January Foodie Pen Pals: What I Got!
Hey folks. I’m feeling quite blah this morning. Woke up at 4AM and couldn’t go back to sleep, and a round of P90X Yoga did nothing to improve my physical or mental state today. I’ve been feeling some effects from the many evenings out I’ve been partaking in over the last couple of weeks, some in my body, but mostly in my mind. I’ve just been wrestling with feeling guilty about any indulgences I’ve partaken in – and when I focus on that, it sometimes makes it seem like all I’ve been doing is indulging at every meal, though I know in reality that’s not true. I also am getting stressed about a lack of down time. Now that my semester has started back up I’ve got less time for the workouts and relaxing “me time” at home that tend to keep me “sane”. That is, I’ve got less time for it if I want to keep up my social schedule, which has done nothing but speed up since the holidays – I thought it’d be the opposite! I think something has to give here and I need to make myself stop making so many plans, but honestly, there is just so much fun stuff to do! Good problem to have, but I’m getting exhausted.
OK. Rant done. The real reason I’m posting today…
Lindsay has done it again! January’s Foodie Pen Pals has gone on without a hitch – with the exception of me mailing my package two days late (dammit, no mail on Sundays or MLK Day). I received my package from Francesca early, and was overwhelmed by how generous she was. Just like November’s pen pal, Tara, my January pen pal seemed to know me very well, even though the only guidance I gave her was “I like everything!” She sent me so much stuff, I had to take several photos.
The chocolate chip cookie looked amazing and felt so soft. The Saran wrap protected it well! My little brother has already stolen it. Continuing the chocolate trend, the Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds will be so good after I’m allowed to eat nuts again – a couple months post-wisdom-teeth! I’ll have to hold off til then! The pink bubble bath was food-related, though it may not seem so at first – doesn’t it look like a bottle of champagne? I think yes! It served me well when I accomplished one of my happiness goals of taking a bubble bath recently!. Finally, the Crystal Light Pure drink powders are going to come in handy for my mom. She really likes them for the afternoon. I myself don’t like flavored water, but this food will NOT go to waste!
Candy time! Raspberry Chocolate Covered Peeps are good any time of year, and my brother appreciated the Rainbow Berry Sour Candy. I plan to share the Pomegranate Fruit Strips with my friend Kim, but I won’t be sharing the Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Mousse. No, not at all. The chocolate all goes to me! The Skinny Cow Clusters look like the perfect post-lunch dessert to pack for work.
I saved the best for last – my two favorite items. I’m so psyched to mix the Archer Farms Banana Slices into my usual Chobani, cottage cheese, and pudding snacks. Those Iced Animal Cookies totally bring me back. I used to love them as a kid and they still serve as one of my very favorite fro-yo toppings.
Thank you to Francesca for taking the time to put together such a great package with a variety of goodies! If you’re interested in Foodie Pen Pals, here’s some info from Lindsay:
- 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. *US Residents only please at this time- hopefully we can expand soon!*
If you’re interested in participating for February, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
- Your full name
- Your email address
- Your blog name/address
- Your twitter handle (if applicable)
I highly encourage you all to sign up! Maybe we’ll get paired together!
Stay tuned for a guest post later today from the reader who was the recipient of my pen pal package!
Which item that I received do you wish you could join me in sampling?
