Yesterday, I was so proud of myself.  I had a Vegetable Beef Stew in the crock pot by noon, I planned the entire week’s menu (including treats) by myself, made the shopping list, and then took all the kiddos to the store and got every single thing on that list.  Yes, I did the grocery shopping.  Why am I so excited about that?  Because, as most of you know, in our house, Jose always does the menu planning, list making, grocery shopping, and meal preparation.  Law school just doesn’t leave a lot of time for those things.  Maybe for one person, but for a family of seven?  No way.  I just haven’t had time.  For a looong time.

But this week, I had some great ideas I wanted to try out, so I just decided to do it all myself.  Totally out of character, right?  ;)

So, I was already super excited, but it got even better.  First, I saved major money at the grocery store.  I got the entire week’s groceries for $125.  I know for some families this isn’t too exciting, but we have to feed seven people, including two teenage boys.  It also included all the ingredients for the yummy treats you see on here, so this was a big accomplishment.  Of course, I’m always up for a challenge, so next week, I’ll be trying to beat that!

Then, when we got home from the grocery store, I took a whiff of that awesome vegetable beef stew, and instantly knew I had made a good thing.  It smelled exactly like the vegetable beef stew my grandma always made when I was growing up.  I was instantly transported 25 years back in time to Grandma’s kitchen.  Yes, it was a good day.

I thought I’d share the recipe I used to make this yummy stew, just in case you’d like to try it out.  Some of  you are still digging out from under all that snow you got, so it’s a great time for stew.

Vegetable Beef Stew

2 lbs. stew beef chunks

15 oz. crushed tomatoes

7 carrots, cut in chunks

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 onion, coarsely chopped

5 red potatoes, unpeeled and coarsely chopped

4 c. water

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

4 beef bouillon cubes

15 oz. corn

2 15 oz. cans of green beans (you can also use fresh or frozen, approx. 2 cups.)

10 oz. can tomato soup

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Put all this in the crockpot, stir it up, put the lid on, and cook on high for 6-8 hours.  If you cook it on low, make sure you cook it for 12 hours.  Otherwise your meat may not be done.

Holy smokes, was this a ton of yum!!  :)

NOTE: I am not sure where this recipe came from, but I didn’t come up with it myself.  If I need to credit someone, please let me know.  Thanks!!