Meal Planner Monday: Beef Burgundy Stew

This is an adaptation from a recipe in Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook (p.44). I don't particularly care for the traditional pot roast with the potatoes and vegetables cooked together in the oven, but, I really like this recipe. I have grown to love the earthy flavor of meat seasoned with thyme. With our brief Spring weather behind us and cooler temperatures here again, this is a great meal to put on the calendar. This is really good, low-calorie comfort food - and very easy too...

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2 lb beef roast, bottom round or equivalent

4 carrots, sliced (2 cups)

1 onion, sliced

3/4 bag frozen peas

1 8 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional...I don't put them in because Mike doesn't like them)

3/4 cup dry red wine or beef broth, low-sodium if desired (I used beef broth and added several dashes of red wine vinegar)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dry ground mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

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Cook on low heat in slow cooker 8-10 hours. Mix 1/4 cup water and 3 Tbsp flour; gradually stir into beef mixture before serving. I often change the recipe slightly or substitute, for example, I had a can of Progresso French Onion Soup (free from Martins a couple months ago) so I used that. Adjust amount of liquid or vegetables to your preferences.

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**As a side note, I made this for friends of ours last Sunday who just had a baby. It's a nice meal for something like that because you don't have to worry about the timing of getting it there and it being eaten immediately. I took some homemade applesauce from the freezer, bakery wheat bread (from Walmart) and a bag of Caesar salad (from Walmart) to go with it or eat later. So, it was super easy.

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**If you are looking for a low-carb addition to the meal rather than bread, I really liked it served over barley (you could do a side of corn as well if you serve it this way).

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**Also, Ruby Tuesday has cheddar herb biscuits $1.99 for a dozen. You can call and pick them up in 15 minutes. They are awesome with this meal if you want something different to go with it (not as healthy of course). Homemade bread or cornbread would be great, too. You could probably find the recipe for the Ruby Tuesday biscuits online too if you wanted to try that.