October Foodie Penpals: Penn Appetit

Happy Halloween! What a gloomy day, we are having here in Central Indiana. Since Trick or Treating is cancelled, due to tornado warnings, it looks like a Scary Movie Night with my love will be my Halloween plans for this evening.

Remember last month when we just got paired up instead of sending to and receiving from two different people like in the pervious months? Well, Lindsey decided to keep the swap sweet and simple. So we’re going to continue to just be paired up with one person. Which I’m actually starting to really like. Way less complicated.

For October I was matched up with Chelsea from Philly who blogs at Penn Appetit.

Even though I was hoping for some nice fall tasty treats, I still was satisfied with Chelsea's choices.
 

Local Dried Thai Chilies from Di Bruno’s. Di Bruno’s is a famous Italian Market in Philly and since I told her I like spicy things she decided to send me these to experiment with. I'm planning to make some hot sauce real soon using these.


Local Point Breeze Queen Bee Loose Leaf Tea from Green Aisle Grocery. It’s made from African Honeybush and Rooibos teas blended with hibiscus petals and bee pollen. Organic and Caffeine free. Check out the bottle that it’s in! So fancy, I love it.


Dark Chocolate.. with Figs?! Whaaaaaaat! Seriously, why wasn't I informed this existed? I love figs and dark chocolate so you can probably guess that I was in love with this combination.



Thank you so much Chelsea!

Interested in becoming a Foodie Penpal yourself? Here’s the details:

• 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 November, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. You must submit your information by November 4th as pairings will be emailed on November 5th!

Noms of The Week #10 (August Edition)

Here are some of the noms I ate back in August.

1. Best. Coffee. Ever. I got this while traveling in Seattle, Washington! It's all gone now..
2. Dinner night made by Jen and I. Rigatoni Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce, Garlic Bread(made vegan for me, of course) and an Avocado.
3. Peanut Butter filled Nuggets.
4. Whole Wheat Uncrustable with Spinach Tofurky Sandwich(not pictured)

1. No Salt Added Green Beans with Pine Nut Hummus.
2. Annie Chun's* Kung Pao Noodle Bowl.
3. Subway* Honey Oat Bread with all Vegetables and Avocado.
4. High Fiber Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal with Blueberries and Sweetened Coconut.

1. Eat Me Fruit & Nut Bar from Christiana.
2. Crunchy Coated Premium Black Edamame. Oh my! My favorite one I've tried so far! Thank you, Elizabeth!
3. Marzipan! It's European Dark Chocolate with Coconut. If you've never had it..I'd suggest you get some when you can!
4. Nutz Over Chocolate Luna Bar + Peanut Honey Pretzel(not pictured)

1. Pom* Pomegranate Peach Passion Fruit White Tea.
2. Goody Good Stuff* Summer Peaches Candy.
3. Manner* Picknick Hazelnut Waffers.
4. Sugar-free Chocolate Oat Vegan Cookies from Ilona.

 

1. I love Peach Tea! First time trying out the Cranberry that I found on the road. Love it!
2. The end of the month is always bad for us. We always are low on food with barely any money so I had to resort to eating a Vegan Boca Patty Tomato Sandwich on gross White Bread..
3. Steamed Organic Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes w/ Mushroom Gravy and Organic Black Beans.
4. Spaghetti with Prego Sauce, Vegan Parmesan, and Garlic Bread.

Noms of The Week #9 (July Edition)

Okay, bear with me people. I know it's been months since my last NOTW. So to get things back on track I've decided to go back in time and show you what I ate in July.

July was an amazing month actually, because I got to travel across the western side of the United States. So I'll be showing you some of my eats from the trip!

Here we go!

1. What Looks Good That Could Go Into A Salad-Salad; FM Kale, FM Orange Bell Pepper, FM Radishes, FM Blueberries, Avocado, Pine Nut Hummus, Chicken-less Strips, Fat free Balsamic Vinaigrette.
2. Chiptole* Burrito Bowl(Brown rice, Black beans, Pico De Gallo, Guacamole, Romaine.)
3. Cooked FM Summer Squash, FM Orange Bell Pepper, FM Zucchini. I basically just cooked up vegetables that needed to be ate before leaving for the trip. I dipped em' in hummus.
4. FM Kale with Quinoa, Almonds, TJ Dried Blueberries, TJ Dried Cranberries, Pine Nut Hummus, Oriental Vegan Hot Pocket.

