July Foodie Penpal

I am really enjoying being part of the Foodie Penpal, it is so much fun. I love receiving a goodie parcel each month and wondering what is going to be inside this month. I love getting to know the pen pal that I am buying for too, and finding out what challenges face me this month!! 

I had Maya this month, and apart from being a vegan who is allergic to wheat, she also wanted a healthy parcel!! I truly don't know any vegan/non wheat food that isn't pretty much healthy, but it was still fun to have these constraints. My favourite item that I found was popping corn that was still on the cob, that you pop straight in the microwave, with bags provided of course. I wish I had of bought one for me too, they looked fun. I got a mix of other healthy snacks and treats and hope Maya enjoys it all, without guilt!!

Angie from wanderingangie.com had the task of buying for me this month. I knew from the get-go that it would be a fun and well thought-out parcel because she was so engaging and "up for the challenge" of having me as her pen pal. I am tricky to buy for, I really do know that, but month after month, I get such awesome treats, and this month was definitely no exception! How good does all of this look?!

The selection of teas look amazing and I have packed them away to take with me to the USA. I have a soft spot for Chai, it is my all time favourite tea, so am most excited to try another brand of chai. The lavender earl grey is the next tea I am most interested in, as I like lavender and I like earl grey, I wonder how they will go together. I suspect well, and I suspect I will make lavender earl grey cupcakes soon. Watch this space!

I like the selection of snacks. I am obsessed with Nakd bars. They are wicked. They don't look like much when you unwrap them, but they are healthy, gluten free, tasty, filling, sweet, and fill a void in the afternoon when I have my milk cravings!! 

Cooking supplies - love them all! I am out of potato flour Angie, how did you know!!! I am also out of cinnamon sticks, because I use them all the time! I have ground cinnamon as a back up, but nothing compares to the real thing. And the vanilla looks so fancy, I'm excited to give it a go and see if it is any different to the extract I use. 

Now, these biscuits, they look ordinary, sound ordinary, but can create something EXTRAordinary!!!!! (not extra-ordinary, to be clear). 

I used these biscuits as the base of a Mango Curd Marscapone Cheesecake, recipe HERE, and my gosh, they were divine. 

I made them for friends at a picnic around the corner from our house, and just loved them. I made six for the six of us, big mistake! Should have made 20! We all nailed them within a few minutes, and nobody could believe that they were gluten free. So, huge thank you for these little gems, will be looking for them everywhere I go!!!

Thank you so much Angie, I really really enjoyed my parcel and appreciate the time and effort you went to for each item. I hope you had such thoughtful goodies too!!!  

If you're interested in joining the Foodie Penpals, the European set-up is organised through Rock Salt, follow the link to find out more and to sign up. The set-up in the USA is through The Lean Green Bean. It really is so much fun so if you enjoy trying new foods and meeting more people in the blogging community, get involved!!