As the thermostat continues to dip, we are all looking for ways to stay warm and take the chill off. One of my favorite things to do on a cold day, is to sit down with a warm bowl of soup. There’s just something about soup that makes me feel good, it’s very comforting. Don’t you agree?
My favorite place to get my soup fix is Panera Bread. If you’ve ever been there, I’m sure you know why I like them.
Panera Bread uses fresh ingredients, like Thumbelina Carrots and Pear Tomatoes in their soups. They don’t skimp on the ingredients, you don’t have to use a magnifying glass to see the veggies in your soup! They are right there, and easily identifiable. Just look at this bowl of Garden Vegetable with Pesto that we ordered:
Big chunks of delicious veggies! (That’s the Bacon Turkey Sandwich next to it, not only is their soup delicious, but their sandwiches Rock!). Hubby enjoyed this soup immensely! It’s low-fat & vegetarian.
Panera offers a varied selection of hot soups every day in their bakery-cafes. Here’s a shot of their soup menu:
When it was my turn to order, I went with a classic, Broccoli Cheddar! It was so smooth and creamy and I really enjoyed the generous portions of broccoli. Take a look for yourself:
Look at that! Amazing flavor! (My sandwich was the Napa Almond Chicken Salad, I always order that one. I love the sweetness that the seedless grapes give it!). When you look over the Panera Bread menu, you see words like “organic”, “all-natural”, “antibiotic-free”… these are all words I want to see on my menu.
As much as I love their food, (did I mention they also have a bakery?!), I love their philosophy as a company. Panera Bread® has been donating unsold bread and baked goods to local organizations for 25 years, and also works with their customers to donate funds to support numerous local hunger relief organizations. In 2010, the Panera Bread Foundation started opening Panera Cares® community cafes, which give local communities the opportunity to share in the responsibility of supporting each other and help raise awareness of food insecurity. These non-profit cafes offer a dignified dining experience in an uplifting environment, whether or not a person can pay. Did you know one out of every six Americans doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from?! In an innovative effort, Panera® has teamed up with several of their key soup providers to offer Panera soup to those in need across America. Through Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, participating member food banks will distribute over half a million servings of Panera soup. I love supporting a company that is doing so much for their community, way to go, Panera!
I will leave you with one final photo of my soup bowl! 😉
**This compensated post is part of a DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program with Panera. However, any thoughts and opinions I’ve shared here are my own.***
This Mama Can Cook! 