1. Chiptole* Burrito w/ Brown rice, Black beans, Fiesta Vegetables, Pico De Gallo, Guacamole, Romaine.
2. Chiptole* Tortilla Chips w/ Guacamole.
3. PB&J on High Fiber Whole Wheat Bread, Kale Fruit Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
4. Luna Fiber Bars.

1. Salad bar @ Chicago Pizza in Cloverdale, Indiana.
2. Spinach Pasta(bowtie pasta, mushrooms, garlic oil sauce, tomato, onion) in St. Louis, Missouri.
3. Salad bar(spring greens, edamame, black olives, green bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, tomato, honey dijion.) @ Ruby Tuesday in Springfield, Missouri.
4. Guacamole Dip(a pile of tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo) also @ Ruby Tuesday. I barely made a dent in that pile of chips since I had ate 1/2 of that salad beforehand. I was craving avocado so bad though, so I honestly just used about 1/3 of the guacamole and just topped it on the rest of my salad and ate the rest of it. I only ate about 8-10 chips.

.

1. Vegetable Hummus Wrap @ The Grand Canyon.
2. Salad bar @ Souplantation in Los Angeles, California. I piled that salad with tons of vegetables, garbanzo beans, and balsamic vinaigrette.
3. Mexican Takeout in Oklahoma City. Bean Burrito, Mexican Rice. I didn't touch the re-fried beans.. for fear of lard.
4. Avocado Garden Burger, Fruit Cup @ Carrow's in Melred, California.

1. Fruit & Maple Oatmeal with Black Coffee.
2. 4 Sides: Sweet Potato w/ Brown Sugar, Green Beans, Rice Pilaf, Blackberries @ Cracker Barrel in Texas.
3. Free breakfast @ Drury Inn in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Oatmeal w/ organic granola, brown sugar, raisins.
4. Another free breakie @ a different Drury Inn in Arizona. Oatmeal w/ Brown Sugar and Sugar-free Maple Syrup.

1. Our Holiday Inn in Melred, California served my favorite!
2. Appetizer: Vegan Ceaser Salad w/ Romaine, Pear, Grapes, Walnuts, Croutons, Fish-free Ceaser Dressing in San Francisco, California @ Aato.
3. Entrée: Pasta w/ Soy-cream, sprouts, tomato, mushroom, grapes.
4. Dessert to go: Vegan Key lime Pie(made with avocado and lime juice!) and Chocolate Pie made w/ cacao and nuts.

1. Side Vegetables(Summer Squash, Zuchinni, Mushroom, Tomato) in San Francisco @ Alito's Waterside Café.
2. Oatmeal w/ Brown sugar, Raisins @ Adel's.
3. Appetizer: Vegan Grape Leafs @ Habibi in Portland, Oregon.
4. Entrée: Vegan Mezza. Best thing ever! Falafel, Garbanzo Bean Mixture, Rice, Hummus, Basil/Onion/Tomato Salad.

1. Free breakfast @ Hotel in Portland, Oregon. Oatmeal w/ Brown Sugar, Granola, and Raisins. Coffee, Peach/Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice.
2. Chiptole* Salad with Brown Sugar, Black Beans, Sofritas(which is tofu w/ chili spices), Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Romaine in Seattle, Washington.
3. Lemonade stand in Seattle, Washington.
4. Breakfast @ Calico's Cupboard in Anacortis, Washington. Steel-cut Oatmeal, Brown sugar, Raisins, and toasted Coconut. Fruit. Homemade toast with the most amazing strawberry jam ever!

1. Salad bar @ Mulligan's in Idaho.
2. Subway on the road. Honey Oat Bread, all the vegetables, avocado.
3. Coffee from The Ginger bread House in
4. On Road: Fruit & Maple Oatmeal.

1. On road snacking: Justin's PB w/ Celery.
2. Chiptole* Burrito(Brown rice, Black Beans, Sofritas, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Romaine.)
3. Breakfast smoothie made by my mom's new girlfriend. Cashews, greens, apple, and ginger.
4. Apples n' Greens Smoothie from Jamba Juice.

1. Spinach and Kale Tortilla Chips. Holy wow. Nom!
2. I found a Kind Bar that has no diary in it while on the road. Almond & Coconut!
3. Tried out some of the Gin-Gins that Elizabeth got for me. I actually really enjoyed the spicy kick of the ginger a lot. I'm definitely a fan!
4. My love of all candy. Salt Water Taffy! Coming from see Mount Rushmore we stopped in this little town that was a tourist hot spot. I saw the taffy store and immediately went in. I came out with a 3lb bag of the stuff! I had asked the ladies who make the taffy if the taffy was vegan-friendly and thankfully they said it was! I was a happy girl!