November Foodie Penpal Reveal + End of Crunchmaster Crisps Giveaway

If Friday were a tangible thing, I'd give it the biggest hug just about every week.  I say "just about" because, well, I'm sure we all have those Friday's where everything seems to go awry.  Let's hope this is not one of them!

It is the last day to enter for your chance to win Crunchmaster Cheesy and Grammy Kid's Crisps, so enter now for your shot.  I'll announce the winner hopefully Monday next week.

We're already giving November the boot (or is it giving us the boot? Hmmm) and heading into December with Christmas fast approaching.  As a kid, I remember everything taking "forever", but now it won't slow down! Seriously, didn't we just finish handing out candy to little monsters kids in costumes?

And now I'm sure most of us are rushing around looking for the best gifts for friends and family.  Not to mention all of the holiday outings at work and outside of work.  The holidays should be more relaxed, but it seems more rush-rush and hard to keep calm.  Am I alone here or does anyone else agree?

I'm a person who thrives on knowing my schedule ahead of time and rarely like changing my daily routine.  I recognize this is a problem and I'm currently learning to get over (some of) it. What would I really like to be doing?  Just relaxing with my wife, Kelley, and sitting around watching full seasons of our favorite shows or going to partake in various outdoor activities.

In reality, I go crazy if I don't get a scheduled work out in and spend at least 2 hours in the kitchen. If anyone knows where that switch to turn off this obsessiveness is, please, let me know ASAP!

Enough rambling, it's Foodie PenPal Reveal Day!! A big thanks to Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean for hosting this giant connection of people across the world.



Both the person sending to me, Christina, and the person I sent to do not have a blog. This is okay, but I just tend to enjoy it more when I can read the other person's blog talking about what I sent them.  Oh well, still fun nonetheless.

Christina seemed to be busy with holiday events since I just got the package yesterday, so I only have pictures to show.  Maybe I'll mention these goods in a future post once I get to try them.

Sea Snax, ginger peach green tea, another autum-spiced tea, The Chia Co. chia shots, Go Raw Real Live Bar, another local item, Bearded Brothers Ginger Peach Energy Bar, Crunchy Cranberry and Cherry Almond Snacks, and a funky tube of hummus ready to eat.

Being from Austin, TX, she sent me some good looking local salsa from El Chile I can't wait to try.  I love Austin, and since I'm just in Fort Worth, TX, it's really not that far away.

I've been wanting to try the Sea Snax, so I'm excited to get these.

The Chia Shots are something new to me. I buy chia seeds in bulk, but never see them like this, so it will be fun to bring the to work for a quick pick-me-up.  The Go Raw Live Bar will be another fabulous work snack.

Again, the Bearded Brothers bar will be a work companion and I'm excited to try!

And tea is always a welcome item to me.  I haven't tried the hummus, but am intrigued; I'll update once it's finished.

So, thank you, Christina, you did great sending me some goods.  I will enjoy all but the Cranberry and Cherry Crunchy Snacks; more sugar and other things I can have, but my family will definitely love it!

Are you familiar with the Foodie Pen Pal Program? It's definitely worth looking into and always fun to see who you get paired with.  You meet two new people and maybe learn a little something. Check out Lindsay's dedicated Foodie PenPal Page to learn more and sign up for the next event.

For December, Lindsay will not be hosting a regular event. Instead, she's asking for us to donate what we would've spent on our pen pal to victims of Hurricane Sandy.  She'll have more on her Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day post, so head on over there to learn more!

Thanks to all who stopped by! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and gets any necessary shopping done....like I need to do!

September Food PenPal Reveal: My Trader Joe's Care Package

This is only my 3rd Foodie Penpal posting but I already feel like I'm a part of an exclusive club.  I guess, in a way, it is an "exclusive" club, but any foodie can join. No blog required, you can just be a reader and join in on the fun.  To learn more and sign up, check out Lindsay's Foodie Penpal program details and then stay to enjoy her food and exercise tips at The Lean Green Bean. Thanks, Lindsay, for putting this amazing event together for us all to enjoy!!

