Veggie and Barley stew

I made this stew about a week ago. I doubled the recipe and then divided it up into gallon-size freezer bags. I ended up with enough for 6 dinners. I also made cornbread muffins and divided those up into quart-size freezer bags. I love the idea of freezer meals. There is no waste and it saves so much time throughout the rest of the week. As an added bonus, this meal is super healthy and you can really experiement with all kinds of veggies. Gotta love that.

Veggie and Barley Stew

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrots

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

3 cups tomato-vegetable juice

3 cups water

1 potato, peeled and cubed

1 (15 oz) peas, frozen or canned

1 (15 oz) can, whole kernel corn, drained

2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans, drained

1/2 cup barley

1 tbl soy sauce

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dill weed

1. In large pot over high heat combine all ingredients.

2. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until veggies and barley are tender.

This is the recipe I doubled and froze.

When I was ready for stew I tossed the frozen soup in the crock pot and turned it on high for 2 hours and left the muffins out to thaw while my family watched conference. By lunchtime we had a warm filling stew with our cornbread muffins. Yummy!