I love to cook and I try my best to feed my family with healthy, from-scratch meals. But there are times when I punt—like a couple weeks ago when I arrived home from work at 5:30 p.m. and had to leave for a school meeting at 5:40 p.m. Those are the nights when I'm grateful for ready-made products like In the Soup. (FYI: The Facebook page doesn't do the company justice; a website is pending.)

The organic soups—all of which have playful names—are made from pure, clean ingredients. The Bad Mood Pea, my favorite of the four flavors, is bright green and it tastes singularly of sweet, spring peas. It's also vegan and gluten-free—and both my one-year-old and my five-year-old lapped it up. The Tempestuous Tomato is sweet, rich, and hearty enough that it can be eaten by the bowl or repurposed as a marinara. It's much the same with the Bankrupt Butternut and the 10 Carat Carrot.

This neophyte company was founded by Basalt residents Yalonda Long and Casey Puckett (who recently recently announced his retirement from professional skiing after 10 X Games, five Olympics, and 12 years on the U.S. Ski Team). The soups are proof that good things can come from hard times: Long lost everything in the Great Recession and the company is a symbol of her grit and determination to start anew. This also goes a long way in explaining the bold, tongue-in-cheek labels.

Find the soups around town at Curtis Park Deli, Local Market, Luckys Market, and Alfalfa's. And keep an eye out for the crouton line that's launching next week.

Curtis Park Deli, 2532 Champa St., 303-308-5973

Local Market, 103 N. Rubey Dr., Golden, 720-536-4200

Luckys Market, 3960 Broadway St., Boulder, 303-444-0215

Alfalfa's, 1651 Broadway St., Boulder, 720-420-8400