Foodie Penpals #1 December 2011

So I'm quickly learning that the virtual food blogging community is pretty cool! First by going to the Foodbuzz Festival and now by participating in a program called Foodie Pen Pals! I had a few pen pals growing up always enjoyed getting a letter in the mail. To this day, I still look forward to picking up the mail everyday and hoping there is some real people mail tossed in with all the junk. The Lean Green Bean's Foodie Pen Pals came to my rescue just at the right time!

I was so excited to come home and find a package from my December pal: Kayla from the blog Sprouty Buns. I heard about this program when I was in San Francisco at the Foodbuzz Festival from Sarah and I thought it was such a neat idea. Basically, bloggers/or foodies are matched and then mail each other a foodie care package. With, a $15 limit it is a fun way to have a modern day pen pal! If you want to see what others got go here.

Kayla is a healthy foodie that has a fun blog at Sprouty Buns. She was so sweet and emailed me saying sorry about the duct tape use on the package! Kayla, since I'm originally from Alaska it's no problem at all! We use duct tape all the time! Here's the fun package of goodies:

A nice note from Kayla

She said in her note that she sent some of her favorite things!

Kayla, we think a lot alike.....


What a wonderful box of goodies! Kayla said she is a Popchips addict and I have to admit that I really love them too! The BBQ flavor is really yummy. They are baked not fried! She also included my favorite Nut butter maker: Justin's. These little single serve packages I also take when traveling on tour!   This year  of  2011, I discovered Larabars and one of my most favorite flavors is Cashew Cookie, which was in the box. A new one to me is the Kind bar. I've seen them but haven't bought one of their fruit & nut bars so I'm excited to try it once rehearsals start up again. I grew up eating fruit leathers and Barabara's products. The oatmeal snackanimals look quite tasty. 

Dark chocolate is my favorite too! Especially high percentage ones like 70%!

I've tried a few Tasty Bite products but this one: Lentils with garlic, cumin, & cardamon looks divine!



Kayla thanks again for all the goodies! Your pantry I have a feeling looks a lot like mine does! Great healthy minds think alike! I had great fun too putting together a package to send to Laura at Joyful Shimmy.



If you would like to have a Foodie Pen Pal:

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. *US Residents only please at this time- hopefully we can expand soon!*
If you’re interested in participating for January, please send  an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
I will need to hear from you by January 4th as pairings will be emailed on January 5th!




So glad I participated this month! I can't wait for January!

CIAO,

BETSY