This is my first month participating in Lindsay’s Foodie Pen Pals and I am so pleased with how it went that I am already signed up for next month.

I love getting mail (who doesn’t?) and I was so happy to receive my box of goodies from a dedicated blog reader, Carol from the east coast.

I had warned Carol that in addition to no dairy I absolutely loathe RAISINS. I am not sure where my extreme dislike of this dried fruit comes from but let me assure you I avoid dried grapes at all costs! When I opened my box I was greeted with a beautifully hand crafted card:

AND NO RAISINS 🙂

She included:

Local maple syrup

Black bean chips

Unique seeds (they taste just like nuts)

Chai flavored mints

and THE BEST maple cookies I have EVER HAD!

I immediately downed the box of Orton Bros. Cookie Buttons and looked up where I could find them near me. Of course they did not list any CA dealers so I emailed them and they told me to order them from a website. So if you want little pieces of heaven click here.

Thanks Carol for all of the fabulous goodies, I have managed to make them last but they are going quick, like the maple syrup on my morning breakfast.

If you want to receive a box a treats from a fellow blogger or reader read on…

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And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-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 me 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 April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 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 me via Twitter (@LeanGrnBeanBlog). Last month we had a few emails get lost as spam so we’re trying to avoid that!