HAWMC Day 29: Kudos To Me!

Today's Day 29 task for WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge is to talk about three things that I love about...myself!

This is very difficult I think I am not alone in the group of people that don't really know what they like never mind love about themselves. This took some time to come up with.

1.) Kindness: I will admit that my true nature takes a while to come out. I have a hard time being out going to people I don't really know so I am sure there are many people out there who probably think that I am (for lack of a better word) a bitch. But probably more due to my lack of interaction as apposed to just not being very nice. But once you get to know me I would basically do just about anything to help other people. Even if that is just to simply brighten their day. I take pride in just plain being kind and doing things for other people so that is one thing I love about myself.

2.) Stubbornness: This one probably takes people by surprise but I love that I am stubborn. But for good reason, it usually means that I don't give up on things. I know it can have it's negative side but I try to keep it positive. My own stubbornness is what keeps me moving forward with all my health adventures (eating healthy, exercising, pushing myself to try new things and try new races).

3.) Cook/Bake: I love that I love to cook & bake! And it helps that I am good at it. I like to find new recipes and  try them out or make my own adaptations to old recipes. This also happens to fall under my kindness cause I usually bake for other people. Often those who are a large part of my life. But It also helps me by giving them to people because then they are not around my house for me to eat!

Hopefully this will help others find what they like or love about themselves. This was quite the topic to write about.

February Foodie Penpal Reveal

This month marks my one year anniversary since joining foodie penpals and I have enjoyed every minute of it. However I must say when I got an email from Leah asking about all my likes/dislikes and she told me she would be sending me a package from Okinawa Japan I got very excited! Just knowing my package was coming from half way around the world I knew this was going to be fantastic. Let me tell you Leah did not disappoint! I really can't even begin to thank you enough Leah! The package was fantastic and I don't even know where to begin.

This is what I was greeted with as I opened the box. I love that Leah included some menus and sales flyers from Japan. She even included the letter that her electric bill comes in. She can't read it so she just pays it.

Then it got into all the goodies!YUM!

I told her that I love chocolate and peanut butter and she definitely ran with that which I love.

This was an array of chocolate "bars" that she sent me. Leah thank you so much for your notes some of them I wouldn't of had a clue; not that it would have stopped me from trying them! I have already tried the mega combo which was tasty a cross between a wafer and those hershey delites chocolates. I also drove into the Godiva bar. Who can resist anything that says it is filled with chocolate souffle? The one on the bottom left is their version of a larabar or soyjoy. I have yet to try it but no doubt that I will most likely enjoy it!

These caught my eye next. They are probably the smallest donuts I have ever seen. And they are yummy too! I had to make sure I put the bag away so I didn't eat them all at once.

I had to break this into two to be able to take a picture because it was too long for me to get the whole thing and it be a close shot. It reminds me of the candy you could get at a carnival or fair. They are all individually packaged but stuck together with perforations in between each which has been fantastic cause I can pack one in my lunch for a little something sweet and not have to worry about not eating a whole candy bar, etc.

This is probably the one thing I am most excited to try although I will admit I have not tried it yet. It is basically little packets that you squeeze together to get chocolate peanut butter. My two favorite things!!

The note had fallen off this one and until I opened it and figured out that this is the note that went with it I was totally lost what this was. I opened it and had to taste it despite that it is bitter cocoa spread. It actually tastes pretty good. I have decided I want to use this in my baking some how I haven't decided exactly how but I will figure it out.

These are interesting because when I think of caramel corn I think of popped popcorn caramelized. However these are different, the texture is more like Cheetos but they are sweet and strawberry flavored. This was a big hit with my husband. He has become very involved with the foodie penpal packages and that is what he chose to open to try.

I was very excited about these. When I went on a kayaking trip last year one of the snacks they had for us were these organic dried veggies which are very similar to these. They were really good and I am hoping these will be the same when I try them.

I love the Leah sent some hard candy too. The bag on the left is flavored sugarless candies. They are delicious and I would have never guessed they were sugarless they are that good. The ones on the right are lemon & salt. They are very good and a very interesting combo. I was a little unsure at first but it definitely a good flavor.

This package was 100% worth the wait and I really can't thank Leah enough for listening to my likes/dislikes and sending such a phenomenal package! and of course thanks to Lindsay for putting together this fantastic program!

Now after reading all this you know you want to join for March, so here is all the info!

-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.
- Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.

Click HERE to get more information on the terms and conditions of the program and to sign up!

Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!
***If you’re in the UK, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!

January Foodie Penpal Reveal

I am a little late posting this as I was debating what I wanted to do as I have the unfortunate experience of being one of those participants who foodie penpal went MIA and unfortunately did not receive a package this month. I just have to say that it was not a pleasant experience knowing that I worked hard to put together a package for my foodie penpal and then did not get the joy that usually accompanies this program, you know the feeling like when it's christmas and you get to open all your presents. I will say this was of absolutely not fault but my foodie penpals. Lindsay did what she could to try and get in touch with them but like me had no luck. So Since I have no reveal and Amy who I sent a package to does not have a blog I am going to share her thoughts on her package. I hope that is allowed.

