Beef Barley Stew in the Ninja Cooking System

Hi friends, I've got a mild case of writers block today.  It's been explained to me by numerous writers and academics that the best thing to do is to step away, take a break and come back later. My problem with this advice is that later can turn into much much later and that's just not how I roll. I'm all about production and results & later doesn't yield results. (You love me anyway, even if I'm a driver, right?)

So what's causing this said writers block you ask?  Writer's block happens to me when I have stuff to talk about but I put a filter on and decide that I can't share my entire life with the world. 

It's seems as though the stuff I want to write about is floating around the front of my mind like a dark cloud floats low in the sky on a spring day.I want to push the gray clouds out of the way and frolic in the flowers and bask in the sun.  So, for now, I will share with you a beef barley recipe that my kids like. A home cooked, healthy meal can be my way to bask in the sun, for now :-)

Beef Barley Stew in the Ninja Cooking System

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery ribs, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup barley
• 2 boullion cubes
• 5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Pan fry the hamburger, onion, garlic, salt and pepper on stove top medium for about 13 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove and drain.  

Place carrots & celery in the Ninja Cooking System on stove top medium (no need to add oil as you will have ground beef grease residue). Saute for about 5 minutes. Add water, boullion, parsley, barley, brown sugar & tomato sauce. Mix well.  Add hamburger mixture and cover with the lid. Turn to stove top high for 10 minutes. 

Last, turn the dial to slow cook, low and set the timer for 2 hours.

Serves: 6

What do you do when you get writers block?