Morning everyone!

It feels good to be back posting on the blog  I have lots of exciting stuff coming up…I just ran my first half marathon on Sunday, so I’ll have a race recap up next week.  I’ll be competing in my first triathlon next weekend- eek!  And I have lots of recipes to post that have been piling up for months- this blog needs more recipes

Now let’s move onto the good stuff…FOODIE PEN PALS REVEAL DAY!  In case you didn’t catch onto my enthusiasm, I am totally in love with this program.  Receiving a monthly package of food is what I would call a foodie’s dream

Here’s a quick recap of what the Foodie PenPals program is:

• At the beginning of each month, bloggers and blog readers receive their penpal pairing.
• You have until the 15th of the month to send your package, and on the last day of the month you reveal the goodies you were sent
• Packages are to be filled with foodie related items with a spending limit of $15.  The box must also include something written.
• As a penpal you are responsible for contacting your penpal regarding any dietary issues/concerns.  (i.e. vegan, gluten-free, peanut free).
• Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian, and UK residents.  US residents are paired with US residents.  Canadian residents are paired with Canadians.  And UK residents are paired with UK residents.  That way there’s no delay dealing with customs and everybody (hopefully) gets their package on time.

Want to join? Head on over to Lindsay’s blog and you’ll find more details and a sign up form for the Foodie Penpals program.

This month I sent a package to Lisa from Cooking with Jamie, and I received a package from Sarah who blogs at The Laughing Medusa.

My amazing goodies from Sarah:

>Cleo’s Peanut Butter Cups
>Snap! Candy Bar
>Go Go Quinoa Mushroom and Quinoa Cream
>Pur Gum (Peppermint)
>Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer
>Lychee Carnation Blooming Tea Balls
>Ricks Cajun Gococonut

I’m a big fan of GoGo Quinoa- they’re a Canadian based company (from Quebec), and the majority of their products are gluten-free, vegan, and organic.  Although I have yet to try the Mushroom and Quinoa Cream soup, I already like it based on the ingredients (less than 10) and the fact that there isn’t actually any cream in it.  The instructions say to add a milk alternative (almond, soy, hemp, rice) and water when cooking.  This sounds like it’s going to be right up my healthy eating alley

If you read my March Foodie Pen Pals post, you know that I’m a big fan of Pur gum.  It’s vegan, aspartame free, gluten-free, sugar free, dairy free, nut free, and diabetic friendly. Oh, and Maddie approved!

Another product line I love, Vega!  I will definitely be adding that packet of Whole Food Health Optimizer to one of my green shakes

I was super excited when I saw these two treats!  Peanut butter cups and a crisped rice chocolate bar- yes please!  For some reason I was expecting the peanut butter cups to be mini ones, but the package included two cups that look and taste exactly like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  Oh my gosh.  I only ate one of the cups (the other is stashed away in the fridge for when I get a craving for chocolate), and it was delicious!  Not too sweet or sugary, but just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth  I have yet to try the chocolate bar, but you can bet that it won’t last long around here!

Okay, I’ll admit that I was pretty skeptical as to how these cajun coconut pieces would taste, but man are they good.  I’ve never actually tried a piece of coconut before, so this was a first for me.  The coconut flavour was relatively mild compared to the cajun spice flavour, but the combination tasted perfect to me  Had I seen these in the store I never would’ve thought to give them a try- thanks Sarah for introducing me to a new favourite!

I’m looking forward to trying the tea balls.  Sarah said that they’re fun to watch bloom and that they taste really good too.  Can’t wait!

Sarah: thank you so much for the wonderful goodies!! You really outdid yourself!

And a huge thank you to Lindsay for organizing and running the Foodie Pen Pals program.

Have a great day everyone

Something to think about…

~”It’s funny how our past frames us.  How the person we used to be never lets loose of the person we are.  Past failures and disappointments, even victories take hold of us.  They haunt us like ghosts or visit us like old friends.” ~One Tree Hill~