This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LoveLunchIn #CollectiveBias

Working mostly from home has been a huge blessing for our family.  I am able to stay home with the girls during the week writing for this website and then I work in a local grocery store doing cooking demos on the weekend.   

While I love what I do, I find that working from home can have some challenges, especially when Gabby is home with me during the school week.  We tend to run errands in the morning and by lunchtime, I'm starving, but I have tons of work to do!  I find myself looking for a simple, yet hearty lunch to eat quickly.  

Campbell's has a new line of Slow Kettle Soups that taste like they're right from a restaurant, yet they are super simple to make at home.  Our Walmart had a HUGE selection, it was really hard to decide.  I like to pair soup with a quick wrap or sandwich to eat while checking email (or watching Bravo...).   Since it's winter, I was drawn to the creamy soups like the Kickin' Crab & Sweet Corn Chowder and Baked Potato. I ended up also buying Tuscan Chicken & White Bean soup and Fiesta Lime Chicken Tortilla Soup.  YUM!  

Not going to lie, I was super excited to have my OWN lunch options.  I usually end up eating the crust of Gabby's turkey sandwich and some super cold tomato soup.  These soups went up high on the shelf in the pantry next to my Mommy's Food ONLY basket of protein bars/snacks. Most items are purchased for everyone else in the family, so I have to make sure little hands stay away from my treasured goodies. 

You can make the soup in the microwave, but it's recommended to heat on the stove-top.  (I did eat the Chicken Tortilla soup at work last weekend and it heated up beautifully in the microwave, too!)  My Kickin' Crab Chowder only took about 4 minutes to heat up!  I ate it with a simple side salad and was able to get work done after Gabby napped.  

These soups will be a staple in our pantry from now on! I can treat myself for a quick lunch and get on with my work.  No more mid-afternoon stomach growls for this Mama!

Excited to try some Slow Kettle soup for yourself?  There is a coupon available!

Do you work from home?  What are your favorite simple lunches? 

Labels for Education: A Quick & Easy Way to Help!

Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Now that school has started, I want to do as much as I can to help!  I know once the school year starts rolling along, it can be difficult to find time to help or volunteer—especially if you work full time!  My favorite way to pitch in year round is to save labels for the school.  Labels forEducation is a simple way to help out your local school.  Even if you don’t have kids in school, it would be great to save for a local one near you!  Many times, grocery stores like Meijer will have bonus points for buying a certain amount of product.  Even before the girls were in school, we would save them for friends and family members.  Right now, Campbells Labels for Education has a contest where 1000 schools will win $1000! While the labels are mostly on food items, many BIC labels have them as well!  Check out the complete list here.  There are over 2500 items!

Most teachers have a “wish list” that you can help by picking up extra classroom items. I’ve been eying the Target clearance for a week now, waiting for the 70-90% off day.  Not sure about you, but I tend to get busy and forget to keep bringing extra goods from the wish list throughout the year.  Labels for Education is a quick and easy way to help! (I am adding a reminder note to keep bringing in items now, though!)

Once Ricky said “a few labels won’t even matter!” and I had to remind him that each school has hundreds of kids who have hundreds of people that can save.  We have grandparents and other family members saving labels for us, as well!  It’s nice to designate a certain area in your kitchen for labels: a baggie on the fridge seems to work best for us!

Next week, the twins have to bring in a snack and I thought I might as well use Labels for Education products for a tasty peanut-free snack!  Our favorite show right now is Super Why! and Post AlphaBits has teamed up with them for their cereal.  I remember loving when snack time was an ooey gooey marshmallow bar, so I thought I would make it with the cereal.  Tasting batch was a HUGE hit!

On the website, there are always Labels for Education product coupons that I like to keep an eye on.  I like to pair the coupons with a sale to stock up the pantry! With cold weather coming around, I love to have cream of chicken and tomato soup on hand for casseroles and comforting lunches.

Do you save Labels for Education?