While I was at the store yesterday I decided to get some ingredients for a stirabout to prepare ahead for my lunch menu.

Mosied on over to the fresh vegetable area and picked up a bunch of celery and a one pound bag of baby carrots [ for 10 cents a pound extra they are already peeled] plus two medium sized sweet onions totaling 1.01 lbs. Decided I wanted some meat in it this time and went to the meat section. Spotted a 1.85 lb chuck roast on big discount that normally sold for like $9.13 and got it for $3.83 [what a deal]. Then I picked up two 32 oz containers of beef stock plus a 32 oz can of diced tomatoes. All total the ingredients cost $11.28.

When I got home I got the big pot out, dumped in in the beef stock plus the can of diced tomatoes then turned the heat on to about medium to start heating it up. While that was warming I got out the cutting board and the sharp butcher knife and took that big hunk of meat and diced that up into small chunks and threw that in the pot. Then I cleaned up [washed] the whole bunch of celery and diced that up plus I diced up the carrots and threw those in the pot. Then I diced up the onions and threw those in.

Then I moved onto the seasoning. About a tablespoon each of oregano and parsley plus one or two others which I forgot what they were now. Just put in what suited my fancy. Then I got thinking about that lemon grass I was going to grow for seasoning [did not have that of course] so I decided to try lemon flavoring and just reached in the frig and pulled out the squeeze bottle of lemon juice and squirted in maybe a couple tablespoons of that. Then I grabbed the jar of chopped garlic out of the frig and put in a couple tbsp of that. Threw in a small amount of salt [beef stock is already salted]. Need to watch my salt level to keep my ankles from swelling.

I use to buy chili and canned soups for my lunches. Loaded with salt they are so I make my own now. Had a problem with ankles swelling and the doctor told me to cut down on the salt level. For table salt I now prefer to use Himalayan pink salt. Want a little extra salt on what is on my dinner plate I just give the Himalayan pink salt a couple cranks over it.

Looked like it needed more liquid after the ingredients were in so I put in maybe 2 cups or so of water. Set the stove on low simmer, covered and let that simmer for about two hours.

Taste tested it when done and it was delicious. Best stirabout I made yet and it was nice and thick with ingredients. I do not like watery soup.

Got 12  one and one half cup servings out of that pot. Got the containers out and filled those and stuck them in the freezer leaving one out for ready use. I put two serving in each container for frig space saving. Just use half one day and the other half another day from each container.

May decide to go out and empty that 4 feet x 6 foot bin this afternoon.