Amy was fantastic, when I emailed her asking about her diet and likes/dislikes she got right back to me. She told me she and her family try very hard to adhere to being vegan. I am not vegan and had never put together a vegan but I took this challenge and made it my mission to make sure everything fit within her life style. She was even nice enough to get her package a little bit later than usual as I was away until January 17th but made sure she got it within plenty of time.

Here is what she had to say about it:

Thank you so much for the box of delicious food.  I'm eating some dark chocolate as I write this.  We have had so much fun trying new things.  My kids (I have 7 children ages 7 mo - 12) were enthralled with the coconut and plantains.  They were curious about the seaweed and had fun trying to get each other to eat it.  Today for lunch I broke out the chips and salsa.  I have never had tomato-free salsa and I must say, we all loved it!  Especially my husband.  This is a high compliment coming from him.  He grows heirloom tomatoes and we've lived in Mexico off and on over the years so he is picky about his salsa.  It was delicious.  We have enjoyed everything. 

Your thoughtfulness did not go unnoticed by my daughter Hannah who commented, with delight, "We can eat all this stuff.  It's all vegan, isn't it!"  I must admit I plucked out the chocolate and the kids don't know it was ever in there.  Just a little something for mommy. :)

I love Trader Joe's.  I lived in Ohio and would drive an hour to Cincinnati to shop.  We just got one in Utah and, again, it's an hour drive.  I haven't made the trek but your box of goodies have tempted me to make it a priority.

Thanks again, Alyson.  You made this such an enjoyable experience from your first upbeat, inquisitive email to this gorgeous box of food. 

Your friend,

Amy

I was so thrilled that not only Amy enjoyed it but that she also got to share it with her family. This is what Foodie penpals is usually like and I can't wait for February's package! Here is the info for those of you that would like to take part in March's program:

• 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.
• Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for November, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!

*If you’re from Europe, please CLICK HERE to signup.

Hope you go out and find your own adventure,
Aly

July Foodie Penpal Reveal!

I am not even sure where to begin with this month. My foodie penpal Sonia The Mexigarian who is in California really paid special attention to everything I told her I liked and didn't like. I guess I need to start with the one thing that intrigued me the most!

I had never tried candied ginger mainly because everyone said that it had quite the kick to it. As it turns out Sonia ended up saying the same thing. So of course I had to open it immediately to see for myself. I didn't necessarily hate it but I didn't enjoy it either. I think it is something that is simply an acquired taste and I am not sure I will ever acquire it. But I am thankful I got to try something new.

This is the next thing that was opened immediately! I absolutely love nut butters and chocolate so this was right up my alley! I opened it up and I was in love. I brought it to work with me and I have been having it with my breakfast. YUM!

Although this had pecans in it I figured I would give it a shot. It was actually quite delicious and the caramel was so smooth and creamy. It was also a from a local farm too!

Although these look like they are for children they are great. Apple and banana are two of my favorite fruits so I was excited. They are really handy because you don't need a spoon for them. They have come in very handy for a little burst of energy right before a workout!

These were yummy too. I love dried fruit! I had never had this particular trio from Trader Joe's. I ended up adding it into my granola to make my own little version of trail mix. It added a good sweetness to it and made it that much better!

Although I have not tried this yet. One of my favorite comfort foods in PB & J. I am thrilled to be able to try this homemade apricot preserve! Sonia's mom made it! I love getting homemade goodies!

This gave me a real laugh probably because there are things that I have to do this to so my husband won't eat them either. Sonia wrote on the bag so her husband wouldn't eat them before she could send them to me. I have yet to try these but I am excited to do it soon. I think these will be a great alternative to potato chips.

This was absolutely amazing. Chocolate, wafer and hazelnut cream filling! I ate one and then kept the second one for a snack later on. So excited Sonia sent this!

Sonia is also an artist and she sent me these. She asked me what my favorite animals were and since I told her cats and dogs this is what she sent me. They are very well done and if anyone else likes them make sure you check out her blog so you get to know her.

Thanks again Sonia for the fantastic Foodie Penpal experience!! And thanks to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for putting this whole program together.

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. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 
If you’re interested in participating for August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th!

*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I'll see if we get enough interest this month!

June Foodie Penpal Reveal!

So it is that time again to reveal my June foodie penpal package! I have to give a big shout out to Jillian, she put together a very yummy package for me. Be sure to check her blog out as well and see what she is up to! And of course a big thanks to Lindsay over at The Lean Green bean for putting this whole program together.

I am not even sure where to begin. Well I guess I have to say that on the day my package was delivered it was 90+ degrees outside and there was no one home to bring the package in so it was in the heat. When I saw it sitting on the stairs my first though was "Oh I hope there was nothing melt able in there." You see I told Jillian how much I love chocolate so I was sure there probably was. So I think that is where I will start, she sent me two different kinds of chocolate!!

