Lunch: Slow-Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

Set your slow cooker in the morning and come home to a hot, hearty stew loaded with beef and barley.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Barley

Health and fertility benefits of Slow-Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

Barley is about the best grain a woman with PCOS can eat. It is low in calories and has the lowest GI of all grains. Low-GI grains such as barley take much longer to digest and create a slow, steady rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. As mentioned before on Fertility Chef, low-GI foods reduce cravings. If possible, try and find hulled barley as it is the most nutrient dense of all types of barley.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 pounds beef boneless chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 medium carrots, cut lengthwise in half, then cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
2 cartons (32 ounces each) Progresso™ beef flavored broth
1 1/2 cups frozen sweet peas (from 1-pound bag)
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn (from 1-pound bag)

Instructions

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic, beef, salt and pepper in oil 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned.
Spoon beef mixture into 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in carrots, barley and broth.
Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours.
Increase heat setting to High. Stir in frozen peas and corn. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until peas and corn are hot.

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