Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I posted a picture of this stew a couple months ago and was recently asked for my recipe. It's not so much a recipe per se as it is guidelines. I didn't measure anything, just eyeballed.

Ingredients

Stew beef 1-2lbs

Low sodium beef stock 1 box

Frozen vegetables 1 cup each

Potatoes 2-4 medium

Carrots 

Petite diced tomatoes 1 can

Onion

One bay leaf

Basically dice the potatoes and onion and chop the carrots. Use your choice of frozen vegetables. I chose corn, peas, and green beans (which I buy organic at costco, a 5lb bag is about $5). For seasoning I always use salt, pepper, and garlic, but use what your family likes. You can toss everything in the crock pot together or if you're feeling fancy quickly brown the stew meat then toss it all together. Cook on medium for 4-8 hours.

Here is a before picture. This makes a ton of stew, probably enough for 8-10 people to each have two servings.

 

End of year thankfulness

Here I am, the beginning of 2014. This time last year we were returning from N's grandmothers funeral. I was three days in to my now-permanent thyroid hormone replacement pills. I had yet to total my car, our cat hadn't eaten yards if yarn, IA hadn't called me, I had yet to have a thyroid ultrasound or biopsy or surgery or pulmonary embolism. If I'd known what 2013 had in store for me I would've crawled into a hole.  Basically, these are my feelings about the year: 

However, there was one bright spot:

This little boy, and the little girl next to him. Between the two of them and N my life is happy.

Here's to a better 2014! May you be healthy and happy!

Love,

Tres