Hearty Beef Stew

Another Side Note: My "serving sizes" are based upon what Treyton and I eat. His "serving size" is at least 2 bowls of stew or more than one typically eats. I measure it on how many meals we get out of it. If I write 4, it's because he and I can eat the meal twice (me + him for dinner, me + him for lunch).

Beef Stew. So good. So filling. I remember Sundays, coming home from church, and having beef stew. My mother was always good about getting into the crock pot. The smell of roast, potatoes, carrots, and spices would fill the air. It was the best smell to come home to when you're hungry. You may think this is just a meal for cold weather, but it's great for the summer when you're busy working and want to get outside afterwards. It doesn't take much time to prepare, and once it's in the crock pot, it cooks itself! So, you come home to a delicious meal. To me, it's awesome during the summer, because you can get those fresh produce again.
This recipe is for a 7 or 8 quart crock pot.

Beef Stew

1 lb. Stewing Beef (or chuck roast)  $3.47
2.5 lbs potatoes (6-9 medium potatoes)  $1.25
4 stalks celery  $.50
1 medium onion  $.50
1 lb. baby carrots (3-4 carrots)  $.79
4 cups water 
1 packet beef stew seasoning  $.79
salt 
pepper

clean and dice potatoes into 1 inch cubes, thaw meat (if you don't, you need to cook the stew for an hour or two longer), chop celery, dice onion, cut baby carrots in half (this makes it more bite-size). Put all the vegetables and meat in the crock pot. Add beef stew seasoning and water (I made an estimate of how much water you need. It is to at least fill the crock pot up until the half way point of the vegetables). Stir the contents around to mix the seasoning. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat and vegetables are all the way cooked. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Ideas: Try adding a green pepper or red pepper or diced tomatoes
Top with: Cheese or sour cream
Total Estimated Cost: $7.30
Total Servings: 5
Cost Per Serving: $1.46