It's "What-I-Made" Wednesday!

Can I hear some applause? I am actually posting twice in a row! woohoo!   :)  Okay, now that I am finished patting myself on the back, I can fill you on the title of my post. Like I said in my post yesterday, I got a nice little organizer for my blog and was able to come up with some ideas for posting regularly. I thought it might be nice to share some of the recipes I made in the past week. I enjoy blogs like those, so I figured "why not?" 
As I have mentioned in the past, Pastor's don't make a whole lot of money and we actually bring in a whole lot less than most. Because of that I have to use all my magic-frugal-wizard skills to make sure we can eat healthfully AND on the cheap. Now, I'm not saying it's always possible to have perfect meals. Sometimes it's not. I have a big ol' box of Ramen noodles in my pantry for when things get tight. That's when the kiddos get the nutritious stuff and DH and I just fill our tum-tums with those dorm-room staples. :) But anyway, God is good and right now, though we're down to our last 3 bucks until Friday's paycheck, we have exactly enough to eat well. 

Yesterday, I welcomed fall with a beautiful pot of Barley Beef Vegetable Soup. I love soup so much. It instantly transports my mind to images of pumpkins, changing autumn leaves, cool temperatures, and that wonderful fall smell that I enjoy so much.  So even though it's still near 90 degrees here in the waaaaaay-south and the humidity is about 100%, I just lived in denial made the soup anyway.  Here is a picture of that little pot of heaven:

I know: the picture is wicked-dark (you like my New England-speak there?) but I'll work on that in the future.  The recipe is pretty simple and the results are oh-so good. I encourage you to try this one. It is very high in nutrition but low in calories and cost. The 4 of us ate it for lunch yesterday, dinner yesterday, and we'll have it for lunch today too. :) The soup actually freezes very well, but I forgot to soak the beans for the meal I had planned and therefore had to feed everyone soup again. My bad! No one minded though, because this soup is so good.  Here's the recipe:

2 boxes low-fat, low sodium beef broth
2 small cans V-8 juice
1 beef bouillon cube
1 can of water
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (sans Lima Beans...yuck!)
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbs veg. oil
1/2 lb extra lean stew beef
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup Barley
a sprinkling of Mrs. Dash Table Blend
a generous dash of dried Basil (I don't always measure. sorry)

Cut your stew beef into 1 inch cubes, and slice off any fat they might have left on it. Add your veg. oil to your soup pot, and heat on medium high. Add your beef and cook it until cooked through, stirring often. Add your onion and cook it until it is translucent, then add your garlic. Next, throw in  your V-8. Tomato products are fabulous for helping you get the beef off the bottom your pot. Then add in your broth, water, bouillon, spices, and veggies.   Once that comes to a boil add your barley. Reduce your heat to medium and let the whole thing simmer for about 40 minutes. Make sure you leave your wooden spoon on top of the pot so it doesn't boil over. :) When the barley is cooked, the soup is ready. Let it cool a little and enjoy. Mega-nutrition in a tiny little package.

Enjoy the soup, and if you are lucky enough to be above the Mason-Dixon today, enjoy the beautiful fall weather for me.