French Onion Soup & A GIVEAWAY!

Well, I survived my Monday, did you? It is gloomy around here this morning which immediately puts me into a lethargic mood. I am going to get the legs moving on a walk to see if that can amp me up a bit.

Breakfast

I didn’t have a chance to snap a photo of my breakfast yesterday but I had a peach flavored Chobani with blueberries on top (Chobani hooked us up at the HLS with some great coupons btw). I learned that I don’t enjoy the peach blueberry combo and will probably never do that again. It wasn’t terrible but there definitely wasn’t the peanut butter-banana-combo love action happening in the least bit. I didn’t really think that one through. I was in a hurry. The peach yogurt would have been great by itself but I was trying to increase my fruit intake! Well, better luck next time.

Lunch

I booked it home for lunch and threw together a semi-sweet salad made of mixed greens, Driscoll’s raspberries, crunchy grapes, avocado, feta cheese, and walnuts. I topped it off with a light drizzle of Newman’s Own Lite Honey Mustard dressing.

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I finished lunch off with an apple and a bite of peanut butter before heading back to work.

Dinner

Dinner was wonderful last night for many reasons:

  1. It was VERY simple.
  2. It was ready for me when I got home from work and errands thanks to the crock pot.
  3. It is one of my all-time favorite soups.
  4. I got to use cute soup bowls that my co-worker gave me.

On the menu was French onion soup. Into the crockpot  went 3 yellow onions, 2-32 ounce boxes beef broth (reduced sodium), a splash of Worcestershire, a few cracks of black pepper.

I covered the soup and set it on high for 4 hours.

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The soup turned out great but I would change the cooking time next time. Instead of the short cooking time, I would cook it on low for about  7-9 hours. I couldn’t time it right with work to do it that way so I had to do it the high temp way, and the onions ended up a little crunchy. I like them to be more tender and ended up sautéing them for a few minutes in a separate pan on the stovetop and then adding the back into the soup.

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So, here is the recipe for you that I would use the NEXT time I made this soup, and it would turn out perfect.

French Onion Soup Crock Pot Style

Ingredients

Soup:

  • 2-32 ounce boxes of low sodium beef broth
  • 3 Vidalia onions, chopped into 2-3 inch strips
  • 1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire
  • 2 tsp black pepper

Topping:

  • Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced or shredded
  • Bagel chips, homemade croutons, or crunchy bread*

*I made my version gluten-free so I used thinly sliced almond bread which I toasted in the oven.

Directions

  1. Place soup ingredients into large crock pot. Cover and turn on low for 7-9 hours, or until onions are tender.
  2. Ladle soup into microwave safe bowls. Top with crunchy bread of choice, then cheese. Microwave for 1 minute or until cheese is melted.

ENJOY!

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Sneaky Pete’s Oatstanding Giveaway

Now, sound the horns. It’s time for my very first giveaway on Beautifully Nutty!

When I was at the Healthy Living Summit in Cambridge, I sampled a beverage from  Sneaky Pete’s Beverage Co.  called Oatstanding which is an oat-based beverage. Oats have been shown to have many health benefits. The soluble fiber in oats can help to lower cholesterol, can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, and can help to improve overall heart health.

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One bottle of Oatstanding has 3 grams of fiber (2 grams of soluble fiber) which is equivalent to about one bowl of oatmeal. The majority of people do not get the recommended amount of dietary fiber daily, so this is another way to help increase your fiber intake.

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Besides the health benefits, this product also tastes good. I am a gal who enjoys a sweetened beverage now and then, and this one was refreshingly light, and had just the right amount of sweetness to it (only 5 grams of sugar). It is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up and also great for on the go.

They offer 5 different flavors: Apple Away, Grape Escape, Mango Mystique, Peach Perfection, and Raspberry Beret.

They have a great site full of even more information on their product. If you would like to learn more, click here.

They are so excited about their product, that they want to giveaway a sample of all 5 of their flavors to one of my lucky readers (U.S. residents only).

Enter to win: Simply write a comment on this post about your favorite on-the-go drink or snack. The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced Friday morning. Good luck!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. A WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED.

Have a great day. 🙂

Note: I was not paid by Sneaky Pete’s for the opinions in this post, however I did receive the beverages at no cost for this giveaway. The opinions expressed about this product are solely my own.

This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. Laura

    My on the go drink is a bottle I water with a propel zero packet in it. Sometimes plain water era boring and this is a way to spice it up a bit!

    1. Laura

      I should have spell checked this. 🙂 what I was trying to say is that plain water can get boring.

  2. Kalley

    1) Love the new look of your blog, mellie. Looks great!
    2) Definitely trying that soup. Any other amazing crock pot soup recipes?!
    3) I’m debating signing up for a 10K sometime in Novemberish… any interest in being my running partner? Even if the majority of the “partnership” occurs by support and keeping each other’s spirits up? 🙂

    And on that note, know of any fun November 10K races?

  3. Jamie A.

    My on-the-go drink is water, but my favorite on-the-go snack is definitely a Cliff Z-bar. Man alive are those things good. I carry one in my purse at all times in case my blood sugar crashes (which is often).

  4. Amanda

    I can’t wait to try the soup. I am a teacher, and love when supper is ready for me when I walk in the door. So, I use my crock pot all the time!

    My favorite drink to take to work with me is Hot Green Tea and/or Ice Water with sliced lemon. Very refreshing…

  5. Jordan D

    That soup looks so yummy!

    My breakfast is always eaten on-the-go, usually a protein shake like Click Mocha or a piece of fruit with some almonds. And I always keep dry-roasted edamame in my car since I’m always driving, perfect midday snack! I love the taste of oatmeal, but never get to eat it for breakfast, I’d love to try Sneaky Pete! Thanks for the giveaway 🙂

  6. manda

    I like fruit or nuts for on the go snack!

  7. erinberries

    I love making a protein shake as my on-the-go snack. It’s easy to carry around a cup and sip it out of a straw during with my busy schedule.

  8. Danielle (@itsaharleyylife)

    I love chobani! I take it everywhere and eat like 3 a day!

  9. Sue

    My favorite on the go snack is almonds or mixed nuts and a bottle of water to go with them. I am looking forward to trying out the onion soup on a chilly fall day.

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