Lunch: Fresh Vegetable Barley

Recipe by Lia Huber Total cost: $5.83/Cost per serving: $1.46. Look for barley in bulk bins at natural food markets. Feta won't break the bank, and like other strong cheeses such as Parmesan, a little goes a long way.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Barley

Health benefits of Fresh Vegetable Barley

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

1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion (about 1 small)
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 3/4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock
1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini (about 1)
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add barley; cook 1 minute. Stir in Homemade Chicken Stock; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini, tomatoes, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 5 minutes. Ladle 1 cup barley mixture into each of 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons feta and parsley, if desired.

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