RECIPE Chunky Beef Stew perfect for Winter

This week I've been thinking about my favourite recipes and dragging out my crock pot (slow cooker) to make some warm wintery meals. Yum!

Stew, the perfect warming food. And what's better than coming home and finding warm food ready to eat in the crock pot?

Chunky Beef Stew:

You will need:
450g of Stewing beef. I chopped mine into bite sized chunks.
2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
4 cups of beef stock. (I think I actually used chicken and vegetable)
1 cup of chopped Onion (I just cut a large onion into rings)
3 chopped Carrots (I used 4 and into large chunks)
2 Potatoes (I used more, because I love potatoes)
1/2 teaspoon each of rosemary and thyme. (I think I just threw in a few teaspoons of mixed herbs).
800g of diced tomatoes.

The recipe instructions:
1. Brown the meat and vegetables in a frypan with the oil before tossing them into the slow cooker.
2. Add the other ingredients.
3. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.
Season to taste and serve with toast.

What I did:
Threw most of the ingredients (raw) into a freezer bag*, and froze it all. Pretty much on grocery day I decided to make up a load of the meals we eat and turn them into "freezer" versions.

*I didn't add the vegetables until the day I was cooking it though, as I find they go a bit mushy when I freeze them. (Due to the way the cell walls of the vegetables break down from the slow freezing that a home freezer does...)

When I wanted it, I defrosted it enough to get unstuck from the bag, threw it all into the crock pot. Added a cup of Salsa, and an extra cup of water. Turned on the slow cooker on high for about 4 hours, then ate some.
Yum!