The first being a new flavor of candy bar from Ghirardelli, cookies jubilee. It was absolutely delicious in fact I am ashamed to admit I ate it all in the same sitting. The second being some chocolates made by Quality Streets direct from Ireland! They were just as delicious! And I got the added bonus of being able to tell my friends from Ireland all about receiving them at which point they almost knocked me down trying to find out where they were and where I had gotten them from. I guess they are very popular even in Ireland! Even though I had to put them in the fridge for a while to solidify before I could eat them they were still all well worth the wait! 

This was the one all chocolate thing she sent me that did not melt however the irony is that it was so hot there was no way I was making hot chocolate. I can't wait to try it though because it sounds simply divine!

Then I noticed this cute little green with white polka dots box and when I opened it I was delighted to find Flour-less peanut butter cookies. They were so good I did not believe they were flour-less. I actually had to stop myself before I ate them all. However Jillian was almost awesome enough to add chocolate chips to them as well which made them even better. She was nice enough to send me the recipe via email and I have already made my own batch that are gone as well. So delicious!!

Keeping right in track with the peanut butter theme she also sent me three different kinds of nut butter from Justin's. They certainly added a lot of variety to my breakfast every morning. I have to say the chocolate hazelnut butter was probably my favorite but no one reading this should really be surprised by that at this point. haha!

Jillian also sent my some of Annie's snack mix which is so yummy. I brought the box to work and leave it my classroom cabinet so that I have it on hand for when I need a little snack. Mind you at this point there really isn't much left! :)

This leads me to the last things in my package. I have to admit that these bars are something that disappointed me as this is the second time within my four months of being in foodie penpals that I have write to my foodie penpal telling them I do not like nuts and have gotten bars that have nuts in them. I understand that finding bars that do not have nuts is quite difficult as I have done the searching for myself but it is still disappointing none the less to get something you do not like. I have to admit that I will give the Odwalla bar a try as you never know if their might be that one thing that makes nuts ok to me. But both Lara bars I had gotten in April and expressed my dislike for them so I did not try them again and the cliff bar I have had before and walnuts just aren't for me. 

Other than the nuts this package was delicious! I was thrilled to get a bunch of new things to try and an amazing new recipe to be able to make for all my friends even the ones with gluten allergies! So thank you again Jillian!!

So here comes the fun part for those of you who would like to get in on all this Foodie Penpals fun find out how right now!

-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. 

-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I'll see if we get enough interest this month!

May Foodie Penpal Reveal!

I have to start by thanking my foodie penpal Julianna! She did a fantastic job of putting together a package that stayed away from things I do not like, giving me things that are my favorite and including some of her favorites too. Please check out her blog and see what she is up to over there in California!!

I seem to always get my package on Thursdays when I have to come home from work, change and run out again so I didn't get to explore my package right away but I couldn't wait to get back so I could!

The first thing that immidiately caught my eye was the pop chips!

As you can see I couldn't even wait to take a picture before I opened them and tried them. They are really good and I was surprised just how much better they are for you than regular potato chips. Not they are healthy but if your going to eat chips anyway theses are the ones to eat, they are delicious. My husband who is a snack guy tried them too and he really liked them. I think I found a new snack for him.

The next two things that I was super excited about where the chocolate bars because I love chocolate!

The dove is already long gone. I am not a huge fan of dark chocolate but I am slowly starting to get an acquired taste for it. I am huge into baking and trying new things so I am sure I will use it in my next baking experiment.

I was very excited to see dried mango!

I had gotten them in my first foodie penpal box and found that I really like them! She also sent me some freeze dried apples from archer farms. They were delicious I always find it interesting how much they taste just like a juicy apple.

Julianna also sent me two Luna bars.

 I have never had either one of these. So of course I tried the S'mores one first! It was delicious and gave me just the right amount of energy when I ate it with a banana before my very first step class! I am looking forward to trying the Lemon Zest one too. I love to have things handy for on the go snacks!

Which brings me to my next two things. She gave me a package of Justin's All-Natural Honey peanut butter and Nature Valley's Granola thins that are dark chocolate and peanut butter, YUM!!

I used Justin's with my breakfast on a 100% whole wheat english muffin with cut bananas. It was amazingly good and it kept me full until lunch!

The granola thins are a great little snack to be able to grab on my way out the door as I am constantly heading somewhere! I like to added them to my lunch as well!

So as you can see this was a fantastic foodie penpal month and I can't thank Julianna enough for all my great goodies. I also want to thank Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for putting this whole foodie penpals program together and all the hard work you put into it to make it go so smoothly for us!

If you would like to join us for June's foodie penpals here is all the info you will need to sign up!
-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. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 
If you’re interested in participating for June, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
You must submit your information by June 4th as pairings will be emailed on June 5th!

*If you're from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I'll see if we get enough interest this month!