Blogging has been taking a back burner in life right now and that's okay. I wish I could tell you all the things I want to, but there isn't enough time! Especially when the Hunger Games series is calling my name. I am obsessed and can't put them down! I was a little weary of jumping on the Hunger Games bandwagon because last time I joined in on a teen series everyone was raving about, it was the Twilight books. I have this thing where once I start reading a book or series, I have to finish it, even if I don't like it. So I slogged through the Twilight books, even though by the end I wanted to jump through the book and strangle Bella. I seriously despised her character. I also think it gives a really bad example for teenage girls-instead of empowering them I felt like the series made it seem like a good idea to give up everything for a boy. And Bella was too whiny teenager for me.
Okay woah, enough about my ranting about Twilight.
So this is the second month I've participated in the Foodie Pen Pals program. This month I was paired with Anna and sent my box to Janie, a blog reader in Chicago!
I was so excited to receive my pen pals box from Anna and she did a wonderful job filling it with goodies!
She included a cute card and explained a few of the things she sent!
The box was a great mixture of treats and healthy snacks and was full of new-to-me things!
The Two Degrees bar was delicious and I think I will start adding them into my snack bar rotation! The whole grain thin cakes remind me a lot of rice crackers but are made with corn, quinoa, and sesame and are great with a little peanut butter. Anna also sent me a Edamame berry blend that is great for snacking on! I haven't had dried edamame in quite a while and forgot how much I enjoy it.
I also received a vanilla sugar & cinnamon spice grinder from The Fresh Market. Anna said she liked to grind a little on her yogurt and I tried that and it was delicious! The QRolls are delicious and I've been having one when I'm craving something chocolate!
I have yet to try the coconut water, but I think it will come in handy after a workout in the heat, and there have been plenty of hot days here recently! Anna also wanted to share her love of bacon with me and sent a BLT dip mix. I've yet to make this because I want to share it with people and not eat the whole thing myself!
My favorite thing in the whole box was the salsa which Anna bought at a farmers market. It is amazing! It's filled with black beans, corn and chunky tomatoes and has a really nice spicy kick to it. I wish I could buy it all the time!
This box was packed with goodies and I loved all of it! Thanks Anna for being a great pen pal!
Here are some more details 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 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!
*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!
