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!

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!