January Foodie PenPals

This is my second month participating in the Foodie PenPal program (here’s my first month’s experience). I had so much fun with it last month, I definitely wanted to be a part of it again this month. If you don’t know what the Foodie PenPal program is, it’s basically a way for people to give and receive boxes of food or food related items. You’re encouraged to pack things that are unique to your area but if that’s too tough, your favorite healthy foods work too!

Since I don’t have a lot of shopping options in my area, I tend to pack boxes of my favorite things. For example, yummy snack bars, granola, a magazine, and a treat. This month’s treat was Valentine’s Day candy. It kind of seems like every month there’s a holiday so there’s always candy out…

I received a box from Mellissa over at A Fit and Spicy Life. She sent me lots of good loot! Here’s a look:

Mellissa’s from Minnesota which is apparently the home of Target? I had no idea..I learned so much from her basket :). Since it’s the home of Target, she sent me lots of Target goodies.

This cereal and granola is perfect for me! I’ve been getting into plain greek yogurt with granola so the timing couldn’t be better!

I have to say, getting gifts from Target made me sad…we have no Target here!! Isn’t that terrible? I miss it so much!

Mellissa also sent me some wild rice. Not just any wild rice…Minnesota wild rice. I don’t know if you can tell in the picture, but the rice is definitely different looking. I can’t wait to try it!

This tea is one of her favorites so I’m sure it’s great!

I’m pretty excited about these Gatorade bites because I’ve heard of them, but have never tried them. They’re perfect fuel for my long runs!

Thanks Mellissa for all the goodies!

If you’d like to participate in Foodie PenPals, here’s the information: (*This is NOT just for bloggers…anyone can participate! For example, this month I was matched up with a lovely young lady who DID NOT have a blog. So, blog or no blog, if you love food, join in!)

-On the 5th of the 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 can choose 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.

Sound like fun? If you’re interested in participating for February, 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)
–WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT. – this is SUPER important so I can get you on the right list! 

Fun stuff!!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Happy Monday!