Foodie Pen Pals: Muesli & Tea

Yes, it’s Foodie Pen-Pals time again!  This is my 3rd month participating in The Lean Green Bean’s foodie exchange and I’m having so much fun getting to know new bloggers and trying new foods.  

This month, I shipped off a vegan, gluten-free package to Sarah of The Smart Kitchen and I received a shipment of healthy goodies from Lindsay of Biking and Baking Before Bed.

Lindsay put together a great package for me of some of her favorite items.  I loved each of the items she picked out and could easily eat them every day.

The package included:

  • Bob’s Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli
  • GoLEAN Crunch Cereal
  • Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea Sampler
  • a Coconut Chocolate Chip CLIF bar
  • and a festive mini-loaf pan (what a great idea!)
 
She was also sweet enough to take the time to make me home-made Maple Cinnamon Peanut Butter, which sounded absolutely wonderful, but unfortunately the jar was shattered in shipping.
  

In honor of the broken peanut butter, I stirred some maple, cinnamon, and pb into a bowl of warm muesli with almond milk for a late night snack.

I had never bought muesli before but I think it may have become a new staple for me.  More than just oats, this muesli has a blend of grains also including wheat, rye, triticale, and barley, and is studded with almonds, date crumbles, raisins, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.

Lindsay said her favorite way to eat muesli is warm with almond milk and honey, so of course I tried it that way too.  I also added a sliced banana and sprinkled the Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal and slivered almonds on top for a perfect crispy contrast. Yum!

I have been wanting to try the NEW Coconut Chocolate CLIF Bar for quite a while now but haven’t seen it in stores yet.  I was excited to see one tucked into my package.  Yes, it’s absolutely as good as it sounds and is my new favorite flavor of CLIF Bar.

 

 

Last but not least, the herbal tea sampler is turning into a wonderful nightly winter ritual at my place.  It included 3 tea bags each of Honey Vanilla Chamomile, Chamomile, Sleepytime, Peppermint, and Lemon Zinger.

Lindsay mentioned that the peppermint tea is her favorite and that it is said to aid with digestion.  I put it to the ultimate test and had a cup after Thanksgiving dinner.  

One of my favorite things about the peppermint tea is that it has just one ingredient: Peppermint!

Another night I made a special hot-cocoa by brewing the peppermint tea in almond milk and then adding cocoa powder, maple syrup, and Dandies vegan marshmallows.

I truly enjoyed this month’s package.  Thank you so much, Lindsay, for sharing some of your favorite foods with me!

Be sure to check out The Smart Kitchen to see what I sent out this month, and check-out the Lean Green Bean to see the rest of this month’s Foodie Pen-Pal Exchanges!

Do you want to be a Foodie Pen-Pal? To sign-up for next month, just email theleangreenbean@gmail.com by December 4th.  It’s open to both bloggers & readers.  More information about Foodie Pen Pals can be found here.

Bloggers Note: Unfortunately due to my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia, I’ll be taking a hiatus from Foodie PenPals in December and January, but am eager to join back in February!

I’d love to hear from you!

Have you ever tried Muesli?

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever made with Tea?