week night meals - Stuff Parents Need

I’m not superwoman. I don’t think any mom out there is, really. We all have to-do lists that are impossible to complete in a 24 hour day. Some days we get far enough through them to make peace with what’s left over, and sometimes we are hopelessly behind before breakfast is even finished!

On those super crazy days, I have no reservations about getting some help in the meal prep department. But my budget is tight, so going to a restaurant (or even just hitting the drive-thru) is not something I can do often. I need a more affordable option. In fact, on those days when I’m that pressed for time, it’s inconvenient to have to leave the house at all, even if it is just to pick up dinner!

Bertolli has got me covered, though. They have 4 brand new frozen products. I have tried AND LOVED every single one of them. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to know that dinner needs to be ready in 20 minutes, and to open the freezer and find a Bertolli Meal Soup or a Bertolli Risotto staring back at you. When I had NO plan for dinner and very little time, I suddenly had my pick of Italian-Style Wedding soup, Ricotta & Lobster Ravioli in a Seafood Bisque, Garlic Shrimp Risotto or Roasted Chicken Risotto.

My first pick was that fabulous Roasted Chicken Risotto. I took just a moment to read the directions:

That’s my kind of recipe! Pour contents into a skillet, cover and cook!

I played with Layah and hopped over to the kitchen every few minutes to give this a stir. It was just that simple.

And it was so good that I completely forgot to snap a photo of the final product! We gobbled it up completely before it occurred to me. Oops!

I would highly recommend Bertolli frozen meals. The taste was fresh, the meals were something outside of the norm, and it was a very special treat to have risotto, which is a labor-intensive food to prepare, while putting forth very little effort, myself!

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I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

On Tuesday of this week I got a wild hair about something we had on our list to do before the baby arrives in May. That thing was deep-cleaning our carpets.

I checked out rental fees from our local hardware store, and felt that we should get this knocked out now. I am having company over on Saturday, so I might as well get the house looking nice before they come over!

It was, in theory, an excellent idea. In practice, it was EXTREMELY stressful. I had no idea just how much STUFF we had scattered throughout the house, sitting on carpeted floors. Some of the stuff had a dedicated space (bookshelves), but much of it was stuff that didn’t really have a home, and was left to wander from room to room, pile to pile. I guess we were so used to seeing the piles that we didn’t even notice them any more. So in order to get our carpets ready to be cleaned, we had to start dealing with all that stuff.

It was ugly, people. And honestly, it’s not over. We still have piles in our uncarpeted rooms (like our bathroom and the hallway). But the good news is that we are now forced to make those tough decisions about where things should live, because they really can’t live next to the front door or next to the bathtub!

In the midst of all this craziness, we still had to deal with our everyday responsibilities, not the least of which is making sure we all get something good to eat! This might have been one of those times when calling for takeout or just swinging by a fast food restaurant was in order, but I really didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a meal and I didn’t want to make a really unhealthy choice.

This is where Bertolli came in!

You likely know Bertolli as a great line of Italian food products that you can find at your local grocery store. I have always found what they make to be of an excellent quality. Did you know that they now offer a frozen soup called Bertolli Meal Soups? They are an EXCELLENT alternative to picking up something quick, and they are even easier than take out because they don’t require you to go get anything (other than picking it up the next time you are at the grocery store).

We tried the Tomato Florentine and Tortellini with Chicken soup. Yes, it was every bit as good as it sounds! It was creamy, tasted fresh and fully of flavor and left us very full and satisfied. If I had received the exact same bowl of soup in a restaurant, I would have been very pleased! All I had to do in order to make this delicious meal was open the bag, dump the contents into a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it cook for 14 minutes, stirring once halfway through. EFFORTLESS, people!

Other flavors that are currently available in this line include the following:

Chicken Minestrone
Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta
Tuscan-Style Beef with Vegetables

I made this meal smack dab in the middle of our carpet cleaning craziness. It also happened to be an unbelievably gorgeous day outside (early February but 66 degrees and sunny!). Darah asked if we could have a picnic outside for our meal. Frankly, it was a great idea, as it felt good to step outside and away from all the clutter and chaos for a few moments! The picnic and the delicious soup combined together made for a very special meal at a time when having a special meal wouldn’t really have seemed possible.

If you want to learn more about this and other great Bertolli products (and hear about special coupons and promotions!) be sure to follow Bertolli on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Restaurant Quality at Home: Bertolli (GIVEAWAY!!!)

Make a Busy Weeknight Meal Special with Bertolli Meal Soups!