Crock Pot Vegetable Soup

This is one of my favorite tricks I read about two years ago, and have been doing it ever since! We tend to have just a bit of leftover veggies after meals. Not quite enough to add to a dish for tomorrow's lunch, but silly to throw out. So I drain them, add them to a large Tupperware container and toss it in the freezer. I keep adding and adding until my bowl is full, and then I have the start to veggie soup! I use any kind of beans (lima, black, kidney, etc), corn, peas, green beans, potatoes, carrots, blackeyed peas, etc. When it's full, I take it out of the freezer a day ahead of time.

Add the veggies (even if they're still frozen!) to the crock pot. I add a pound of stew meat (raw is fine) or ground beef (cooked), a ziploc of celery (I chop and freeze the whole stalk when I buy it because we don't use it fast enough), one chopped onion, and then equal amounts of tomato sauce and condensed beef broth. I add a little pepper, but there's usually enough salt between the veggies and the sauce that I don't need to add salt. Cook on low 6-8 hours, checking to make sure there's enough liquid for your liking and dinner is served! I like to serve it with my honey corn muffins (recipe forthcoming) and sometimes a salad. Easy, tasty, and the best part is you've already paid for it!