September Foodie Penpals

It amazes me how every single month my Foodie Penpal never ceases to impress!!! This month my package came from Joanna, who blogs over at Midwestern Bite!  I knew based on our email conversations she was going to put together a great package, and that she did:

Pop Chips {Sour Cream and Onion}

The Pine Club Salad Dressing

Tomato Preserve {from the Amish Country}

Honey Sticks

Bee Pollen

Esther Price Chocolate {a local favorite and popular gift} 

Joann mentioned in her card that Bee Pollen has a lot of health benefits, so I quickly started doing some research. One website said A supply of bee pollen is like holding a whole health food store in the palm of your hand. This one convenient source is a storehouse of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and oils, carbohydrates, amino acids, over 5,000 enzymes and coenzymes, hormones, peptones, polypeptides and globulins, high concentrations of the nucleic acids RNA and DNA, and a variety of antibiotic substances. Another site referred to it as a superfood.  I've started out by putting a small amount of bee pollen on my PB toast, and am looking forward to incorporating it into more recipes.

I wasn't sure what to think about the Tomato Preserve, but it is delicious....especially as part of an almond butter & jelly sandwich!

This just might be new favorite dressing...good thing I can order it online! 

I love the opportunity  to meet new people every week from all over the country and to try local flavors from all over.  You too can join in on the Foodie Pen Pal fun:

July Foodie Penpals

I love receiving mail, especially when it contains yummy goodies and local flavors.  And I love seeing the creativity that people put into their packages! My Foodie Penpal was Kristen {aka The Recipe Queen}, whose blog is all about FOOD {you have to check it out}; she loves to take everyday recipes and jazz them up! 

Here is what I received:

Good n Natural Bars...I can't wait to try these, I love a good bar!

Salsa AND a Spicy Black Bean Salsa recipe! BOOM! Double Whammy! And thanks to Foodie Penpals, I am starting quite the salsa collection!

Ummm....Snapea Crisps where have you been all my life!?

Saratoga Chips...yummy potato chips

I'm normally NOT a huge fan of granola bars {too messy, and I'd rather just eat granola}, but these are so good, and the chocolate is just enough when I am having a sweet tooth! 

I"m going to have to make some pancakes or waffles soon! 

You too can be a part of Foodie Penpals, click below to find out how! 

June Foodie Penpals

This post just might be my favorite post of the month! Thank you to Catherine for sending me a fabulous Foodie Penpal package, full of all of my favorites:

Yummy, I can't wait to make homemade salsa and guacamole...one of my favorite snacks! 

Chocolate & Peanut Butter is my favorite combo, and it's even better when it's Justin's Nut Butter!

An all-natural Nature's Bakery Fig Bar! This was super yummy and is great pre-workout fuel!

I'm more of a coffee girl, but looking forward to trying the tea {probably when the weather is a lil cooler}

Mini Moon Pies, which Catherine said are popular during Mardi Gras! 

I sent a package to VA, for Stefanie {and baby!!!} who blogs at Blogging With Love!

And now it's time for some details about 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 June, 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!



{May} Foodie Penpals

Last month I heard about this amazing program called Foodie Penpals {FPP}, and just as it sounds, instead of sending letters you send FOOD! How fun is that!? I signed up, and after receiving my first package I am already loving it!!! My FPP, who sent a package to me {I sent a package to Kim, in NY} is from St. Louis Missouri and is the founder of Eat Local, which offers savings at several independent, locally owned restaurants in the St. Louis area {Such a great idea}.  I think its safe to say that I totally scored with my first FPP! When my FPP emailed me asking my what I like/don't like/any allegies, etc, I told him him I was open to anything, but am always looking for yummy, health on-the-go snacks, I love chocolate, and one of my favorite snacks is chips & salsa! After May 15th, I anxiously checked my porch daily in anticipation of receiving my package!! And as luck would have it, it arrived on a weekend when I was out of town, so I was SO excited to get home and open it! Being that St. Louis is definitely a beer & meat town, I was excited to see what he would come up with, and here is what he sent me {and of course everything is a St. Louis local product}...

A delicious Mound City Shelled Nut Company Plaza Mix...the perfect healthy, yummy, on-the-go snack! As you can see, I even ate some before I was able to take pictures for my blog!

My favorite!!! Hacienda Mexican Restaurant {a local Mexican Restuarant established in 1968} House Salsa & Billy Goat Chip Company {gluten free, artisan} Spicey Kicker Chips! Umm....the chips are AMAZING...great flavor, not super greasy! I WILL be ordering more of these! I haven't opened the salsa yet, but can't wait to try it! I should probably order more chips first, because I am sure they are the PERFECT combo! 

How amazing are these!? A bottle of "ski"!? LOVE!!!  My FPP isn't aware of this, but I love waterskiing, which makes these even more fantastic! And the bottles are so cute...I almost feel like I can't drink them! A product of the Double Cola Company, Ski was born in 1956 by combining the natural flavors of real lemon and real orange juices, with a {caffeine} kick. In 2009, Ski introduced the famous slogan, "Real Lemon, Real Orange, Real Good."  I'm looking forward to enjoying these while skiing this weekend!

And last, but NOT least {a package from St. Louis, MO wouldn't be complete without it} is a Bissinger's {handcrafted} Peppermint Chocolate Bar! Bissinger's {which started in a small kitchen in Missouri} has been making fine confections for more than 350 years and takes pride in the fact that it has not sacrificed quality ingredients, taste, or craftsmanship to produce more confections at a lower cost. I love peppermint bark, but lots of time is can be too "pepperminty"...not this one! Its delicious, melt-in-your-mouth good! 

I might be {just a little} bias, but I think I had the best FPP; and I can't wait to see who I am paired with for June.  I love to not only receive packages, but I also love sending packages...and now I love Foodie Penpals too! 

And now it's time for some details about 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 June, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

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