Guest Post by Arianna - The Foodie Penpal package I sent to PA

I just want to start off by thanking Molly for allowing me to hijack her blog for this post. I found foodie pen pals through another blog, Fit In Heels (fitness and fashion, what could be better). Anyway when I signed up for the first time this month, I didn’t know what to expect. Well I was quite pleased with the results! Molly here was very understanding with my vegan lifestyle and tried her best to accommodate. Molly sent me some delicious Dark Chocolate Caramel Pop-Corn with a spicy kick. Since caramel isn’t vegan, I just had to go against my vegan choices and taste this delicious looking popcorn. And boy was it good! Also in this awesome selection of food from Minnesota is a mix for Garlic Cheddar Biscuits. Again not vegan, but I have some Almond Milk and Vegan Cheddar Cheese that I will use with the mix. I’m excited to see how they turn out this weekend! The Wild Rice was really yummy with some Green Peppers, Red Peppers, Peas and Broccoli thrown in. I added lots of spices too. I think I might add some sort of sauce to the leftovers to change it up a bit. There is a salsa that I can’t wait to open up and try, but the rest of the salsa in my fridge has to go first. Lastly there’s a Nut Roll that looks really delicious. That one isn’t vegan, so I’m not sure yet if I’ll be trying it, but someone I know definitely will! One thing that Molly didn’t know was that I’m now eating gluten free too (gluten free vegan I must be crazy!). To be fair, I didn’t know that either until after I received her little taste of Minnesota. Lucky for me, ALL of this food happens to be gluten free so I get to enjoy everything. So thank you Molly for sending me some delicious treats, and for allowing me to use your blog to share how much I enjoyed getting some new foods to try!

Foodie Penpal Package - January 2013

A new year for more new food and fun.

If you didn't see my first post about Foodie Penpals, here is a little information about the program.

-On the 5th of every month, penpals receive their pairs via email. Within 72 hours you must contact your penpal to chat about preferences and addresses. You won't be paired with the same two people so you sent to person A and person B sends to you. Gets you connected to two people per month.
-The boxes are to be filled with fun local foodie things or homemade treats. The spending limit is $15 and the box must also include something written (a note, recipes, etc.).
-Figure out the best method and price for shipping and get it in the mail by the 15th of the month. This gives each person enough time to receive the package, check out the contents and write a post about it if they have a blog. Those without a blog can create a guest post for their penpal if they desire.
-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.You will only be paired with others from your country.
-Each month you sign up so if you have a busy month you don't have to participate in that one. If you don't contact or send your package more than once you will not be allowed to participate again. It is meant to be fun for all rather than a chore or a disappointment.
Check out Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for more info and to sign up for February.

Okay, on to MY food! This month my package was prepared by Kristin over at Making Grand Plans. First off, great package. I was so happy to get it all! If you would like to see what I sent to Arianna, check out her guest post on my blog.

I love that most of this is available at a store I can go to!

Kristin sent me a really terrific group of foods. I have tried, and eaten, almost all of it already. She is from Kansas so the sunflower granola and the BBQ sauce was in reference to her location. The rest of it was from Trader Joe's which is one of my new obsessions so I know I can get more.

The Sunflower Granola is definitely my favorite food in the box and I am really sad that I probably cannot find anything like it around here but I will keep an eye out. Though I lived in the KC area, and with all of my subsequent trips, I only have experienced KC style BBQ once so I will have to find a recipe I want to use the sauce to make.

The pumpkin pancake mix was used for a family breakfast the same week I got the package and I am really glad I found a way to share it because I would have eaten all of it. It was delicious! The pumpkin flavor was not too overpowering but enough that you knew it was there.

I have tried two of the four nut butters and they are definitely an intersting twist for me. I eat peanut butter with an apple every single day as my afternoon snack so changing up the nut butter was fun. I do have to say the maple almond butter did not really have that maple flavor but maybe it was overpowered by the almond. The honey almond butter did have a bit of honey sweetness to it. I am saving the chocolate hazelnut butter for a special dessert or something.

The dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds are a great little "grab a few when you pass" snack. I like the tartness and really like the dark chocolate even though I prefer milk.

Definitely in love with this granola.

Overall great package and fun to get foods from a store where I can buy more. Thanks Kristin!

I am taking a break for February since I have some other things coming up but will definitely participate again in the future. 

2013 Will Come and Go. Learning and Reflection.

Today's impulse: self-reflection and goal-setting.

I have never been one to truly plan on or stick to resolutions. I am generally quite skeptical and negative about that type of thing. I also believe in constant self-reflection, though often more self-critical than self-affirming, but only in about the last two years have I made goals and expectations out of my personal reflections.

I do have goals. I do have passions to pursue. I do have expectations for my life and career. I am more prone to self-reflection and goal-setting on my birthday but found myself lost in thought today. Maybe this year, having written this out for all (read: me) to see I will follow up and through on my thoughts at the beginning of this new year.

A small list of things I hope to accomplish this year: I want to continue my journey to healthy habits by sticking to my exercise plans (5-6 days per week), trying new recipes and restaurants (at least 3 per month), becoming more financially stable and smart, and strengthening the connections I have to my family and close friends. New goals I have are to make career moves and goals at my current institution by June 1, to create a list of at least 20 activities I would like to try before January 1, 2014, and to actually focus on dating.

Today I was reading the January issue of Real Simple, a favorite magazine of mine, and it obviously focused on making 2013 a great year through goals and other things. I really enjoyed the article "10 Things Your Mother Didn't Teach You." My first thought at skimming the 10 ideas was that my mother is truly amazing having modeled much of the behavior included. Upon further reflection, she has done so without really drawing attention to much of it.

One idea from a research expert quoted in the article really stuck with me on one particular goal I set for myself on my 28th birthday. The section was "How to Take a Compliment." The expert, a clinical psychology instructor at Harvard, said that one of the reasons we do not take compliments well is the cultural expectation, however outdated, that we appear humble to praise. He goes on to say that the humility is also "a form of protection: 'We all just want to be loved and valued, but we walk around holding our breath about the ways in which we aren't.'" This really resonated with me. I went through a process of losing weight and becoming a healthier and happier person. This journey came to its culmination around my 28th birthday in reaching my goal weight a few weeks prior and meeting Lifetime Membership status with Weight Watchers, through which I was learning to be healthy the week of my big day. One thing that happened time after time as I went through that process, and also since, has been many compliments and comments about my physical appearance. When I was heavier and unhappy with myself compliments were few and far between as well as received with skepticism and dismissal. I often told myself that not only did I not deserve a compliment on my looks while being overweight and unhealthy but people must be really stretching to say such things to me as they could not possibly be true.

How many of us do this to ourselves? We learn from an early age to be confident in our self and our abilities but not too confident as to appear cocky and prideful. We are told to love ourselves as we are but that there are serums, medicines, clothing, acccessories, makeup, and procedures that can alter our appearance to others' liking. I learned from both of my parents that life is not an easy or obvious road but that you work on what you have and love those around you and you get through it together.

I think one major goal I would like to actually mark off my list in the coming year is to learn how to give and take compliments. This concept does not mean I want to have people tell me how great I look all the time. The skill of taking compliments, and therefore giving them properly, has a lot more to do with being present and being kind. Though I am a highly observant person I often choose not to say complimentary things to people. It is partly as the article stated, I want to appear humble and therefore do not want to invite comments toward myself. It is also often a self-conscious action as making comments on others' appearance, thoughts, or actions shows them just what I am observing and I do not want that to make another person self-conscious as I make myself in similar situations. I want to learn to take a compliment without analyzing why someone would give it and I want to give compliments with the sincerity they deserve.

I think this is also about focusing more on the positive and learning from every experience and person. It is about constant observation, being present, and choosing words wisely. These are all things I would like to say that I do naturally.

Here's to ending 2012 on a high note but expecting so much more of myself in 2013 and beyond.

Happy New Year to you as well. May you find your life filled with happiness.