This month’s Foodie Pen Pals box did not disappoint!

Sally of Real Mom Nutrition absolutely out did herself and sent me an absolutely amazing assortment of goodies.

I asked that she do her best to send me things that do not fall into the sweets/snack food category because I just love those things too much and they are eaten mindlessly minutes after I open them. Not only is this bad for the rest of my eating that day, I don’t fully get to enjoy the goodies that were sent. I think snack/sweet food is the most fun to shop for so I felt a little guilty taking that away from Sally this month. But I’m so happy with what I got – thanks Sally.

Let’s take a loot at the goods, shall we.

Veggie Chips Sooo good! OMG! I inhaled these! They were slightly sweet, which I loved, but not artificially so. The salt, pepper and oil they were made in just enhanced the natural sweetness of the vegetables and it was such a treat to eat. I’ve had to restrain myself from going to stores with bulk aisles because I’m sure an embarrassing amount of these would end up in my cart.

Peanut Butter For the win! I’m absolutely a peanut butter fan and can’t wait to try this. I’m finishing up my current peanut butter and decided not to break into this until the old stuff was gone. I’m excited to see what this has to offer.

Maple Almond Butter I’ve heard about this for a long time and even seen it quite a bit at the grocery store. For some reason, I never thought to buy it for myself. I actually used to eat almond butter all the time but once I started with peanut butter again in January, I haven’t gone back. While this was good and I really liked the sweetness from the maple syrup, I think peanut butter still has my heart. For now.

Hemp Hearts Another thing I’ve seen and heard of but never bought. That changes now! I loved these! So creamy and crunchy and I love the nutrition profile. I’ve had them on salads, cereal, oatmeal – you name it.

Oat Bran I was a little skeptical but, as I talked about yesterday, I’m quickly making use of this. Nicely done, Sally!

Quinoa My neighbor next door is watching Sound of Music and “My Favorite Things” is playing right now. This is such perfect timing as quinoa is definitely one of my favorite things. I first discovered it about a year ago and have been in love ever since. Sally sent a few recipes, one for quinoa cookies actually, and while I fully intend to try them in the near future, I was just so happy to have quinoa for dinner that I’ve been using this gift for my regular meals.

Since I was taking some time to myself while the Foodie Pen Pal shopping and shipping was taking place, I found myself at the last day without having put together something for my pen pal, Becky of Skinny Minnie’s Recipes. Of course, I couldn’t not send something. I don’t go back on my word. So I decided to give online shopping a try to combine the shopping and shipping into one activity.

I went with Netgrocer, which was pretty good. The selection wasn’t wonderful but the prices were decent and the convenience was prime. While I don’t plan to use this route for future pen pals, it’s a good option if anyone’s in a bind. Head over to Becky’s blog to see what I sent!

Want to join next month?