FoodiePenPals

Last month, I participated in Lindsay’s Foodie Pen-Pals and it was so much fun that I signed up for another month!

38 food-lovers participated this month and when the matches came out I was so excited to see that Lisa from The Healthy Diaries would be sending me goodies this month.  Not only am I a regular reader of the delicious yet healthy blog, which she writes along with her twin sister Maria, I also was lucky enough to meet them both this past summer!

Lisa & Me in the center (source: healthydiaries.com)

When the actual package came, I couldn’t wait to dig into each of the items, none of which I’d ever tried before.  I also loved that she even took the time to make cute little notes, attached to each product with tips for using it.

So…what did I get!?!?

Sweets (and a little bit of salty)

  • Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses (Trick or Treat!) - Wow.  These really do taste like pumpkin pie. So creamy and smooth, with pumpkin-spice flavors. Delicious!
 
 
 
  • Eurocrem - Similar to Nutella, but sweeter and like a chocolate-vanilla swirl. Lisa’s note said that when she is in Italy she eats something similar, simply spread on a slice of bread.  I made an awesome snack by spreading some on a wheat tortilla, adding sliced bananas, and toasting it until the tortilla got crispy, the bananas caramelized, and the spread was bubbly.  SO GOOD!
  • Olive Paste - Lisa loves this on Sandwiches, but said it might also go well on Pasta or in Soups.  I tossed some with pasta and veggies for an easy dinner. I am planning to use some of the extra Olive Paste as an addition to a Hummus Wrap.
 

  • Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter - This is one of Lisa’s favorite yogurt mix-ins.  It has such a bright, sweet, and slightly tart flavor that I agree that would be a perfect pairing.  I added a dollop of this yummy spread on top of a bowl of pumpkin-raisin oat-bran for an extra burst of flavor!

  • Lindt White Coconut – This bar has been Lisa’s favorite chocolate bar for years, and now it is officially one of mine & Mike’s favorites too.  On the first bite, I was surprised that it actually didn’t taste sweet at all – I just noticed the creaminess and the taste of real coconut. As the chocolate dissolved in my mouth, the sweetness slowly and almost magically came out. This bar is amazing!
  • Mahalo – This bar is essentially an all natural, non-hydrogenated, vegan version of an Almond Joy. Ingredients include coconut, unrefined cane sugar, agave syrup, beet sugar, and cocoa powder. Just for a fun comparison, I looked up the ingredients of an Almond Joy and was shocked to see 284 words of ingredients!!! Next time I have a craving for an Almond Joy, I will certainly look for a Mahalo instead!
Thank you so much, Lisa, for such fun and delicious treats!!!
 
What did I buy for my Pen-pal?
One of my favorite things about Foodie Pen Pals is that we are paired with a different person to shop for, allowing us to get to know even more people.  I was assigned to shop for Laura from Becoming The Odd Duck and am so glad I was!  I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Laura and discovering her blog.  Check out her blog if you’d like to see what I sent her!
 
If you want to see all of this month’s Foodie Pen Pals posts, check out the Link Party on Lindsay’s blog!
 
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Want to become a Foodie Pen-Pal?
 
If you’re interested in participating in the November edition of Foodie Pen-Pals, email theleangreenbean@gmail.com no later than November 4th with the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address (if applicable)
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
Bloggers and Non-Bloggers are welcome to join, however unfortunately (due to shipping costs) it’s only open to US residents at this time.

Details of the Foodie Pen Pals program are listed below:

  • On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your pen-pal 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 Pen-pals 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 pen-pal 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!*