September Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

So this month I participated in a fantastic program hosted by Linsday (a soon-to-be RD!) over at The Lean Green Bean.  She created Foodie Pen Pals, which allows people from all over to get a taste of new, interesting, sometimes healthy, sometimes indulgent foods! This was my first time participating and I can't believe I haven't signed up before!  It's an awesome way to try new products, share recipes and get inspired in your own kitchen.

Here's what the program is all about...

-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. 

To get more info on Foodie Pen Pals or to join for October, visit The Lean Green Bean or click the icon below. 

So...since this was my first time participating in FPP, who better to get matched up with than the mastermind herself? A big thank you to Lindsay for sending me a fabulous package!!!

Inside the package, Lindsay included her super cute business card and a letter explaining the contents of the box.  She also included a Cooking Light magazine, which I think is a really smart foodie-friendly way to recycle! :)  In terms of preferences, I told Lindsay that I love both sweet & spicy things...and that's exactly what I got! 

First up: Lindsay included a sampling of her own vegan cookies! Of course I snacked on one of those as soon as I opened my package. As much as I love to bake, I've never tried a vegan recipe and after trying these I think I'll have to give it a shot!

A few items I really want to highlight...

Key Lime Avocado Salsa. I love avocados, so I was very excited to give this a try! The key lime flavor is really strong and I kept saying I felt like I was drinking a margarita! Unfortunately the avocado flavor didn't come through for me.  I also wish it had been a little chunkier like traditional salsa.  It's pretty thin but I bet it will be great to use on enchiladas or tacos!

Raspberry Habanero Preserves. Wow.  As I said, I'm a big fan of both sweet & hot and this stuff is just that.  The sweetness of the raspberry is immediate and the habanero gives a lasting spicy kick.  I put this on a piece of whole wheat toast and it was definitely a wake-up call to my tastebuds!

TJ's Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds!  One of my favorite things to do at breakfast is to mix a 1-2 Tbsp nut butter and 2 Tbsp of Roasted Flaxseeds into my oatmeal, so this product is perfect for that! :)  Unfortunately, this is one of many products on the FDA Recall List...but once I know it's Salmonella-free, I'll be snatching this up from Trader Joe's!

Also in my package: Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (yum!), Sweet & Spicy Pecans, Red Lentils, and TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute, and Chia Seeds.

Thanks again, Lindsay! :)

I'm really looking forward to using all of this stuff in all sorts of ways over the next month! Now it's time for you to head over to The Lean Green Bean to check out what other Foodie Pen Pals got this month and to sign yourself up!