Giveaway: Progresso Soup

In the spirit of full disclosure, I received fifteen Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups, a Progreso soup bowl, and a digital jump rope. I received no other compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Progresso and MyBlogSpark, I'm working on getting back in eating healthy and watching my portions. Let's just say that winter, being busy, and being stressed with work among other things aren't exactly the best combination for me. They were kind enough to send me sixteen different soups, and -- surprisingly -- I actually liked them.

They sent me fifteen soups, about half of which were dairy free so that Little Miss was also able to share with me. I was somewhat surprised by some of the soups that had milk ingredients (vegetable soups that were I making them would have no trace of dairy), but I'm guessing they were there to add a bit more protein.

The soups are generally between sixty and 100 calories per serving, which is a half can. For me, that's a little bit low on the calorie side, so when eating them, I generally ate an entire can for a meal (and with 160 calories for a lunch, that's still totally my idea of a very low cal and healthy lunch). They filled me up pretty well, and they weren't overly salty, which made me happy. I don't eat much salt, and I'm always leery of prepared foods because of the amount of sodium generally in them. These I could handle -- good job, Progresso! I was also very pleased to see that most of them touted having no MSG added.

For the most part, they also tasted pretty good. I won't say it's just like homemade, but I generally am not a fan of canned soups. These I'd buy. The ones with meatballs tasted a little processed to me, but especially the varieties of vegetable and chicken noodle soups were pretty tasty. And yes, Little Miss agreed!

So why should you care?

Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups are holding a contest through March 15th for a chance to win a full makeover in New York City. Visit here to enter the Progresso "Souper You Debut" contest.

Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store. And yes, of course I'm entering!

To enter, you´ll need to do the following:

Go to here to learn more and enter the contest

Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover

In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay

Once you enter, you´ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on the website, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit the site from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite.

In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYouto download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup!

And beyond that, I'm also giving away a gift pack that contains the mug, jump rope and two cans of Progresso Soup. While I might not have tried out the jump rope yet - I have a good reason - it's pretty cool!

So. How do you win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Tuesday February 9 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me your favorite Progresso Soup flavor. If you don't do this one, no entries will count.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for Tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly!

Good luck!