Foodie Penpals April Reveal

Wow, I cannot believe another month has passed by.  I have a week of Overnight Oats recipes in the works, which I hope to start posting soon!

I got a cool foodie penpals box from Hannah, a non blogger.  I sent my box to Courtney over at A So Called Runner!  Follow her on twitter @courtneyfo.

Here is my whole box, cool postcard included.  My penpal didn't even know I collect post cards, so even better :)

When I opened the box, I was probably the most excited about the Tasty Kake, which is a fresh baked pie.  The flavor I was sent is apple. YUM.  OOEY GOEY inside too.

Surprisingly, I wasn't a huge fan of the pretzels.  I liked that they were salty, but I am more of a soft pretzel at the baseball game kinda girl.

I got a great box from my penpal!  Snacks, drinks, and even bath salts!  Thank you so much Hannah for putting in the effort to make a great box.

If you want to participate in Foodie Pen Pals next month here is some information about the awesome program that Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean has set 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. So, I'm going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for March, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:

-Your full name

-Your email address

-Your blog name/address

-Your twitter handle (if applicable)

-WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT. - this is SUPER important so you get on the right list!

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

***PLEASE NOTE: if you send an email, you WILL GET A RESPONSE within 48 hours. If you don''t....please re-send your email or contact Lindsay via Twitter (@LeanGrnBeanBlog). Last month we had a few emails get lost as spam so we're trying to avoid that!

Pat Summitt, An Icon

I just wanted to do a quick link up of a great article on Pat Summitt that Heather Hogan wrote.  Back in 2009 I wrote a post congratulating her on her 1,000th career win.  I still cannot believe all that has unfolded in the past year or so.  What a strong woman.  Icon.  Role Model.  Please go and read Heather's very moving article and the comments to follow.  I don't think we will see another coach, male or female, rise to such notoriety and stardom, or be beloved by so many (opponents included).

Foodie Penpals March Reveal!

This is my second month participating in the Foodie Penpals program. You can see my first post about it here. I think I am still as excited about it this month as I was last month, and I will be participating again in April!

This month my box came from North Carolina. Follow my sender, Lyndsay on twitter and on her blog.

So I requested something "local" and was rewarded with dried apple slices from a local farm! They were so good. The only thing I received that I remains and I haven't yet tried is the BBQ sauce. I am so looking forward to nicer weather so I can break out the grill and use it.

The popcorn is something I have been eying at Trader Joe's. I had no problem finishing the bag, but the popcorn absorbs the moisture from the toffee & chocolate and is not a crunchy as I would have liked. I probably wont buy this on my own, but was glad to put my curiosity to rest.

My favorite thing in the box was these Special K Chocolate Pretzel bars.

At 90 calories, they are too good to be true. Such an amazing sweet/salty snack. I will definitely be stocking up on these when they go on sale.

All in all an amazing box :)

If you want to participate in Foodie Pen Pals next month here is some information about the awesome program that Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean has set 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. So, I'm going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for March, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:

-Your full name

-Your email address

-Your blog name/address

-Your twitter handle (if applicable)

-WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT. - this is SUPER important so you get on the right list!

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

***PLEASE NOTE: if you send an email, you WILL GET A RESPONSE within 48 hours. If you don''t....please re-send your email or contact Lindsay via Twitter (@LeanGrnBeanBlog). Last month we had a few emails get lost as spam so we're trying to avoid that!

Mother's Day 5k!

Some of you may know, one of my ultimate fitness goals is to complete a Sprint Triathlon. You may also know the thing that has kept me from the race is the running portion. In order to eventually meet this goal, I have decided to train for the Mother's Day 5k in early May. I have decided to go with an Online training program, Up & Running Online. (Also see the snazzy badge on the right sidebar). I decided this was best because I can do the running whenever I want (as opposed to when the fleetfeet group or some other one meets). Plus I am an internet junkie.

I am still doing #GoOrGive, despite a February Hiatus! The training will be an excellent way to get my 10K steps in too :)

I decided to run Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, which gives me some leeway on the weekend if I need to make up a run. Also, I usually have plans on the weekend, and so it will be nice not to have to worry about getting up early to "make time" for my run.

Here is my "Running Diary" from my first training session:

Overall, I am counting this workout/run as a success! With daylight savings time here, it was dark out when I started, but I got the benefit of seeing a gorgeous full moon.

Things I am proud of:

1. I got my butt out of bed at 6am and drove to the park to start my workout in a balmy 40 degrees F (4 degrees C for all the Euros in the group!)

2. I was prepared: I input the workout into RunKeeper; I picked out my outfit the night before; I make an electrolyte water mix and put the waterbottle in the fridge; I planned the route and reviewed the workout; and I set my alarm

3. I reviewed the workout 4 times or so, and with the help of RunKeeper, was able to do the whole thing w/o stopping.

4. When it came to the actually running part, I ran .3 of the .6 mile! and then fastwalked the rest.

Things I want to improve this week:

1. Figure out a better way to run with my iphone/keys (any good ideas?)

2. By my 3rd workout, the last of this week's series, I would like to be running the full .6 of a mile

3. Stay consistent/don't be afraid of the looming rain in the forecast!

Workout for today = CHECK!

