My First Foodie Penpal Experience

Just over a month ago, I heard about this awesome foodie penpal idea. The idea was simple: you sign up, get matched with other people in the country, send food to one person and receive some from someone else. Through the Lean Green Bean website, I found this super-organized foodie penpal program with foolproof rules and explanations. I signed up as soon as I discovered it. I couldn’t tell if I was more excited to be mailing Virginian items to someone or to be receiving some new stuff to try. Really, the whole experience has been fun.

I was definitely intimidated when I realized I’d be sending a goodie package to Shannon from Badass Fitness. Browsing through her blog was, not only inspiring for my workouts but also puzzling as to what I could send her that wouldn’t be “bad food” for someone who is in such great shape. After a few days thinking about it, I found a few items that might have been over the top on their own but, as the quantities were small, would hopefully be fun little treats.

I have to say that the waiting week, between the mailing date and when I received the package was VERY long. I love surprises and I have no patience when it comes to seeing them (just ask my husband what it’s like to be around me at Christmas time, haha). On Monday, after coming back from a long day at King’s Dominion, I had a big envelope waiting for me in the mailbox! I couldn’t get inside the house fast enough to open it. I almost forgot to say hello to my husband when I entered the door. I had absolutely no idea what to expect as I had only told my penpal that I loved sweets and didn’t really like anything hot (as in spicy hot).

Thanks to Jennifer from New York, I found myself in a sea of Atlantic City taffy, Caramel Coffee Werther’s Original, Coconut M&M’s, and 2 types of Extra Dessert Delights gum. It was especially interesting as I had already tried most of these things but never in these amazing new flavors! Let’s just start by saying that the M&M’s didn’t last very long. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the coconut flavor but the fact that they lasted about 2 minutes probably answers the question. 🙂 I’ve been eating several taffies everyday. I actually had to put the box away as I was eating way too many! And the box is huge! So, if I can control my sweet taste-buds and my ever-so-hungry-for-sweets stomach, I should be eating taffy for a long while. I tried a Wherthers Original before writing this. I used to love the regular flavor when I was growing up. Just like I felt about the M&Ms, I didn’t know what to expect of this new flavor. Can you really beat a great classic? The answer is yes, you can. The coffee flavor was just perfect. And the great thing about them is that, even though they’re super sweet, one of them tend to satisfy my sweet tooth as they take a while to eat. I have yet to try the gum but I’m pretty excited about the strawberry shortcake and mint chocolate chip flavors. I feel like it will be another great way to satisfy my cravings. Could it be that the sweet treats I received will help my weight loss plan? I’d definitely love that!

All in all, I loved the foodie pen pal experience and I am already signed up for September. With the cozy fall and wintery months coming up, this should be getting better and better (plus we won’t have to worry about food melting anymore!).

Thank you so very much to Jennifer for all the goodies!