Crock Pot Beef And Barley Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs round steaks, cubed (*)
2 cups leeks, chopped
1 cup potato, diced (I like white)
2 cups carrots, chopped
4 -5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)
1 teaspoon dried sage (finely crushed)
1/2 teaspoon thyme (finely crushed)
2 large bay leaves (or three small)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
6 cups low sodium beef broth (**)
3 cups water
1 1/4 cups pearl barley

Preparation

All ingredients except the barley can go directly into the crock pot.
Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-7 hours.
Add barley last hour.
Add more water if needed.
Don't forget to remove bay leaves before serving!
* I brown my meat first but that is a personal preference. I also trim every bit of fat that I can see the keep the calorie count down.
** I use a homemade beef broth that is low sodium.