Winter is a time when we think fondly of having that warm cup of soup, and now you can at Panera.  

I know, I know, I keep posting Panera Bread, what can I say, I'm hooked.  I can go to Panera and blog, read and get lunch. During these cold days I discovered the pick two...1/2 sandwich and 1/2 soup...my new find...

The half soup is only 8 ounces, (one cup), as opposed to the 12 oz size.   (tip for those just starting out, memorize those ounces and how they translate in relation to cup portions, this is a great tool for understand portion sizes) 

Here is a comparison on the soup:  

The regular 8 oz size of French onion is 200 calories, 10 grams of fat, 19 carbs, 5 sugars and 8 proteins. 

However, leave off the cheese and bread and you are looking at 80 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 10 carbs, 4 sugars and 3 proteins.  

Here is the trick...I order the veggie sandwich with turkey and whole grain bread.  I only eat about 1/4 or a 1/2 of one half slice of bread and usually I can only finish half the soup, but with the slash of calories I could have the whole cup.  

Ok, I can hear ya...the cheese and bread are the best part, ok then order it and only eat half the portion. Remember this is about lifestyle, not depravation...do what you can live with for the long term.  Choose which you would rather have, the bread in the soup or the bread on the sandwich.  At Panera, one of the options instead of added bread with your meal is an apple.  Although the apple is a few carbs, it will fill you up and a half of a small apple is less than 40 calories, 10 carbs. Half the soup would be 100 calories and 11 carbs.  20 carbs would be "right on" for  the meal.  Remember you still have the turkey and veggies on the sandwich...which is a lot of food. Most of the time the apple goes in my pocket for the afternoon!

My suggestion: give up the cheese and the bread in the soup: here's why:  the soup is very flavorful and you'll never miss it, in light of the meal as a whole.  The whole grain bread takes longer to digest than white bread and it will keep those blood sugars steady throughout the remainder of the day.  

Here is what my meal looks like:  2 oz turkey, cucumber, tomato, feta cheese (on the sandwich), bell peppers, 1/8 - 1/4 slice whole grain bread, 1/2 serving French onion soup, plain, 1/2 apple.  That would be 4 ounces of soup. This lunch is around 250 calories, 7 grams fat, 22 carbs, 3.5 grams fiber, 13 sugars, and 23 grams of protein Toasty!

It pays to know a few tricks to counting down calories while still enjoying a great cup of soup! The friendly folks at Panera have always been gracious to help me retrieve nutritional info from the in store guide... Go Panera! ...yes, we can, we have many more miles to go!

ps  ...  if you're reading this post today, Jan 6, 2010, and are local, we'll be sharing more menu tips at night's support group meeting on eating out and planning menus!  See ya there!