Foodie Penpals February Reveal

So - I decided to join my love of food and love of letters/postcards/written mail. Through twitter and the blogverse, I discovered Foodie Penpals!

This month the person I received my wonderful box from was Rachel of Passing Daisies out of Ohio!

I could not be happier with my experience. It was so fun to shop for my penpal, and to receive such a well put together box on my door step!

My favorite item of the bunch:

I had never tried these, and even though they are sugar coated, they don't make your tongue raw like sour patch kids! I started eating them as soon as I got them out of the box, but then saved them for our evening movie plans. The movie, Safe House, and the candy, were a hit!

I also got a ton of cool drink items:

The mix of tea bags in a mason jar was an awesome idea that I might be stealing for an upcoming foodie pen pal!

On-The-Go Snacks:

I really love the Fruitzio freeze dried fruit. There is a ton in that pack and only 100 cals - for the win! I also got a super cute valentine and a ton of fun suckers :) Perfect for February!

Hearty Snacks:

I already love seaweed snacks, but I had never tried this brand, so it is good to know I universally love them. The Snyder's were also an existing favorite, and you can never go wrong with trail mix!

All in all I was so excited to get my first foodie pen pal box, and Rachel did not disappoint!

The person I sent my box to does not have a blog, but here is a portion of the email she sent me:

"I wanted to write when I was able to try everything. I absolutely love that you can go right outside and pick some fruit off a tree. I don't know if it was just in my head, but the oranges tasted much better than the ones in the grocery store. :) I was excited to see the Justin's peanut butter products. I always wanted to try them and now I will be able to. The ostrich meat stick peaked my interest. The one time I was in CA, we went to an ostrich farm near San Diego. I do have to say it was pretty tasty. The fortune cookies & roasted seaweed were very good. I love seaweed snacks and it was great to be able to compare different brands. Truthfully, I wasn't a huge fan of the bin-bin rice crackers which surprised me but my friend loved them. I'm looking forward to trying the See's candy and the TCHO candy bar. I haven't had a chance to try to jam yet but can't wait to. I really need to get to the store to buy bread. :) I think my favorite is the chocolate toffee pistachios. They rock! I'm trying not to eat a whole lot at one time so they will last longer. :) You definitely have a lot of tasty food in your area. Thank you so much for sharing it all with me."

I really wanted to send local products, so I am glad she enjoyed it. I had trouble sending a "full" box for $15, so I am glad the oranges were a hit since they were free for me to send!

If you want to participate in Foodie Pen Pals next month here is some information about the awesome program that Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean has set 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. So, I'm going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for March, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:

-Your full name

-Your email address

-Your blog name/address

-Your twitter handle (if applicable)

-WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT. - this is SUPER important so you get on the right list!

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

***PLEASE NOTE: if you send an email, you WILL GET A RESPONSE within 48 hours. If you don''t....please re-send your email or contact Lindsay via Twitter (@LeanGrnBeanBlog). Last month we had a few emails get lost as spam so we're trying to avoid that!

#GoOrGive Month 2, Wk 1 Update

Hi All,

I know this is coming a bit late, but things have been a bit hectic.

I wanted to update you on my progress. With the help of some friends and loved ones both in real life and on the interwebs, I did much better last week than any other week in the month of December!

I only missed my challenge 1 day last week, and frankly I was spending time with a friend from out of town so it was worth it. Two days last week I went on walks late at night (after 9pm) to ensure I got my 10K steps. Luckily I had some good walking partners, and it made it that much easier.

Also, on Saturday, my girlfriend and I walked about 2.5 miles round trip to brunch! What an easy and fun way to get my steps in on the weekend! Are there places in your routine where you could walk to a location rather than drive?

So far this week I am off to a good start. I am hoping I can keep it up through the weekend.

I have also joined the #plankaday movement and have increased my plank time by 20 seconds!

Until next week...

#GoOrGive January 2012

Well, I wanted to give a quick update about #GoOrGive.

My December effort was less than stellar for a variety of reasons, which all come down to the fact that I wasn't quite ready to really get back into the grind of fitness and health. Don't get my wrong, parts of it I love, but it is something I have to work at. It doesn't come easy, or naturally to me.

All that said, I did not meet my goals of both going to the gym and reaching 10,000 steps on 16 occasions in December. As a result I owed the Make It Safe Project $80, which I paid. :) On a positive note, what is sure to be my poorest effort will benefit a great organization. I also have some books to donate, so hopefully I will get around to mailing those out soon.


In doing some self reflection, I have decided to post weekly how I did, it gives me a visual reminder of how much I owe and I think having to publicly (is anyone even reading this?) admit I missed more than a day or two in a given week will keep me on track. I also have an awesome new twitter accountability partner from the #livewellNOW/Fitfluential twitter crews. I hope both posting weekly, and having some daily encouragement will keep me on the right track.

Now, for the January charity: Planned Parenthood. This one was picked by my best friend, (I am taking suggestions for future months) and I think it is a good one, especially in a political climate where it is getting harder and harder for women to get the services they want and need. Instead of donating to a local chapter, I am going to donate to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, because it makes the lawyer part of me happy inside.