Guest Post: July Foodie PenPals (pt. 2)

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hi everyone, I am feeling super under the weather today, but I wanted to make sure I published this post! For July, I was pleased to participate in the foodie penpal program (see my original post here). My penpal- Francoise- asked if she could do a guest post regarding her goodies..check out all the cool stuff!

Let me tell you about an amazing experience…

FOODIE PENPALS !!

Here’s a detailed explanation of the program:

(Thanks to The Lean Green Bean to letting us copy this text instead of all writing it over!)

-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.

Want to give it a try? It’s easy!! Just click HERE

First of all, I would like to thank Jen for letting me do this guest post on her blog. I received my box of goodies and was thrilled to open it. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw all the great stuff she had sent. Here’s a list of what I received as well as a few comments on each.

1. Organic sprouted sunflower seeds. This really made me smile…I have loved sunflower seeds since I was a child. I had never tasted them like this before (with garlic & sea salt) and wow….they were awesome !

2. Dark hot chocolate. Well Jen did it again…another favorite of mine…hot chocolate. Nothing beats a great cup of hot chocolate and this one was great !

3. Almond butter. I had never tasted this before. I really enjoyed its smooth texture and great taste on toast.

4. Organic fruit snack (berry blend). I’ve had fruit snacks before, but this one really packs a lot of taste. It’s made with real fruit and you can taste it in every bite. I’ll be carrying these around for sure!

5. Roasted Seaweed Snack. I haven’t tried this yet. It’s a health-conscious snack made with the finest ingredients.

6. Sugar shortbread cookies. I shared this one with my spouse. They are almost as good as homemade. We both enjoyed them a lot.

7. A package of sour candy. These practically disappeared as soon as they were out of the box. William (my spouse) says they’re delicious and thanks you very much Jen!

8. Electrolyte Hydrator (lemon lime). This replenishes electrolytes, minerals and antioxidants. It is something that I really need on days that I have chemotherapy. Jen couldn’t have chosen a better product!

I’d also like to share with you all a quote Jen included in the hand written note she sent. ‘The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook’ -Julia Child. You’ve just got to love this!

A great big thank you to you Jen for making me discover some tasty new products. You’ve made my third participation one to remember !

July Foodie PenPals!

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I have no idea why I am so cheery today. I woke up at 4:45, laid in bed for another 20 minutes, and somehow I had the urge to jump out of bed and get my workout done for the day. Even the dog was like, ‘realllllly ma?!’ I put my sneaks on, skipped over to ‘my’ room, popped in the ol’ headphones and got to work.

Today’s workout was yet another from Best Body Bootcamp (sorry if it gets annoying to read, but Tina really does run a great program. She gives you a Google Doc checklist that’s only visible between you and her, and you’re supposed to hit your activity and 2 weekly goals at least 5 out of the 7 days. You have no idea how motivating it is just to aim for getting that ‘x’. I mean, I’m always motivated to work out, but when there are prize incentives AND you read about others’ journey through their blogs- it’s even better.)

So today’s workout was lower body supersets + 20 minutes of steady state. It was identical to last Tuesday’s workout, except this week we were supposed to add another set of the ‘to fatigue’ exercises. Best part: I upped my wall-sit time by 30 seconds!

My favorite move from this workout? Sit-n-stands. To spare my explanation, check out this video:

It’s about 100x harder when incorporated with other lower body exercises, AND when you hold weight (I did 20 lbs).

Now on to more fun stuff….Foodie Pen pals!

First, the details:

-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 are interested in participating for August, CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

Ok, onto what I got this month!

Drew sent me this pile of goodies:

Not gonna lie, I ‘oohed and aahed’ for a good 5 minutes after opening this up. It was all new-to-me stuff and I couldn’t wait to try it all!

There were teas (yummmmm)

Seriously the coolest flavors ever. And the salt water taffy! It was first to go.

I haven’t tried the spreads yet because I haven’t been in my toast phase lately, but it’s going to be a great treat when I get to it!

Thanks again, Drew!!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Pooped

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I feel like I have nothing good to say. Probably because I’m EXHAUSTED.

I cleaned. I ran errands. I shopped. I did homework. I worked out. I walked the dog (aka: workout #2). I watched more of the Olympics. And now, I’ve gotta somehow spit all this out so I can get to Tyler’s football game.

So, I’ve been watching one of the American channels to get good coverage of the olympics (Bob Costas is WAY better than any of these lame-o Canadian broadcasts. Fo’ real) And they recapped the opening ceremony- music included. I SWEAR TO GOD I’VE HEARD THAT INTRO SONG BEFORE. And then it hit me- this is where I know that song:

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/d7e5ec2c55/highfive-from-almost-twins-jake-bob-turton-and-jack-packard

I might have to reenact this. Any volunteers?

I had Layla wear her name scarf

I painted my nails in a variety of purple

And I painted the bathroom

Tackling those cupboards next. Anyone know the best way to do that? Spray paint? Help!

