You know when you start feeling a little off? You get that feeling in your throat – a little scratchy, a little swollen, a little achy. But of course it’s not enough to stop you from doing all the things that have to be done.

Well, that hit me this week. The rain didn’t help either. I got the headache to go with it. Yucky and feeling just a little bit weak with a ‘big head.’ I didn’t have the energy to even make lunch for myself. So I thought I’d head over to Panera for some good old fashion Chicken Noodle Soup!

I discovered a Panera closer to me than the one I usually go to and since I really wasn’t in the mood for travel, I tried it out. I love it when I can count on a restaurant chain to be consistent. Panera didn’t disappoint. The soup was hot, tasty and had nice chunks of chicken; you could smell the honey in my tea, and the baguette was perfect for dunking.

With the first sip of soup, the headache went away, the sore throat subsided and a warmth washed over me. By the time I was done, I felt refreshed. Thanks Panera – I needed that!

But before I left I decided I would check out what they had in the bakery. I bought a loaf of the Cinnamon Raisin bread and had them slice it. I also got a Strawberry Smoothie! I never had one from Panera and I really liked it. I had a couple slices of the bread as toast this morning. My kitchen still smells a little like cinnamon!

So if you find yourself too tired or weak to make anything healthy for yourself, try Panera – you won’t be disappointed, and if happen to get some of the bakery items – well that’s just a bonus!

To learn more about Panera, to get recipes (really great ones) and to find out calorie count for their menu items, visit the Panera website at www.panerabread.com. To connect with Panera on twitter: visit @PaneraBread or friend them on facebook at Facebook.com/PaneraBread. Be sure to sign up for their MyPanera program when you visit – my tea was free!

What do you get at Panera for your ‘comfort’ food? Have you tried their recipes? Which ones are your favorites? Have you modified them at all? How did that turn out? I’d love to hear from you!

Disclosure: This is sponsored content and we have been paid to do this post. That being said, we do not blog about anything we do not believe in and Panera did not edit our post or direct our content in any way.