First of all, I think it should be against the law to use to white bread as croutons. The use of boxed croutons is a hanging offense - better to go without.
With those raging prejudices out of the way, let's proceed to today's lunch. Fish & butternut squash soup in chicken stock with herbes de provence.
Homemade croutons - leftover artisanal rosemary bread that I cubed and chucked in the freezer when it became apparent no one would finish the loaf. I sauteed them in olive oil and basil oil, in the cast iron skillet. Took maybe three minutes. I always sprinkle them with herbs on hand - fresh rosemary and lavender, or dried H de P.
Great soup - very sweet due to the squash, which I roasted prior to adding it to the broth. I cut and deseeded the squash, cutting it into about six sections. The pieces with the natural bowl where the seeds were each got a teaspoon of brown sugar. I experimented by pouring soy sauce over a long piece, and sweet soy on a different one. I popped the squash in a 450f oven for about 45 minutes. I love doing this because it obviates the need to peel the squash, and makes life a little easier. When it's roasted, you just scoop out the flesh and compost the skin.
I used only about half the squash, so put the leftover flesh in a ziplok bag for future stews or roasts. I'd throw them in a skillet with potatoes, garlic, and a bit of stock for amazing roast potatoes.
Meanwhile the frozen Basa filet had been thawing and simmering in the chicken stock. (My homemade stock.) I added fresh oregano, lavender and rosemary.
Once the squash was done, I added it to the soup and let it stew for about an hour as I went for a run. What a great after-run first meal of the day - nutritious, easy to digest because I don't add lots of squash, lots of liquid to replace my sweat, and a little bit of carbs to carry me for a few hours. Great, available protein too. Yum.