This month, my package came from Allie who has a fun blog at A Day In a Joyful Life.  Her post on Sunday is looking back at being a kid and she posted a picture of the original Power Rangers; wow, forgot about those guys! My little brother would watch them and I'd watch along pretending I didn't care; but I really did! No shame here.

Allie was so kind as to take into consideration my requests for nothing with a lot of ingredients, no sugar, most oils, or carageenan gum. On top of that, I am now gluten-free adding more things to look out for. I also tend to hold a grudge against anything in a package, with a few exceptions, since packaged usually means too processed for my liking.

From our conversation, I could tell she genuinely cared about getting things I'll enjoy, and she ended up with the perfect package! This was basically a Trade Joe's care package I'll happily accept anytime!  Here's what she sent.....

- Trader Joe's Ruby Red Chai Tea
- Trader Joe's South African Smoke Seasoning Blend Grinder
- Trader Joe's Hot Chipotle Salsa
- Trader Joe's Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds

"Awesome" was the one word I used upon first opening the box, and awesome best describes the items I received. Tea, not sweetened at all, is always a welcome gift for me.  I brew all types of tea throughout the day everyday and love how many varieties there are. Mixing herbal with black or green tea gives me a flavorful boost of caffeine in minutes; I love it! Red (aka Rooibos) tea is my favorite herbal variety, and chai is my favorite flavor blend, so the Ruby Red Chai is a win-win for me!

Perfect for my Meatless Monday meal!!

Another everyday essential in or on my food is some form of salsa (for my salad dressing) and spices galore.  I didn't own any spice mixes and usually just add a little from each bottle I have each time, but the South African Smoke spices made this a lot easier and kicked up my salad with the heat I crave.  Adding to the heat, I topped my salad with both the spices and Chipotle Salsa to make a delicious cold, yet "hot" salad.  The smokiness from the spices and chipotle creates a depth of flavor that would be perfect in baked salmon cakes ....hmmmm.

Last but never least, almond butter with roasted flaxseeds is pretty much good on anything.  I dipped carrots in it, smeared it on my microwave protein cinnamon bread, and mixed it into creamy protein dips.  Oh yeah, and I just ate it with a spoon. Good, no, great....I don't want it to end.

Share? I don't understand that word.....

Thank you, Allie, for the perfect package and being so thoughtful in your choices.  I am making great use of all of these and it even inspired me to go to a Trader Joe's not so close to my home for the first time.  The verdict? I'll be returning very soon!

If you want to see what I got my Foodie Penpal this month, check out Olivia's blog at The Lovely Sisters.

And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of 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. 

If you’re interested in participating for October, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

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

*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I'll see if we get enough interest this month!

August Foodie Penpal Reveal and Go Friday!

It's time for another (my second) Foodie Penpal reveal! This is such a fun way to meet new foodies and share great food and drink.  You can also learn about the food others consume around the country.  Let's give a great big thanks to Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean for putting this exciting foodie event together!

This month my FPP Package came from Melissa VanEvery, and I'd say she hit all of my tastes in one box! If you've read my blog before, you probably know I tend to keep most processed, packaged foods to a minimum.  Even then, they undergo my scrutinous ingredient and nutrition label examination before getting in my basket.

I like love treats, and for that reason must make them myself so I don't have the convenience of just opening a packaging a mindlessly eating the whole thing!  I say this because I have.  Not proud.  Now I make what I want to treat myself to and can control all ingredients to omit the fat, sugar, and nutrient-stripped flour.

Melissa's note from the package said she wasn't sure what unprocessed meant to me, but all of the items she sent are things I would and do buy.  Lets go over my August Food Penpal Package.....

A box of green tea from Trader Joes - Perfect! I drink multiple cups of green tea with stevia a day, one less thing I have to buy at the store on my next trip!

The Wizard's Organic Original Hot Stuff - Cayenne is listed in the ingredients twice! 'Nuff said. Love it!

