Giveaway: Progresso Souper You 2011 Pack

So, who's still keeping their New Year's Resolutions? Anyone?

My goal every year seems to be to lose about a zillion pounds. This year, the stakes are even higher because I have the honor of being one of my cousin's attendants in her wedding this summer... which means I want to look good in my bridesmaid dress! Since we went on vacation for the New Year - and have a social calendar filled with fattening food - it's been hard to get back on track.

That's going to change.

I'm trying to work out more and eat healthier, and that's starting with the lunches I bring into the office. MyBlogSpark and Progresso offered to send me a health-and-fitness-themed pack and I thought it would be perfect for the theme of the New Year.

Warning: Not everything I'm writing about/in this prize pack is gluten free. Please read the label and, if you're not comfortable eating it, don't.

I am not celiac, my husband is, and I can eat gluten. However, I wasn't able to share this prize pack with him to hear his thoughts, which was disappointing. :(

They gave me five cans of Progresso Soup to try. The Weight Watchers soups that are 0 or 1 points per serving. They also sent a yoga mat and some other workout-friendly equipment.

I typically like Progresso soups... they're tasty, many of them are low-calorie, and they're very portable - I can stash a few away in a desk drawer for a lunch emergency. They're also clearly labelled gluten free when applicable, which I love (and I tend to spend more money on companies who label their goods better). However... I am not sure what to think about Progresso's Weight Watchers-approved soups.

Here are my thoughts:

• Progresso, you're usually wonderful about clearly labelling all of your soups that are gluten free. That's one of the things I love about your company. On top of that, I love General Mills' overall policy of not hiding gluten within their labels. However, some of these Weight Watchers soups seem like they'd be gluten free -- why aren't they labelled as such?
• One more note on gluten -- Just sayin' here, but celiacs want to lose weight too. I bet there'd be a decent market for Weight Watchers-approved, gluten free soups. Try chicken and rice, and label/modify that New England Clam Chowder to be gluten free!
• I love the fact that these soups are low calorie, but if you're following Weight Watchers please take note. There are two servings of soup in a can. I don't know anyone who eats just half a can of soup for lunch - if I bring it to work, I'm eating the whole can. A 0-point soup can turn into 2 points or so if you eat both servings. No funny accounting and cheating on points now!
  
• I think that with some of the soups (particularly the beef pot roast), they replaced fat and calories with salt. I am a saltaholic (To me, the only point of eating macaroni and cheese is liberal amounts of salt and pepper - mix it all up, then add more), and even I took pause.
  
• Since they're lower calorie, I find myself hungrier sooner with these soups than other soups. Probably not a huge surprise. I definitely had to supplement my lunch with an afternoon snack of a couple pieces of fruit (say, orange and banana), and even then I was starving by 5 PM.
  
• The Weight Watchers soups can't replace my favorite Progresso soups - I particularly like the Manhattan Clam Chowder, the Garden Vegetable and the Creamy Mushroom soups - all of which happen to be labelled gluten free.
  

Overall, when you're talking healthier work lunches that don't go straight to your waistline, non-cream soups are a no-brainer. It's certainly better than running out to a fast food restaurant and scarfing down a thousand calories in a sitting. And Progresso has some great options, both gluten free and non-gluten free, that are quick and portable. Let's be honest, I'm not going to be making homemade chicken stock on a Wednesday evening before work the next day, I'm going to be grabbing something I can tote in my purse.

So - want to try it for yourself?

Remember - Not all of these soups - if any - are gluten free.

I have a prize pack to giveaway including five Progresso soups, a yoga mat, and some other workout stuff (water bottle, aerobic bands, etc.). Want to win? Here are the rules :

• Contest closes at Friday, 1/28/2011, at 11:59:59 (The next minute, incidentally, my birth day begins!)
  
• I don't have time to hunt people down. Duplicate entries from the same person will be disqualified, and if you win but it takes me more than 30 seconds to find out how to contact you, I'll pick another winner. Your best bet is leaving your e-mail address in the comment.
  
• To gain one entry - Leave a comment on this blog post, saying either what your favorite gluten free Progresso soup is, or what soup you'd like to see be converted to gluten free.
  
• To gain a second entry - Become a fan of my Facebook page. Leave a comment here saying that you're a fan. If you're already a fan, great! Just leave the comment saying that.

Good luck - with both the contest and New Y ears resolutions!