The Why: The Fall Harvest of Fruits and Veggies may be here, but time doesn’t grow on trees…and sometimes it’s just not possible to cook from scratch.  (Which is why it’s important to stock your kitchen with healthful foods to get you by in a pinch.)  One great, faithful cabinet standby is soup, and ‘tis the season for a nice warm start to dinner…but pureed soups can have cream and other high-fat ingredients, which can turn them into calorie catastrophes. This is not the case however with Pacific Natural Foods’ Butternut Squash soup.

The Health Bonus: Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin A (beta carotene), which is said to have antioxidant properties. It’s low in calories, and 1 cup provides 3 grams of fiber, half your daily requirement for vitamin C, 493 milligrams potassium and a good dose of manganese, thiamin, vitamin B-6, niacin and calcium (67 milligrams).

What We Liked Best: This is a great heat-n-serve option for lunch, dinner or even just a healthy snack (it’s only 90 calories per cup).  You can even “dress it up” a bit by adding some flavorful garnishes, like chopped cilantro and lime.

What We Liked Least: It is made with soy milk, so if you've got an allergy or aversion, you might have to whip up a homemade batch instead.

What It Replaces: Cream-based pureed soups that can really set you back calorically.

The Price: About $2.40

Offerings: They make lots of great soups and broths, including Organic Light Sodium Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato, Organic Light Sodium Creamy Tomato, Organic Light Sodium Creamy Butternut Squash, and Curried Red Lentil Soup.  Visit their website for complete offerings.

Web Site:  http://www.pacificfoods.com/index.php

Where to Buy: A natural food stores or grocer. Click here to find a store near you.

Nutritional Information:

Ingredients: Organic butternut puree, filtered water, organic soymilk (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), organic evaporated cane juice, organic expeller pressed canola oil, organic rice flour, natural flavor, sea salt, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder, organic ginger, organic nutmeg, organic cinnamon.

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