I like pen pals and I LOVE trying new foods, so I was all over it when I saw Lindsay’s post on signing up to be/get a foodie pen pal. What is a foodie pen pal? Basically, it is a person who also loves food and to try new things. Lindsay pairs people up, then you have a week or so to put together a care package of goodies ($15 limit – can be bought or homemade based on agreement with pen pal via email on preferences, allergies, etc.) Then, you send your box and wait for your goodies to arrive. This is open to bloggers and readers (read: everyone!) All you need to do is sign up.
This was my second month. I sent a ton of goodies to Sierra in Pennsylvania and got mine from Lorrie in Maryland.
So what did I get?
I was a bit worried when I got the box because I was starting my 90 day elimination diet, but I got super lucky! Lots of gluten free and dairy free treats!
- Old Bay Seasoning and a local dip mix from Lorrie’s farmer’s market in Maryland
- Dried Kiwi – from Fruitzi0
- Kathie’s Kitchen Super Seedz – Sea Salt (I love these!)
- Snaque on Health Coconut Almond Quinoa Crunch (has coconut, almonds, quinoa and sprouted lentils!)
- KIND bars – another fave
- A Smores from Russell Stovers (which I can’t eat but I am sure the husband will LOVE)
- Olive Oil
Pretty awesome variety and great that I could use almost everything despite the restrictions I have! Thanks to Lorrie for the loot and Lindsay for the awesome exchange! It has been really fun to try new things!
A bunch of people have e-mailed or asked me how the new elimination diet is going. Well, today is Day 15! And, it has not been as bad as I expected. With the advent of more awareness of food allergies, most labels contain clear “contains: YOUR FAVORITE ALLERGEN” here. It has been very eye opening to see what items do in fact have wheat and milk in them. The hardest part is – no surprise – eating out! I have been getting the simplest foods and asking for no sauce or dry cooking. The husband is happy because his favorite local Mexican place has a salad that is just about perfect for me, so I will agree to go there more readily now. I did think I might lose a bit of weight and thus far I have not, but I do feel less puffy and clothes fit better. It also seems that I stopped a bit of upward trajectory on weight that I was on (which seems to happen to me when I ramp up miles and thus eat too much because I feel like I “deserve”it). So that is good – right? I have also been faithfully taking my supplements – loving the B12 especially!
The biggest question I have gotten is “do you feel any different”? I started this whole thing because of trouble sleeping and sugar cravings/crashes. My sleep has still been pretty awful. I have been on the go and overcommitted for the last two weeks. I am hoping the sleep will get better as I am less busy. On the sugar thing, though, I am happy to report that I have many fewer sugar cravings and don’t feel the “oh my god, I am so starving” crashes (and I have not been “hangry” at all!) That is a really awesome change for the better. My hope is that I can add back at least some of the offenders into my diet, but even so I will likely follow a lower gluten, lower dairy diet.
I have also found some awesome products that I will review and give away in the coming weeks! Stay tuned for reviews (and some giveaways) on Jimmy Bars!, Square Bars, Brad’s Raw Chips, Go Raw bars and more!
PS. Don’t forget to enter my Liza’s Crunch Granola giveaway! LAST DAY!