my very first foodie penpals

So, I had this crazy idea last month to get involved with foodie penpals! How could I be ever so crazy to want to have people mail me food and send some back to someone new in return?!

{If you don't sense the sarcasm, this is where I step in and say, it's totally not crazy!}

Me + the chance to try out new foods + sending someone else new foods = match made in heaven!

So let me get to what I received for my very first round! I had the opportunity to have the amazing Maddie send me a package (she blogs over at Mad Health Chick) and she was nothing short than the best foodie penpal! So what did she send me?!

I actually didn't open this box until three days after I received it! You're probably, yet again, thinking I'm crazy, but I used it as my reward for getting through my really busy week of 2 midterms, an assignment and a ton of homework. It was worth the wait! Upon first opening:

She was so super cute and asked if the chips popped on me...which they totally didn't (score!). I knew at first glimpse, I already loved it. But, when I started taking everything out, I was actually in shock. She outdid herself!

I had never expected to see this much stuff crammed into that box. Let's just say it was an unexpected surprise of the good kind!

Now, to break it down. I was really shocked that most of the stuff I've never tried! This was good because now I have the chance to try them, see if I like them, to know if I want to purchase them myself!

Like, the Enjoy Life gluten- and dairy-free bars...never even seen them before! They were the first things I tried, and they were amazing!! If I can find them around here, I'm definitely getting them again.

Or the teas, have never tried any of these flavours! Also, I'm really excited to try the chocolate bar Maddie sent and actually can't believe I haven't tried it yet (it's mint btw - a total win in my books) ...maybe because when I opened the box, it was all melty! The melty part is totally my fault because, while I didn't open the box for three days, it sat on our TV satellite receptor in our bedroom, and I'm sure you all know how warm those things can get! Oops!

Actually pretty funny, but I'm about to take the Buckwheat Snack (ShaSha Co.) products with me to school today. I'm sure they're amazing, too ;)

And ReBar, it's something I brought with me on Wednesday to school, but didn't end up eating it. I bet it will be awesome, too. Food hardly disappoints me! 

I really loved the addition of the Larabar...you can never go wrong with one of them!

Again, more teas!! I've only tried the one in the orange package so far and it was delish! Next, the spirulina bar. This probably made me the most excited to see because it intrigues me. Sometimes I'm a hoarder when it comes to things that I really enjoy/think I'll enjoy. This goes for coconut water; the husband knows that I have been holding onto my half of a case of coconut water we bought a while ago, while his is all gone. It kills him everyday =). So, I'm not quite sure when I'll actually decide to eat the spirulina bar, but let's hope it clears out before the coconut water does!

And finally, the last two items that I have had before - the sweet potato chips and the dark chocolate peanut butter. Having said that, they are both wonderful and something I would eat again and again, so a nice addition to the package.

I sure think Maddie went above and beyond for March Foodie Penpals and I just want to take a minute to really thank her.

You are awesome Maddie and I really appreciate the amazing package you put together. I am so with you on arranging a meet-up!! Woohoo!

All I can finish with is, I cannot wait for next month - I not only have new inspiration for my future penpal, but have opened a door to meeting amazing new food lovers and bloggers like me.

Have a great Friday everyone!

the tester camera

It's not very often that you get things loaned to you to 'try out'...especially expensive things. But when you get those opportunities, run with them!

The husband knows that I've wanted a 'good' camera for quite sometime...and by good, I mean something other than a point-and-shoot; a real SLR. Even though a 'good' camera isn't in our budget quite yet, the husband, being the amazing guy that he is, took it upon himself to talk to someone he knows who's in the camera business. You know, to just ask some questions about cameras (read: so he doesn't have to hear me whine one more time about wanting a good camera).

After a talk with said person, he offered to lend us one of his company's cameras so we could 'try it out for a couple of weeks.' Now, I don't know about you, but how often do you meet amazing people that are willing to do this?! Let's just say, not very often.

He not only offered to do this for us, but had it ready to give to us (just like he said) the next time he saw my husband, which was yesterday. We are now the proud owners of a Fuji X-S1 for the next two weeks!

I'm pretty much scared to breathe around it right now, so once I get past the initial I'm-gonna-break-this-thing phase, I'll get you know how it pans out in terms of what I like about it and what I don't (or what I probably just didn't figure out about the thing!)

I'm very fortunate for this opportunity because this is a camera we're talking about, not just a DVD or a tupperware container (note: I don't even lend those out lightly)! I hope I can maximize on the next two weeks I have with it, so I can fully appreciate the kindness this man has, and hopefully remember to delete all the food pictures I do take on it before returning ;)

Tester camera, here I come!

QUESTION: What's the last nice/amazing/thoughtful thing someone has done for you?!

who was hungry this weekend?!

If you didn't see The Hunger Games this weekend, then you're probably the only one, because everyone and their brother saw it!

source

For it to be the third highest grossing movie in March ever says a lot about how successful it was.

