{Foodie Pen Pals} September 2012

It’s Foodie Pen Pal reveal day again! I can’t tell you how much I love participating in this program. It’s a great way to connect with other food lovers across the country. This month, I received a package from Brenna in MA.

What a cute package! I’m so excited to see what’s inside!

I had told Brenna my food restrictions (no shellfish or pork), and asked her to surprise me with a few of her favorite things. I was so excited to see what she would send!

What a great box!

This box was a-ma-zing. Seriously cool stuff, and some new favorites! Here’s a list of the contents:

Peanut Butter Clif Bar
Sweet & Salty Chex Mix
Justin’s Honey Peanut Butter
Justin’s Maple Almond Butter
Soy Rocks
Newman’s Own Salsa (Medium)
Dole Pineapple Chunks
Maneschewitz soup mix
Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal Bowl
Archer Farms Trail Mix
Emerald Almonds
Lipton Honey Peach Tea

So far, I’ve tried the chex mix, Justin’s, soy rocks, soup, kashi, trail mix, almonds and the tea. I wanted to try using a few things from the box in actual recipes instead of snacking on all of it like I did last month. We’re going to be using the salsa this week for salsa chicken–so look for the recipe in just a few days. I’m planning to use the pineapple for pineapple upside down muffins.

The chex mix and the trail mix were my absolute favorites. The trail mix was gone within about 15 minutes of opening the box. I shared with Eric and Ethan, but only a little. The chex mix got mixed reviews in our house. I loved how sweet it was, but Eric didn’t like how sweet it was. Good thing I’m the foodie pen pal The soy rocks were a fail for me. I didn’t really care for them…but I’m glad to have been able to try them. The kashi was great! I hadn’t tried that kind before, and we’ll probably pick some up next time we need cereal. It was a little sweet, and really tasty. It also kept me full for a few hours! The almonds were the perfect-sized package for a purse-sized snack. The soup…well the soup could have been great. I love little packages of soup components. This one just wasn’t super flavorful. I should have added more creative ingredients to make it a little more exciting. Now I know for next time–and there will be a next time. I actually have been throwing around the idea of gathering lentils, split peas, beans, etc. and making my own dry soup base to keep on hand.