I loved what I got. I sent a box to Heather at In Her Chucks and you can see what I sent her here. 

This month my box came from Lindsay at Itz Linz. Everything came from Trader Joe's. In case you didn't know, Trader Joe's is one of my most favorite places. There's one about a half mile from my office and I go regularly on my lunch break. The crazy thing is that I had never tried any of the things Lindsay sent me! 

Here's what I saw when I opened the box:

The first thing I noticed was the Roasted Coconut Chips. I've been eyeing these in the store but hadn't picked any up. I was so excited to see them in my box! They're delicious and not like anything I've tried before. I think they would be great as an ice cream topper. :)

Here's what I got:

2 other things I've been wanting to try are the Cranberry Apple Butter and Pecan Praline Granola. I seriously did a happy dance when I saw them! I still haven't opened either one since we were out of town for a few days for Thanksgiving, but any day now I'll be trying them out and loving them.

I love snack bars and am a bit partial to Lara Bars. I didn't know too much about KIND bars but I immediately tore open the cranberry almond one (not pictured). It was delicious!! I'll definitely be buying more! I was also excited to see the Candy Cane Green Tea. I was even more excited to see that it's decaf. I don't drink coffee and when I do, I only drink decaf. So this is great! And perfect to enjoy while wrapping Christmas gifts. :)

Also in the above picture is Roasted Seaweed Snack. An unusual treat that I was happy to try.

Lindsay also sent "17 Bean & Barley Mix" that I can't wait to make this weekend! I love making (and eating!) soup and this time of year there's nothing I love more than a bowl of warm, hearty soup. Jack also loves soup so we'll definitely be enjoying this!

Last but not least, she sent a Burt's Bees Lip Balm. What a nice treat especially for the dry, winter months. And I love the way it smells!

Thank you for an awesome FPP box, Lindsay!

For the month of December Foodie Pen Pals is going to be for charity (awesome idea!). Please go to The Lean Green Bean for all the info. And if you want to sign up to send and receive a box of goodies in January, you can sign up after December 18th. I'll definitely be signing up! 

October Foodie Penpals Reveal

I mentioned in a previous post that I had signed up for Foodie Penpals. October was the first month I participated and it is super awesome! I can't wait to do it again and again!

This month I received my package from Shannon at Skinny Sometimes. Check out her blog if you get a chance. She has some amazing looking recipes posted! I told her I'm trying to eat healthier but that I also enjoy sweets. I got a lot of yumminess!

I wasn't sure where to start and I haven't tried everything yet, but I'm looking forward to!

These veggie crunchers are so good! It took some serious willpower to not eat the whole bag as soon as I opened it. This is definitely something I would buy.

These raspberry tartlets are super sweet and oh so delicious! I was very surprised (and pleased) to open the box and discover the tarts individually wrapped (although it says so right on the box!). They're small and because they're so sweet, one is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. I can't overdo it and I love that!

I would love to receive items I can share with my family, especially Jack. I told her I have a 2 year old son and she completely surprised me by sending a few items just for him!

These Disney fruit crisps are way healthier than fruit snacks and he loves the Teddy Grahams cookies! Thank you so much for including Jack in this month's package!

The Fiber One PB&J bars are just about gone. Everyone in my family participated in eating those! I was happy to receive snack bars that I had never tried before. I look forward to trying the individual ones as well as the smoothies.

A big thanks to Shannon for the wonderful package and for making my first month a great one! :)

Wanna join for November? You have until November 4th to sign up and matches will be sent out on the 5th. For all the info, go visit Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean!