Do you need a simple way to cook a roast? Need a quick meal that you can fix in 15 minutes and then not think about it again until dinner?

Pot roast!

I didn't grow up on Canadian/American staple meals like pot roast, so I'm really not sure how others make it. This is how I made mine today.

*I'd love to hear how others make their pot roast! If your way is different from mine, please share it with me. You can email me at pietrastodo AT gmail.com . Let me know if it would be alright to possibly share your recipe in a future post*

Last night I pulled out a roast.

This morning, about 11:00, I peeled and cut up potatoes and carrots.

Put the roast in the crock pot, filled half full with water to cover the roast.

Added some onion soup mix, and a little beef stock.

Added the peeled and cut up potatoes and carrots.

Added one can of V8. (will explain about the V8 below)

Put the lid on, set it to high, and let it cook all day.

If I have time, I take a bit of the meat 'juice' from the crock pot and make it into a thick gravy by adding more beef stock and some flour (mixed with cold water before adding to the hot meat juice). I sometimes add other spices but I won't get into gravy making right now).

Now the bonus is, when you're done your meal you have left overs which are great for Beef Barley soup!

Again, I didn't grow up on these staple soups and such, so I'm not sure what the 'proper' way to make beef barley soup is. This is my 'cheat & cheap' way.

The meat 'juice' that's left in the crock pot, along with the leftover carrots and potatoes, remain in the crock pot. I shred up the left over roast and add it as well.

Then I added some more water, to fill the crock pot 1/2 to 2/3'rds full.

Added about 1.5 cups of barley, and you can add any spices you might like in your soup.

Now I'll let that just simmer in the crock pot overnight on low, or put it in the fridge and turn it back on in the morning.

Serve with fresh baked bread or warmed buns, and always butter. Don't use margerine, it's not good for you!

About the can of V8.

There was a sale on cases of V8 one time, and hubby thought he might like to have it on hand for times that he's working and wanted a quick, relatively healthy, 'snack'. He never did drink it, so I wondered what to do with all this V8? I started adding it to our soups, and it adds a nice extra flavour. I don't know if I'll buy another case just to add to soups, but it has been 'fun' having it around. Even our youngest two who are 7 years old, our twins, made thier own veggie soup on the stove using a bit of water, a can of V8, and some cut up celery and carrots. I really encourage all my children to cook, so this was a great, easy way for them to feel like they made a soup all on their own!

On the topic of encouraging your children to cook.

Please do it. When I became married and had a home of my own I was almost 'scared' to cook. Actually, when it came to many kitchen things, I WAS scared, literally! I decided then and there that my children would be encouraged to cook as much as they wanted to, within reason of course. I decided that I would not allow anything to discourage them, such as getting upset about them messing up the kitchen, or me having to stand there and watch them when I might rather do it myself and get it done quickly.

Because of this, our 16 year old will cook, and bake, anything! She's made everything from pies and cakes from scratch to souffle! She's really not scared to try anything that sounds like it would be tasty. lol Our son is the same way, but doesn't share her great desire. He makes a great Boterkook (buttercake) though, and he's my Gouda grilled cheese expert. He also makes bacon and eggs, or sausages and eggs quite often for the family.

Our 3 younger girls also love to cook and so far they've become very good at making grilled cheese, their own 'soups', fried eggs, french toast, etc..

Children do make a mess when they cook, but the confidence they recieve while being in the kitchen and the healthy love of good foods, is well worth it! They learn to understand more about food then it just tastes good. They develope a healthy 'respect' for it. It's not just something to shove in your mouth to fill your tummy, it's something that should be made with care. Care about the ingredients used, care for the best fruits and veggies and other ingredients etc..

Kids in the kitchen is a good thing. Even if it means your kitchen often looks like it was hit by a tornado!

Of course, that only lends itself to teaching the children all about cleanliness.