I enjoy cooking. I truly do. It's fun to plan, shop for and prepare a special meal for my family. It's also time-consuming, and we moms just don't always have that kind of time. That's why it's so great when I come across a great time saver product like Bertolli Meal Soup. These soups are found in the frozen food aisle and can be prepared in minutes. What I love is that they taste homemade. That's quite a compliment coming from me, as I love my soup and am rather picky!

Bertolli Meal Soup comes in three varieties - Chicken Minestrone, Tuscan-Style Beef & Vegetables and Tomato Florentine & Tortellini With Chicken. I chose the Tomato Florentine & Tortellini With Chicken because it sounded so different from most soups I've purchased at the store. I was not disappointed!

I decided to make this soup last weekend on the day we got our new kitty. It was an exciting day, and I didn't want to spend much time on dinner. I wanted to play with our new friend. Bertolli Meal Soup was just fabulous for a hearty meal in a hurry. It comes in a bag that's easy to open. Just pour the contents in a pan and add a cup of water, then heat. So easy. Take a look at all those zesty ingredients! After cooking, the soup comes together and looks like this.

Yum! There are pieces of tomato in a smooth, creamy tomato soup. There's lots of spinach, and the cheesy tortellini is the perfect texture. It was SO good. So good, in fact, I picked up two more this week at the grocery store! I knew my husband and son would want a little more to sink their teeth into, so I prepared grilled cheese while the soup was cooking, and we had a tasty, fast meal.

I absolutely recommend Bertolli Meal Soup and can't wait to try the other varieties. You can catch up with Bertolli:

On their Facebook page

On Twitter

And at the Bertolli website.

I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. All opinions are my own.

I'm finally vowing to do it, to get healthy for myself and for my family. Many of you know that I recently lost 23 pounds with the hCG Diet. That's really been the jump start I need toward improving my health, as well as my appearance. I feel that I'm making improvements in my outlook and my confidence as well. Now that I've taken conscious, positive steps toward making such a big change, I'm motivated to continue making positive changes in my life.

Unfortunately, I'm not alone when it comes to having weight issues. According to the Center for Disease Control, "two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese" This puts them at risk for health problems like heart disease and diabetes. I don't want my family to become one of the statistics. Not only are there health risks to obesity, but being overweight contributes to lack of energy. Summer is fast approaching, and my kids and I will need all the energy we can muster to accomplish all the fun things we want to do in the warmer months.

For these reasons, I didn't hesitate when I was asked by The Motherhood to take part in a campaign to promote Healthy Choice. I was intrigued to learn that recent research has shown that replacing 10 meals a week with Healthy Choice meals contributed to improved life and dietary quality. That makes sense to me because Healthy Choice meals are portion controlled and are a convenient and healthy alternative. I've always been a fan of Healthy Choice. The Cafe Steamers are my favorite.

Healthy Choice offered me coupons to try two free entrees. I chose the Cafe Steamers Whiskey Steak, which is one of my all-time favorites, and one that was new to me, Select Entrees Honey Ginger Chicken. Here a short review of the latter.

The Honey Ginger Chicken Meal was easy to prepare. All I had to do was make a slit in the plastic cover and microwave it for two minutes. Then I removed the dish, pulled back the cover and stirred the ingredients. I replaced the meal and microwaved it for another minute and a half. The instructions said to let it sit in the microwave for another two minutes. That was the hardest part because it smelled so good, and I was hungry!

This entree was very good. The rice was tender, and the sauce was absolutely delicious. I'm a sucker for anything sweet, and it was just the right amount of honey flavor. The vegetables were crisp and plentiful, and there were large chunks of chicken. While the meal was small, it was enough to satisfy my hunger. I believe that we often eat portions that are too large. That's one of the advantages of Healthy Choice; you always get the right amount of food for a healthy meal.

Also, did you know that brands containing the word "healthy" are held to a higher standard by the FDA? Healthy Choice is "the only major brand in its category that can call 100% of its products 'healthy' as defined by the FDA." Healthy Choice has inspired me to hold myself to a higher standard. In true baby steps fashion, I vow to make some healthy choices and changes this summer. I will:

• continue to eat in a healthy way
• exercise at least five days a week, getting outside with my kids at least three of those and
• experiment with flavorful and healthy foods for my family, incorporating some gluten and dairy-free ingredients.

I vow that this will be a fun-filled and adventurous summer. I intend to be active and do budget-friendly activities with my kids. I say this every summer, and it seems to just fly by without accomplishing this goal. I feel fairly confident that this year will be different, as I'm well on my way to leading a more active lifestyle already. What are your summer plans? Do you think you'll make some new healthy choices?

