Good morning! I’ve been trying to figure out an improved blogging schedule/ approach, so bear with me. When I work late on Monday nights and Thursday nights, it’s not always feasible for me to get a good quality post up, so we’ll see what happens!
Last night for dinner we tried a new (to us) soup that Dr. McDougall’s had sent me to review, the Minestrone Soup.
The Nutrition Facts were pretty good, aside from the fairly high sodium content. It’s honestly so high that it would prevent me from having both servings in the container! That would leave you with 40% of your daily intake for sodium, and even more if you’re getting less energy than a 2,000 calorie diet provides!
Ingredients were great though, loved them!
Best Ingredients: FILTERED WATER, VEGETABLES (TOMATOES, ONION, CARROTS, POTATOES, ZUCCHINI, CELERY, CABBAGE, PEAS, GREEN BEANS, GARLIC), RED KIDNEY BEANS, BARLEY, PASTA (DURUM WHEAT SEMOLINA FLOUR), NATURAL FLAVORS (NON ANIMAL SOURCE), POTATO STARCH, YEAST EXTRACT, SPICES, BASIL, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, SEA SALT, MARJORAM.
You can read more about Dr. McDougall’s efforts on sustainability here, but one of the biggest sustainable practices they implement is the use of paper packaging. It’s Bisephenol A (BPA) free, and paper is a natural renewable resource. The paper is actually exclusively sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sustainably managed forests. Dr. McDougall’s is big on recycling, and actually do their own recycling right at their facility.
Other benefits of the paper packaging is that one truck can take as many cartons as soup as it would take nine trucks to take cans of soup, since the cartons take up less space and compact more easily. Plus, they’re really easy to open! I was expecting to have to break out the scissors, but nope! You just bring the corners up and tear across the dotted line!
We heated the soup in a glass Pyrex container in the microwave, and voila – soup is served! As much as I love how compact and environmentally-friendly the soups are, I also love how flavorful the Minestrone was! Plus, you actually had some satiety from the soup, with big chunks of potato and kidney beans. I also actually found a bit of heat in the soup – Ross didn’t notice, but I found it vey warming!
We’re embarking on mission: use what we have, so we had some baked tater tots that had been in our freezer forever as well as a Food for Life Cluckphrey patty. With organic, HFCS-free ketchup for dipping. 
It wasn’t a very colorful dinner, but I promise the rest of yesterday’s eats (bright salads and juices) made up for it!
I also tried another new product for breakfast: French Meadow Bakery Hemp Bagels made with Organic Grains.
These are SO filling, with the 19 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber! Wow! Plus, the ingredients are so wholesome – I love it!
I’m also glad there were only 3 grams of sugar – so many times in bagels and other doughy foods, they’re loaded with honey, cane sugar, molasses, HFCS, corn syrup, regular sugar and more. So unnecessary! The only sweetener I see is dates – pure and natural!
Check out the grains!
I had my bagel toasted, with a smear of hummus. I think hummus should be the vegan cream cheese for bagels. I can’t wait to eat more of these bagels, they were so good! Although Ross, if you’re reading, the bagels were uhh, awful, and uh…you should stay away from them in the freezer! Seriously – back off. 
Thanks again, French Meadow Bakery for the coupon so I could try these bagels for free!
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go!
What do you do for work? Is it what you went to school for? Is it an in-between job?
I basically do admin work for a non-profit homeless medical clinic. I love it and it’s a great job, but it is an interim job since, as you all I know, I’ve started classes and am going back to school to become a Registered Dietitian. It’ll take a few years, but I can’t wait to learn more about nutrition and our bodies and become a R.D.! 
(And it’s not what I went to school for – my first degree was in music, I used to want to be a professional flutist! Now I want a different lifestyle, and a more secure job!)
Thanks for the review of the Hemp bagels–that’s some real good stats and will have to check out!
I work in debt finance but have a degree in journalism/public relations. I actually wanted to work for a non profit organization but it never happened (I couldn’t support myself on that income alone with no sig. other)I would love to work in something more communications based and less number crunching.
My job right now is a complete ‘in between’ job. I work in the office of very large retail store doing admin and payroll. The job isn’t bad, but I went to school to be an elementary phys ed teacher! Sadly, there are no teaching jobs right now, not even for supply!!!
I want to try those bagels..
I work in finance for a casino in their corporate office. We have casino’s in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, NJ and Tunica, Mississippi. I work right under the Chief Financial Office.
It is a very demanding job but keeps me busy
I went to school for marketing and ended up in finance.. go figure..
I almost bought those bagels at Whole Foods on Sunday! Thanks for the review. I will have to get them next time!
Those bagels look awesome!
I work at Starbucks as a barista, I’ve worked there for almost 5 years, it’s such a hard place to leave because my benefits are amazing! I’m not really sure what it is I want to do as a career quite yet I just know that I don’t want it to involve coffee!
mmm those bagels look really tasty..mmmm…..
i work in atlanta at Carter’s/Oshkosh B’Gosh as a creative artist intern… except I do more technical artist work now….more drawing florals and getting art ready for the factory and less drawing characters/ making up prints. Yes its what I went to school for (sort of… the art part at least) but I picked up a lot of new skills here that I can take with me that my school didn’t offer (like anything about the apparel industry/process). Btw, Ben applied for a job in Gville…. I hope he gets it…. a) its in florida b) I will actually know someone there
I work for my father’s real estate appraising company. It’s semi-related to what I went to school for (Communication studies with a focus on media). I went to college not really sure what I wanted to do, so this job turned out to be a pleasant surprise. My dad has been wanting me to work for him for YEARS, but I never wanted to. Never thought I’d like it as much as I do! It’s super flexible because I work from a remote-desktop and can work from anywhere (although I usually go into the office). And, having a dad for a boss does have it’s perks
Love these new products, thanks for sharing your thoughts. It’s always so helpful when I see these in the store to know if my blogger friends approve.
Hope you enjoyed your day today Lindsey.
[...] Hemp and Minestrone [...]
Those bagels look phenom! Must try!
I work as an ICU RN. It definitely is NOT an “in-between” job; it’s my career!:) It is pretty cool and exciting on most days, but stressful and tiring physically, mentally, and emotionally on others.
[...] again to French Meadow Bakery for allowing me to try these Hemp Tortillas, as well as the Hemp Bagels and Flax and Sunflower Seed Bread that I reviewed, too. Check out their site, they have something [...]