One Pot Wonders- Throw it all in the pot!

With a 2 year-old and an infant, one of the ways I have made dinnertime work is to revamp my repertoire of one pot wonders- dishes that incorporate the whole (or majority of the) meal into one pot. This doesn't have to be the same cream of chicken casserole with a bag of mixed veggies week after week, although I do love those easy, go-to recipes!

I love one pot wonders because they are:

• easy to prep, cook, and clean-up! Just one pot!
• a great way to incorporate veggies (i.e. get hubby and the kids to eat them without realizing it) and increase the ratio of veggies to other foods
• perfect for using up small bits of leftovers
• easy to dress up with herbs and garnishes

This week, and all month, we've been participating in the Eat From the Pantry Challenge, so I've been working with what's already in my pantry and freezer.

My Beef Stew:

1 lb marinated KC Strip Steak, cooked and cubed (left over from Fondue!)

1/2 box beef broth

1/2 an onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies

2 stalks celery, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper

1 T flour

1/2 t paprika

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t celery seed

1/2 t rosemary

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

(I ended up throwing in 1 c of whole wheat pasta to "beef it up" (haha) a bit, but that was kind of weird, so I'm not sure I'd do that again.)

Make-it-work-for-you Stew:

1 lb cooked meat (beef, pork, chicken... whatever you have!)

1-2 cups (to your desired thickness) water, beef broth, or chicken broth

1/2 an onion OR 1 T onion powder OR 1 T minced onion

Veggies (totaling 2-3 C): carrots, celery, potatoes, frozen or canned mixed veggies, turnip, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, sweet potato, etc.)

2-3 garlic cloves, minced OR garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 T flour

Spices: any combo of paprika, oregano, celery seed, basil, rosemary, thyme, chili powder, hot sauce... whatever's in your pantry!

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours OR cook on stove top on low for as long as you can. You can almost guarantee it will taste even better the next day as leftovers!