* I was compensated for this post by The Motherhood and Healthy Choice.

Last week, I talked about beginning the hCG diet, and since then, many people have had lots of questions for me. One of the most frequently asked questions being, "What do you EAT?" Actuallly, I can eat a number of things. Unfortunately, I haven't developed a taste for many vegetables nor meats like fresh fish, but I'm working on expanding my tastes. In fact, I just purchased fresh cod this week at the grocery store and will be preparing it for tongiht. Wish me luck!

I do, however, eat a great deal of chicken on the hCG diet, in addition to fruits and vegetables that are low in sugar and carbs. I found a fairly thorough list online that offers allowable foods and calorie counts. Feel free to take a look. I'd like to share a couple of my new favorite chicken recipes that fall within the limits of the hCG diet.

Grilled Chicken Salad

Ingredients (makes 2 servings)

7oz. all natural chicken breast

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

7 oz. fresh spinach

12 strawberries

salt & pepper to taste

1 clove minced garlic

1 tsp chopped basil

1 lemon

Directions

1. Clean, rinse and trim fat off the chicken breast. Marinate with half lemon, vonegar, salt & pepper, garlic and half basic for at least an hour.
2. Preheat grill to medium heat.
3. Cook chicken breast about 6 minutes on each side or until internal temp reaches 165F.
4. Meanwhile rinse spinach and place on two plates. Rinse strawberries and slice in half. Divde the strawberries between the two plates. Slice chicken in bite size pieces and add to the salad. Garnish with remaining basil and half lemon.

This salad is one of my favorite things. Even when I wasn't on the diet, I ate a lot of spinach salad with chicken and strawberries. But I added poppy seed dressing to my salads back then! This one is truly almost as good.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients (makes 2 servings)

7 oz. chicken

7 oz. lettuce or cabbage for wrap

2 tbsp soy sauce

1tsp grated ginger

1 clove of garlic minced

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 oranges sliced

Directions

1. Marinate chicken in white wine vinegar and garlic for an hour.
2. Preheat grill to medium.
3. Grill chicken for 4 minutes on each side.
4. While grilling, combine soy sauce and ginger. Mix well.
5. Cut chicken into thin slices and divide evenly on lettuce leaves, drizzle soy mixture on wraps and garnish with orange slices.

YUM! This is the first time I cooked with fresh ginger, and I am now definitely a fan. I'm really enjoying experimenting with different spices, vinegars and seasonings.

Balsamic Baked Chicken

Ingredients - (Makes 2 servings.)

7 oz. chicken breast

7 oz. fresh green beans with their ends snapped off

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat skillet to medium high.
2. Add red wine vinegar, garlic and onion powder. Saute for a couple minutes.
3. Add chicken and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, bake covered for 7 - 10 minutes, flipping chicken over halfway through.
4. Next add water, remaining balsamic vinegar, rosemary and green beans. Cook for another 4 - 7 minutes.

I particularly enjoy this recipe because of the fresh green beans. Before this diet, I was a strictly canned vegetable girl. I liked them bland and soft, not flavorful and crisp. It's what I was brought up on. I'm branching out into the world of fresh veggies and herbs, and I'm loving it!

These recipes are from the e-book, Easy hCG Diet by Celeste Wilson.

I've been on the hCG diet for nearly a week now, not including the two days of fat loading that come at the very beginning of the program. Surprisingly, I'm doing quite well. Better than expected, actually, as I am admittedly a serious sugar addict. As a reminder, the hCG diet only allows you to consume 500 calories a day, no sugar, fat, or starches. Because the hCG hormone causes the unnecessary fat stores to be targeted before essential sources of fat, your body is essentially burning more than the 500 calories you are eating. So, in answer to everyone's primary question, I am not starving.

How I Feel

I will admit that I feel a little hungry at different periods throughout the day. Especially in the morning. I drink a cup or two of coffee with a splash of 2% milk and that's it until lunch. During that time I take a few drops of the Appetite Control by DesBio that I got from my chiropractor, Dr. Jaison Golojuh, and it helps.Many times I don't think that I'm actually hungry, so much as that I just want to eat something. I've developed a bad habit of eating while I'm working at the computer or reading.

