I LOVE COOKING AND.....BEEF BARLEY STEW FOR 8.00!!

Why Do I LOVE to Cook?? I LOVE Knowing Exactly what is In My food! I Love knowing that the fooD I eat is serving a purpose....to Nourish, and Fuel My Body! I Love Knowing that the Ingredients are Fresh, and Healthy and Low In fat and Calories and LOADED with Flavor! We Have a Choice In Everything We do...Attitude,Responsibility,Love,Kindness,Exercise etc...etc... and FOOD! I Love teaching My Kids about the Benefits of Eating Healthy AND I Love that My Kids CHOOSE to Eat Healthy! Don't Get Me wrong...I Do LOVE Desserts but, In small doses:)

Sooooo, With All that being said....Yes, I did make Beef Barley Stew for 8.00 And this was a Challenge because I don't buy red meat very often...meaning I really have NO CLUE how to cook it:) So with a little research, I learned that the best thing to do is to Brown the cubes of beef in a skillet first BEFORE putting it in the Slow Cooker. So, That's what I did! Everything else was Slow Cookin' All the Way!

Here is what you need~


1 pound lean beef stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
2 tablespoons flour (I like it a bit thicker)
black pepper to taste!!
sea salt to taste!!
2 tablespoons oil (to brown the beef cubes in first)
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 large stalk celery, sliced
A Lot of Garlic!!! I Used 4 Cloves chopped:)
3 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 bay leaves
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes w/ juice
1/2 can tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp dried Basil
2 cans Beef Stock (NO MSG)

* Place all ingredients in Crock Pot except the broth! Add the beef on top after browning all sides in a skillet. Add the beef broth. If the beef is not covered w/ broth, add water to cover. I cooked on HIGH approx 6 hours and served with French Bread!
************ENJOY and Always Be Proud Of Yourself for Cooking! It IS A simple Gift you can give Every Day!! Thanks for Reading My Blog:)