And since it is the last day of the month, you know what that means: It’s Foodie Pen Pals reveal day! When you sign up to participate in FPP, you are assigned one pen pal to send foodie-related treats to, and another from whom you will receive treats. Send a box of goodies to your pen pal, wait in eager anticipation for your surprises, and post about what you received on the last day of the month!

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After taking a few months off, it’s that time again: time for another Foodie Pen Pals reveal!

If you are unfamiliar with the Foodie Pen Pals program, it is a program that connects bloggers and blog readers from around the country (and Canada and Europe, too!). On the 5th of the month you receive a pen pal match, send out a box of foodie-related goodies to your pen pal by the 15th, and on the last day of the month you reveal what you received on your blog! {Remember, you don’t have to be a blogger to participate.} It’s a great, fun way to meet new foodie friends and try some new foods.

This month I got my box of goodies from Allison, blogger, Sweat Pink ambassador, and newlywed (!) over at Life’s a Bowl. She’s adorable; go check her out!

Allison sent me a box full of great goodies, including some pumpkin butter, gorgonzola ravioli (can’t wait to try that!) and French vanilla Torani syrup. And girl must have somehow known I had been craving pancakes and waffles, because she included some Williams-Sonoma mix! I went home and whipped up some waffles for dinner that very night, and boy were they delicious!

And, of course, she threw in a couple pair of Sweat Pink shoelaces! I just bought some new workout shoes and the pink laces look awesome with them.

If you’re interested in participating in the Foodie Pen Pal program for February, click here for more information on logistics and how to sign up.

Um, guys?

Where did September go?

Seriously. One day it was Labor Day weekend…and then I blinked and now it’s October! Yeesh.

But you know what time it is! And I don’t mean pumpkin-spice-whatever-latte time.

Foodie pen pal reveal time! This month my pen pal was Shannon, a senior photojournalism/theatre/dance student from Texas! She sent me a box of food straight from her Texan heart, including a bottle of Stubb’s spice rub, a healthy trail mix complete with Texas pecans, and a fun new food to experiment with: a plantain! I’ve seen them used before and eaten plantain chips, but had never bought one to experiment with myself. I love trying new things! I also got some apple chips and almond butter – perfect healthy snacks to fuel me through my workouts. Hooray!

Helpful, as always.

Thanks for the goodies, Shannon!

If you would like to become a foodie pen pal, you know what to do: Hop on over to The Lean Green Bean and fill out the form. That’s it! It’s a great way to get to know some awesome people from around the country and try new things! What a great combo.

Can you believe that we are already at the last day of August? This weekend is Labor Day weekend. Whoa. Slow down, world!

But, since it is the end of the month, you know what that means…foodie pen pal reveal!

This month my foodie pen pal box was sent to me by Bec, the blogger behind Bec Gets Healthy. Let’s take a look a the awesome treats that she put together:

Look at all of those goodies! I can’t lie, the minute I opened the box, I pretty much inhaled several of those Key Lime White Chocolate Cookies, as well as a shockingly large portion of the C’est la Cheese flavor of Stacy’s Pita Chips (I was having a stressful day, ok??). Let’s just say they didn’t last long.

One local item that Bec included was the Jed’s Maple Cotton Candy. I am waiting to share it with my daddy when I visit my parents this month – the man loves cotton candy and I just know he is going to go nuts for this stuff.

But the one thing that I have to tell you about is the Quinn popcorn. Bec sent me one package of Vermont Maple and Sea Salt and one package of Parmesan and Rosemary. WHOA. That was some good popcorn. I had a hard time deciding which I liked better, although my penchant for cheesy snacks leans me toward the Parmesan flavor. The cool thing about this popcorn, though, is that they give you the oil and seasoning packets separately from the popcorn itself, and you add it after you have popped the popcorn. Trust me – it’s good stuff.

If you are interested in getting involved in the foodie pen pals program, hustle on over to Lindsay’s blog where you can read the rules and fill out the sign-up form. If you sign up by September 4, you can still participate for this upcoming month!

Wow, another month has flown by already! Can you believe it? I seriously can’t believe how fast June came and went. It’s been a busy, event-filled month (as you read this, I am probably knee-deep in hairspray, makeup, and bridesmaid dresses) and now that we have reached the end of it, you know what that means: time to reveal this month’s Foodie Pen Pal box!

This month I received my Foodie Pen Pal treats from Colleen, aka the Cookie Princess, over at Secrets from the Cookie Princess. As soon as I heard from her, I knew this month’s box was going to be good – we have so much in common – and boy, was I right!

As soon as I opened up the package, I saw these scotchilla cookies – oatmeal cookies with butterscotch and vanilla chips - staring at me, begging to be eaten. So I munched on one while I looked through the rest of the goodies. Obviously. (Also, I shared with my coworkers – I did have a bridesmaid dress to fit into, after all – and they were big fans as well.)

The rest of the box (overly curious cat not included) was chock-full of fun things! Some adorable cupcake liners (perfect timing, as I was just getting ready to bake cupcakes later in the week!), cupcake and cookie stencils, fruit juice, pasta, plantain chips (addicting!), strawberry flavored licorice, and a great looking seasoning mix. Colleen even threw in a handmade dish cloth since she knew that we both like to crochet! (She also must have somehow known that I’m a Messy Bessy in the kitchen and am always needing clean dish cloths for cleaning up after myself…)

Thanks for all of the goodies, Colleen! =)

If you are interested in becoming a Foodie Pen Pal (and you totally should!), head on over to The Lean Green Bean and sign up! There’s still time to get in on the action for July.