Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

It's that time again- Time for my Foodie Pen Pal Reveal!  

This month I was paired up with two readers. My Pen Pal was Shannon and she sent me package filled with awesome dairy free goodies.

My first glimpse into my goodie box.

I am not quite sure how she fit all of this into that small box!

The first thing I did was read the very sweet card she included. My mom always taught me that whenever you get a gift, you always read the card first.:-)  Shannon herself is not dairy free, but she was so sweet and made sure to read all the labels and make sure that everything in the box was.  

These chips were my favorite items.  I am a huge chip fanatic- I'll take salty over sweet any day. The PopCorners Chips were so good!  I have been wanting to try them for some time, but just never picked up a bag.  They are easily my new favorite snack food!  The Pita Chips were also very good- they tasted like the fried won-tons you get in Asian restaurants.  I did share this bag with my husband since he loves pita chips.  (I did not share very many of the PopCorners though). 

       

Quinoa is easily one of my favorite grains so I was thrilled to get a brand new box of it!  It's still unopened but I have some plans for it once we get home from vacation.

I always love to try a new tea, and Shannon sent me 3 to try. I had the Tazo Rest tea one evening after dinner when I was not feeling so great (allergy season has been tough on me this year).  It tastes similar to Chamomile to me.  It is a very relaxing tea- perfect before bed or if you have the sniffles. The Cold Brew tea is being packed for the beach so I can make myself a couple glasses of iced tea while we are there.   The Yogi Perfect Energy tea I am saving for those afternoons when I need a pick me up.  (I'm a bit of a food hoarder, I like to save and savor things like this).

                                  

I had never had one of these bars before, and I tried it just the other day.  It's a very sweet, nutty bar with a coconut flavor.  I reminded me of eating a candy bar, but without the chocolate.  Very sweet, and a great snack to have in my purse. 

I have been saving this specifically for vacation.  I didn't want to open it before we left and have it go to waste, so I have wrapped it up and we are taking it with us.  I love key lime, and so does my husband.  I am thinking this will be perfect in the morning on a bagel or toast while we sit on the deck and sip our coffee.  And I wanted to be sure to share it with our friends.

So there you have it- this month's Foodie Pen Pal box.  Thank you so much Shannon for all the wonderful goodies you sent!  And for taking the time make sure each item was dairy free!  

Are you interested in participating in the Foodie Pen Pals Program?


-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 CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.


You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

In April Jessica at Dairy Free Betty posted about her Foodie Pen Pal.  I thought the whole thing  looked like so much fun that I just had to join in too! The best part of blogging is connecting with my readers or with other bloggers, and this is a perfect way to do it!  Plus, once a month you get a fun surprise in the mail- and who doesn't love getting packages??
This month was my first experience and it's been amazing!  Both bloggers that I have been paired up with are awesome and I have really enjoyed being in touch with them and following their blogs.

My Foodie Pen Pal was  Beth at Its Good to be the Cook and she is awesome! She emailed me at the beginning and asked what my food intolerances were, and made sure everything in the box was 100% dairy free. My package came during a week that had been more than a little rough, so when it arrived on my doorstep really brightened my entire week.

Of course the minute it arrived I just had to tear into it to see what goodies I would find. I had help too- my daughters were just as excited to see what was in the box as I was!

She sent me a box was full of treats from my very favorite store-Trader Joes!  Surprisingly though I hadn't yet tried some of the goodies Beth included in the box.  The first thing I did was read through the little booklet she put together for me.  She included a very sweet note, a detailed list of what was in the box, and some of her favorite recipes.  I absolutely love it and the booklet now resides on the rack in my kitchen with all my special cookbooks.

In the box I found:

Balsamic vinegar: I haven't opened this yet, but I know it will get a lot of use since we love cooking with vinegar.

TJ's Garlic Infused Organic Olive Oil:  This olive oil is my new favorite and will be a staple in my kitchen from now on.  I've used it in Aglio Olio, on roasted green beans, and over plain pasta.  It's so good! 

Lemon Pepper Pappardelle: One of my favorite pastas.  It makes a great aglio olio, or is good all on it's own.

 Sweet Chili Sauce: We hadn't tried this before and I am honestly not sure how I missed it!  I have dipped some chicken in it- so good! I can't wait to cook with it. 

 Beth suggested using it in a marinade and that is something I cannot wait to try.  It's a little tangy, a little sweet, and just a touch spicy- the perfect flavor combination in my opinion.  

Crimson Blossom Green Tea: I am a huge tea lover and am always on the hunt for new teas to try, so of course this was one of my very favorite surprises in the box. It's a sweet, fruity light tea . 

To me there is nothing better than a good cup of tea in my favorite mug, and a good book.  Even though summer isn't really hot tea season, this one has that summery taste to it.  Of course, it would make a delicious iced tea too!

Sugar, Chocolate, and Coffee Grinder: There are no words for this!  It makes an average cup of coffee taste like it's from a coffee shop.  Or you can grind it over top of toast.

Gummy Tummies: These are DANGEROUS ( and gone!)

 I am a huge fan of gummy candy- it's really the only kind I like.  I did manage to eat this bag slowly over the past couple of weeks, but I certainly didn't share with anyone;-)

Peanut Butter Pretzels: Already a family favorite-I've had to chase my husband away from them several times already!

Thank you so much Beth for my wonderful box of foodie goodies!  It was wonderful and we are still enjoying all the goodies you sent.

If you would like to see what I sent my Foodie Pen Pal head on over to Edible Obsessions.

Are you interested in being a Foodie Pen Pal?  It's open to all bloggers and readers.  All you have to do is visit  Lindsay's site, The Lean Green Bean,  for sign up details. I hope you'll join us next month!