Bottle of Cayenne Powder - This is my salt and pepper; goes on everything not cereal! I buy the stuff in bulk, but now, like the tea, I can skip this on my next few trips.

In-Shell Roasted Peanuts - Melissa got these from a local farmer's market and they are simply wonderful! I told Kelley I wanted to make peanut butter with these, but then I started to open and eat them instead of putting in the food processor.  Oops.  At least I saved some to top our plain Chobani Greek Yogurt alongside a chocolate version of my microwave protein bread. If you ever wondered what awesome tastes like, this is it!

World Market Italian Roast Coffee - Like tea, I love my caffienated beverages....no cream or sugar, thank you.  I served the coffee with my microwave protein bread for a wonderful Sunday breakfast with Kelley. We both agree, the coffee was very good; great choice, Melissa!

Thank you, Melissa, for literally delivering on some of my favorite foods! These won't last long in our house since they are all daily staples! Melissa doesn't have a blog of her own, but she was a wonderful Foodie Penpal.

After reading this post, head on over to Natalie's blog at Fresh Life Findings to see what I sent my August Foodie Penpal.

Happy Friday, Enjoy Your Weekend!

Is this the first time you’ve heard about Foodie Penpals? Would you like to join? Here’s the info right from Lindsay’s site; I highly recommend joining in on the fun!

-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 September, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

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

*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I'll see if we get enough interest this month!

July Foodie Penpal: My First Month’s Revelation

Hi there! I can tell this monthly Foodie Penpal event is the start of something new and enjoyable. Each month you get to meet two new people each with their own stories to tell and ideas to share. I’d like to thank Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean for putting this exciting foodie event together!


For my first Food Penpal, I was matched with Amy from The Mommy Rodeo. She is a lawyer who, as quoted from her website, “I wasn’t fired, I decidedly left my day job and applied for the job of mommy.” So she obviously has great values and I fully support this. Amy is a “four legger lover” and lives in the beautiful state of Florida. Check out her blog as she shares her experience as a busy mommy/wife and feel free to say hello!

Since I tend to despise most packaged products out there, I felt bad for sounding too snobby or picky, but I had to be honest! Luckily, Amy’s package of goodies was nothing less than stellar! Let’s see what she sent….


- Selby Select Loose-leaf tea blend of rooibos and oranges

- Yoder’s Fine Foods No Sugar Added Apple Butter

- Amish Wedding Foods Medium Egg Noodles


All of these are local to her in Sarasota, FL and not produced in global quantities in some manufacturing warehouse. All pluses to me!



No caffeine made this a wonderful way to end the day. And apparently rhyme too!


I’m an avid tea drinker and always willing to try a new one as long as there’s no added sugar or other crap stuff. The apple butter was a welcome surprise since it has been several years since I had the stuff. It’s so hard to find unsweetened anything nowadays! And not the “no sugar added” but plenty of artificial sweeteners added kind; I don’t want sucralose or aspartame in me. Ha ha, that sounds funny.



Apples and cinnamon?! That's like bananas and peanut butter....delicious!!


The egg noodles look fun and I’ve never cooked this kind before. Then again, I haven’t had noodles in a long time! Amy explained in the note she sent with the package that these noodles are extremely popular in her area and I “had to try” them. They aren’t something I would buy since I look for whole grain as the first ingredient, but the list is pretty low and they’re local made. I haven’t tried them yet, but plan on making something for Kelley and me to enjoy.

Out of the three items, I’m in love with the apple butter and had it opened the first day I received the package. My favorite thing is mixing it with low-fat cottage cheese and eating with a spoon or spreading on homemade peanut butter bread. Thank you for the sweet, unsweetened treats, Amy, feel free to send more apple butter any time!


To see what I sent to my Foodie Penpal, check out Susie’s blog that covers so many fun topics at Susie QT Pies Scraps of Life.

Is this the first time you’ve heard about Foodie Penpals? Would you like to join? Here’s the info right from Lindsay’s site; I highly recommend joining in on the fun!

-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 August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

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


*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I'll see if we get enough interest this month!