Today’s workout was courtesy, once again, of Tina from Best Body Bootcamp. It was almost identical to last Monday’s sweat session, except we did an extra set of the ‘to fatigue’ exercises. 4 rounds of upper body supersets and 20 minutes of 60/60 HIIT. I actually got to the HIIT portion just as the US Men’s Beach volleyball team played Poland, so I ditched the idea of going to the gym and did my intervals in front of the TV. After 20 minutes, the US lost and I won ~~a lot of sweat .~~

Is it sad that one of the things I’m most excited about when I go home is my workouts? I have been in Calgary for 5 months and have been adjusting to the high altitude. I can’t wait to see my running capability when I get back to NY!

(Sidenote: I am selling my Kayak, paddle, life jacket, and Thule rack since I can’t take it back to Calgary with me. If you are in the upstate NY or Boston area and are interested, let me know! BTW, the Kayak is pink. So I’m guessing I’ll have no male takers.)

I am also excited for Frozen Dreams (this is right down the street from my parents house. I am totally walking there everyday. EVERY.DAY.), Trader Joe’s, Dunkin Donuts, and TAR-JAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY (Target, people. You have no idea how good you guys in the states have it. There are no Targets here. And I am unemployed. DO YOU KNOW how much time I can waste in that store?! SO EXCITED TO USE MY TARGET CARD. AHHHHHHHHKLKHGSLDHSDF(—-> that’s a little too much excitement). I’m also gonna buy a shitload of stuff while I’m home. I’d rather pay the $25 baggage fee per bag at the airport than have my mom ship stuff to me. Or buy it here.

(Sidenote: There are a lot of the same stores up here, but man oh man so I miss me some American Malls, y’all. Macy’s, I’m coming for you. And Urban Outfitters, watch out. Seriously)

I just mapped the route Layla and I took for our walk. We went 3 miles (4.83 kilometers). Girlfran hadda plunk it on someone’s yard for a bit. It was hot. And hilly.

I hosed her down when we got home. Considered doing the same to myself. But I didn’t want to scare the neighbors.

Still looking for people interested in guest blogging. I’d be insulted if you didn’t volunteer. Pleaseeeeee?!

Link Love

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

This morning, I went through every single post that I’ve ‘starred’ in my Google Reader. There were 844 posts in there. About 650 of them were decadent dessert recipes. Maybe 5 of which I’ve tried. But there was some good stuff in there. So, I have decided to share some of those with you today. Let’s get this started!

1. Margarita Cupcakes from Annie’s Eats, posted on May 4, 2010. I actually made these. My mom and I each had one, then just resorted to drinking tequila. I believe we began dancing around the family room in front of my sober father.

2. The Top Ten Worst Roommate Stories, posted on November 10, 2010. I really just starred it because I wanted to read about people who had worse situations than me. Post college wasn’t so bad, but I definitely had some interesting situations in college. The cops may have been called at one point. Sorry about that, Katie.

3. For some reason, this is the only thing I favorited from Texts From Last Night on January 18, 2011. Now that I look it, I’m sort of embarrassed. But now you get an idea what my life pre-Tyler was like.

4. I made this Pumpkin Banana Bread bowl (posted April 7, 2011) a few times in my day. My former single gal needed some lovin’ in a bowl to get me through the week. It’s seriously delicious. Well, anything with pumpkin is delicious. About 75 starred posts contained pumpkin.

5. Speaking of pumpkin, I favorited this No Bake Pumpkin Pie on November 14, 2011. I ended up making this when I visited Tyler here in Calgary for American Thanksgiving and cooked him and his friends a big meal. I don’t think it was a hit with them, but more for me!

6. Oh wait, there was another post I favorited from Texts From Last Night on August 18, 2011. Wow, that was TOTALLY my life. Mom, don’t click on that one.

7. February 14, 2011- my last single Valentine’s Day ever. I NEVER had a Valentine until Tyler came along. In fact, I was dumped on V-day in 2010 (hint: he was from my high school, and we somehow met up post-college. That is all). You bet your bippy, there were TONS of anti-Valentine’s Day posts I starred. In an effort to comfort my lonely soul. Here’s one of them.

8. I just had another great laugh watching this compilation of Oprah from May 19, 2011, announcing guests (John tra-VOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL-taaaaaaaa!) This is how I plan on embarrassing the crap out of my future child(ren). Pick them up from school screaming their name in Oprah-like fashion. I can’t wait.

9. I forgot I starred these Tex Mex Sloppy Joes until just now. And of course, as soon as I re-read the post, I thought of this clip from Billy Madison

I’m mature.

10. One of my favorite food bloggers, Jessica from How Sweet It Is, posted Apple Cider Margaritas on October 22, 2011. I still haven’t tried them. BUT, since Tyler and I are on a Margarita kick, these might have to be made. Soon.

11. I also follow Cooking For Assholes. This blog has lots of great recipes- and humor to go with it. I specifically starred this recipe from June 12, 2012 because of itss apparent effect on women.

12. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT POST. It shows you how to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. Not a single one of you can tell me you’ve never been in THAT situation.

13. I starred this post in December 2010. I hadn’t even met Tyler yet. But somehow, this is exactly how I want my wedding to look like. I can’t wait.

K, I’m gonna leave you with those for now. More to follow in the coming week!

Bunnies!

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

My neighborhood is infested with bunnies. Correction: small child eating hares. Yesterday, I saw about 300 of them in my front yard…and I actually got pictures to share.