Thursday 31 January 2013

January Foodie Pen Pals

 FPP post Foodie Penpals


My favourite day of the month is without a doubt the day I get my Foodie Pen Pal box. I love discovering the new and tasty treats my pen pal picked out just for me. It should be a national holiday for foodies. This month, Lauren at Cravings Gone Clean sent me my goodies.

It was quite the box! Lauren must have done her homework because everything in it was something I liked. The little notes on each treat were a nice touch, too. They explained what she sent and why she chose it.







The first thing I'm going to rave about is the chocolate peanut butter. It was really indulgent (think melted peanut butter cups but without the overwhelming sweetness), but Lauren's note pointed out that it doesn't have any more calories than regular pb! Confession: I may have eaten some of this with a spoon as soon as I took it out of the box...







Next up were some plantain chips. I love the texture of crunchy foods (but don't ever, ever try to feed me something mushy, squishy or slimy!), so these were a big hit!



One of the most special items in the box was a Shockingly Healthy Brownie. It was chocolatey and minty (one of my favourite combinations!) and the best part - Lauren makes them with healthy ingredients like chickpeas (!!!) and sells them! Check out her blog for ordering information. You won't be disappointed.




The tea Lauren sent was a perfect complement to the brownie. Her note said she chose the Bengal Spice tea for me because I like cinnamon. How thoughtful!




And last, but certainly not least, organic chocolate. I tried a little piece of it and I think it would be absolutely perfect melted into brownies, chopped up in cookies or swirled through cupcake icing!

Thanks, Lauren for such a personal box. I loved it!

If you want to see what I sent to Lizzie, check out her blog here (my favourite part are her Cupcake Friday posts, so make sure you read them while you're there!).

Want to know more about Foodie Pen Pals? Keep reading then check out the Lean Green Bean!

Here’s a detailed explanation of the program:
-On the 5th of the 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 treatsThe spending limit is $15The 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 can choose 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 Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK 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. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

***If you’re in the UK, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!

Wednesday 30 January 2013

My Apologies and McDonald's Oatmeal

I've done it again. Left you all hanging with no posts for almost a month! I'm so sorry! I have no excuse except that I've been holding off on baking in a post-holiday attempt to get back to a healthier lifestyle.

Speaking of a healthier lifestyle, head on over to Montreal Mom for the scoop on McDonald's delicious new oatmeal (you have to try it!) and while you're there, enter her giveaway for a chance to win a McDonald's prize pack!

Once again, I'm so sorry for neglecting my blog and you. I promise you'll be hearing from me more often starting right now. Check back tomorrow for Foodie Pen Pal reveal day then look for posts in February about Valentine's Day and National Cupcake Day for SPCAs and Humane Societies. You don't want to miss it!