I admit that I did enjoy it, but I wasn't sure about the ending. Any interpretations?! I haven't read the book, so maybe if I had, I'd understand the ending a little more?! It might just be something I read once exams are over, because now I'm curious.

What are your thoughts on books that turn into movies? Read the book before the movie, or watch the movie first then read the book?

I'm all about watching the movie, then reading the book because I become too critical of a movie if I've read the book first. Mainly because I want the movie to be exactly like how the book was, which is kind of unrealistic because books have the opportunity for more details since it's in writing.

This was honestly the first time the husband and I have been to the movies on a Saturday night in a loooooong time. We usually opt for the cheap night special on Tuesday's because we're cool like that ;)

It was nice to have a date night on an actual weekend night though! And to make up for the extra cost of the tickets on Saturday night, we snuck in our own treats...shhh, don't tell the theater!

I wasn't aware that Taylor Swift had a song for the movie, which kind of excites me because she makes awesome music. If you haven't heard it yet (which I only did a few minutes ago - the inspiration for this post actually), then here it is!

I guess the point of this post is, that if you haven't see the movie yet, you probably should because you don't want to be the one left in the dark. It's not fun when everyone else knows a secret and you're the one saying, "What is it?! Tell me!" ....because no one will tell you, haha.

Hope your Monday is off to a great start! I'm off to learn about some chemistry...oh joy!

sunday funday

I don't know why that phrase always makes me think of my husband's friend, but it does.

(Husband, husband's friend, Jared)

Maybe it's because the first time I actually laughed about that expression was when he quoted it from Jared. Don't worry Jared, I concur...especially with a caesar/bloody mary in hand ;)

Maybe we should change all the other day's of the week (minus Monday) to something that rhymes with fun. Like Tuesday could be Runday (which it pretty much is for me anyways, since it's a day off school I actually do have to run!). Wednesday could be Wonday. Thursday could be Punday. Friday itself can just be Funday; because 1) you don't want to take the 'F' out of TGIF, and 2) it is fun to celebrate the weekend coming. And, Saturday could be Satunday!

Where was I when they came up with the names of days?! Oh right...not born!

My Sunday funday started with a little muffin action. As a vegan, the one thing I do miss on the odd occasion are muffins. It's highly unlikely that you can get a muffin (and by that I mean buy) anywhere made without eggs or milk. I'm fine with making them myself, but it definitely does suck when you're on campus and someone across the table from you is eating a crazy-good looking muffin, and you have nothing. 

I solved that 'nothing' problem and made some banana chocolate chip. Now I'll be the one making people jealous tomorrow morning. I used the recipe from the 30 Day Vegan Challenge, which provides fool-proof recipes.

Sunday funday continued with a nice outdoor run. It's been 8 days since I've ran, but I'm ok with it. I had a busy, busy week that my priorities were different and it didn't kill me to not run. I still managed to squeeze in some 12 min BodyRock's! The one non-fun thing about my run though...my watch died before my run was done.

It was my own stupid fault. I got cocky and thought 23% battery life would get through 5 miles. FYI: it doesn't!

It's now charging so I won't have that problem the next time I set out for run. Maybe I'll test the limits with 30%, but never 27% again...unless it's a little stroll! 

I think I ran pretty close to 5 miles (which was my intention), but the last time I checked my watch before it died, I was at 4.39 mi and then I have no idea when it died after that. I guess it's up to my own interpretation, so this is where I can say that I ran 15 miles in 46 minutes. Alright, you might catch onto my lies, so I'll just leave it at 5 ;)

Now, I'm set out to do a workout with the hub at 1:30pm (after he's finished up with some golf lessons) and not gonna lie...just spend the rest of the day relaxing. That's my kinda Sunday funday!

QUESTION: What are YOU doing this Sunday funday?!

getting through a long week

What a crazy week it's been. So crazy, that I had to break away from blogging, just so I could put my focus where it really belonged...aka: school.

I don't know what it is about approaching the end of the semester that makes prof's want to pile everything on you then, but they do it! I swear that in the 12 weeks this semester goes for, this week was the toughest/hardest/longest!

I had two midterms, one assignment, a chem lab report to hand in (which let me tell ya, was not the piece of cake I was imagining it being) and online weekly chem question I had to complete. After my midterm on Wednesday, I knew I should come home and study for my midterm on Thursday, but I'm pretty sure my brain resembled something closely related to mush! I decided to take the night off, just enjoy it, then woke up early and got on the study train again! I think that's a pretty good turnaround, considering the workload...and the intense heat that Ontario's getting right now!

Even with the heat, this intense week has made me want to go into hibernation. I'm ready to take a looong  winter's nap...aka: sleep in tomorrow haha.

I hope it's all downhill from here, and I can back to blogging about stuff that doesn't interest anyone anyways!

I'll end on that note. Plus share a super cute picture that makes me smile every time I see it...especially since this is how I feel after getting done 2 midterms, a chem report, chem questions and an assignment!

Happy Friday!