New Selections at Panera Bread {+ Giveaway}

When I was working toward my teaching certificate during my second round of college, I credit the extra pounds I gained to working at Panera Bread.  Man, their food is scrumptious, and with a deep employee discount during working hours, no wonder I became addicted to their foccacia sandwiches.

I like that Panera continually updates their menu, and offering many seasonal items rather than just the same old fare.   My family and I recently received a gift card to try out some of their new offerings, like their low-fat Wild Berry Smoothie, which is under 300 calories and contains yogurt, berries and no high-fructose corn syrup.

They've also introduced a new Thai Chopped Chicken Salad, which looks and sounds great, though we didn't try since we're vegetarian

They also are offering Chicken Noodle Soup in a bread bowl.  And if you've never tried Panera's bread bowls, you're truly missing out on one of the most comforting foods ever.

The Wild Berry Smoothie was delicious, and we had a hard time getting all but a few sips from our smoothie-addicted son.

Chris and I both had the Tomato Mozzarella Panini, which is served on Panera's signature crusty and chewy bread, toasted on their Panini press.

It's a delicious and filling vegetarian meal, and easy on the budget too. In fact, Panera always has vegetarian and vegan options, including their soups.

Though it was too late for Valentine's Day, they also highlighted the occasion with heart cookies. I'm so sorry we missed those!

For the week of St. Patrick's Day (March 11-17), Panera will be offering Irish Soda Bread, and on Fridays during Lent, they'll have Strawberry Hot Cross Buns--yum!  We're looking forward to trying more seasonal offerings from Panera Bread throughout the year.

WIN IT!
One lucky reader will win a

$20 Gift Card to Panera Bread!

To Enter
Visit Panera Bread and leave a comment naming your favorite item.
Extra Entries (you must complete the first mandatory entry before doing the extras.  Also, leave a separate comment for each one):
~Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link (2 entries)
~Subscribe to my updates
~If you're a Fan of Katydid and Kid on Facebook leave a comment letting me know
~If you're a Fan of Panera Bread on Facebook, leave a comment with your user name (first name, last initial is fine)
~Follow my blog publicly via Google Friend Connect
~Follow @PaneraBread on Twitter
~Follow @katydidandkid and tweet this giveaway, leaving a link to your tweet in the comments. You can tweet once per day (leave a comment each day). You can copy and paste my tweet if you'd like: #Win a $20 Gift Certificate to @PaneraBread http://goo.gl/fb/V0ImB @KatydidandKid #Giveaway

You must do the first entry in order to enter ("I want to win, thanks!" comments will NOT be considered). You will have until Wednesday March 9th at 11:59pmEST to enter. The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email.I'll also post the winners on my blog HERE. If I don't hear back from the winner within 72 hours, I'll pick another.
Disclosure: I was sent a gift card for Panera Bread to try out their foods for review.