Jaison is overseeing the entire program that my husband, Bill, and I are doing. We see Jaison every week to be monitored, measured and weighed. While I haven't noticed the tremendous amount of increased energy people talk about, I am feeling better overall and at least a bit more energetic. I've noticed that my bra is fitting more properly, and my jeans are a bit loose, though I'm not yet able to fit into the size too small jeans I've been pining to wear. But it has only been a week.

What I Eat

I'm actually enjoying this new kind of cooking very much. I'm experimenting with vinegars and spices, and the recipes I've tried so far have been quite good. I will share them in more detail in future posts. I cook a lot of chicken because Bill and I don't care much for fish. We also eat lean steak and beef, but only twice a week. Today, we substituted scrambled eggs for one of our meats. We're permitted two meats, two fruits and two vegetables per day. And lots of water. We can also have coffee and tea, which we sip throughout the day when we're starting to feel like munching something. Stevia is allowed, and I put that in my tea.

Have I Cheated?

Yes. I will readily admit that I have cheated this week. Twice, actually, which I don't think is too bad. Yesterday, while at Sam's Club, I took Brady to get him the pizza we promised him. Sam's gives you two slices per order.  I had to make sure they weren't too hot for my toddler, right? So I had two bites of cheese pizza. I paid the price. I only lost about half a pound yesterday, according to my scale. It was worth it. That cheese was awesome! I also snuck a few marshmallows earlier this week when my kids were having them for after-school snack. Not so much worth it, but I can cut myself some slack on that one, too.

So how much weight have I lost? I'm going to wait until after tomorrow when I'm weighed at Jaison's office to give you the official numbers. While his scale reads about five pounds heavier than ours does, I don't trust our scale because it gives a different reading every time you step on it. I will tell you that I believe I've lost a significant amount of weight in just one week - at least the pound per day that is to be expected on the hCG diet, probably more.

So stay tuned for hCG recipes and more updates on my progress. I do think this diet is probably the best thing I've done for myself in a long time. Have you done the hCG diet? What were your results and thoughts about the program?

It's the holiday season. Things are starting to get busy. With parties and shopping on top of the everyday routine, sometimes we moms just don't have time to cook a decent meal for our families. Thankfully, these days we've got options. One absolutely amazing option I just got to try is the new Marie Callender's Bakes.

Marie Callender's Bakes are multi-serve options for your family that come from the freezer, go straight to your microwave or oven, and taste like home-made. There are several varieties to choose from including:

• Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
• Creamy Chicken Alfredo with Sun Dried Tomatoes
• Scalloped Potatoes & Ham in a Creamy Swiss Cheese Sauce
• Southwestern Style Chipotle Bake
• Three Meat and Four Cheese Lasagna
• Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese

The meal my family and I got to try was the Creamy Chicken Alfredo with Sun Dried Tomatoes. Alfredo anything is my favorite! I have to tell you that I really wanted to try the White Cheddar Mac & Cheese, but the store I shopped at didn't carry that variety. In fact, it was hard to find the bakes in my area. My advice is to check the Marie Callender's Meals website and enter your zip code in the lower left corner to find a store near you that carries the product. I'm hoping more varieties become available soon!

This dinner was so easy. The box says you can prepare them in the oven or in the microwave. I went ahead and made ours in the oven this time because I had the time. Tonight, however, I have to take my kids and their friends to see the new Harry Potter movie, so I think I'll be trying the microwave prep method!

Oh my!  It was easy to prepare. In fact, all I had to do was take the plastic off the container and pop it in the oven. I was surprised at that. It came out looking very tasty. Here it is in my bowl. My kind of meal. No clean up except for bowls and silverware.

The noodles were just the right texture, not too mushy or hard. The sauce was creamy and the chicken was great. The vegetables were plentiful, though I'm not much of a veggie eater, so I gave mine to my toddler. Take a look at his plate to see just how good these meals are!

Yep, he ate every last bite, minus one little noodle. Too bad I can't say the same for his carrots!

Marie's Callender's Bakes are a great option for my family when I don't have time to cook. I am looking forward to trying other varieties and will definitely do so. The serving size looked deceivingly small, but I was able to feed two adults and one very hungry toddler, who wanted seconds, with just one meal. And for less than $6.00, you can't beat that!

This was a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

I wanted to share with you a recent shopping experience I had at Walmart. I was given the opportunity to try a Marie Callender's frozen pie in order to provide my opinion. Well, since a picture tells a thousand words, I'll let you check out my Whrrl story to see how my family and I liked out pie! I can totally recommend these pies (especially for the price of less than $5.00) and know that Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie will be making a repeat appearance in our home this Thanksgiving.