21 Day Fix Approved: Balsamic Beef Stew

I've hosted several 21 Day Fix groups in the last year as a Beachbody coach. They're always fun. They're always full of great women that keep me motivated. But this month's group has seriously blown me away. Not only are their results ASTOUNDING--

 "I just had my second baby three months ago--and I can't WAIT for bikini season! ...I'm blown away by how my body has changed from day one. I am so beyond excited and pumped about round two. At this point, I have 0 cravings for junk food and NO desire to have a cheat meal; my only craving now is to see more and more results!"

 "I got into a smaller pair of jeans today! Woohoo!!"

"I'm so glad I did this for myself. You have made this process SO easy to follow!"

 Y'all. My cup runneth over. These are real people. Mamas with kiddos. Mamas with full time jobs. Mamas making their health a priority. When I started this journey almost a year ago, it was to get myself back in shape after having our daughter. My "WHY" was selfish--not a bad reason, but totally just about me. Now, each and every day I make sure I get a workout in; I make sure I plan and prepare quick, healthy meals for my family; and I "treat" myself to a super foods milkshake to get in all the nutrients I need as a busy working mama...but it's not about me any more. It's about making it a priority so other's can see that it is possible. I want to help other people reach goals, get well, and be proud of themselves for the changes they've made. And, I want it to be realistic for the average, crazy-busy mamas like me. Small goal--next year I plan to help TWICE as many people as I had the opportunity to this year. What are you waiting for??

Sappy soapbox aside, this week my gals enjoyed a DELISH balsamic beef stew that simmered away low and slow in the crock pots. It took me just 10 minutes before the little one and I loaded up to head out for our day to get this goodness ready. And...it's a totally new twist on "21 Day Fix Approved"--when you break it down, a serving counts as one RED (the beef), one GREEN (the carrots, celery, and onion), and one YELLOW (the sweet potatoes). I made a point to pull out each item and load up my containers to see if I would still get as generous a helping as I wanted, lol. And dang, y'all. It made for a LARGE serving! Enjoy!

21 Day Fix APPROVED: Balsamic Beef Stew 
Ingredients: 
2 lbs stew beef or venison (organic/grass fed if you can!)
2 cups beef or vegetable stock (low sodium preferred)
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tspn basil
1 tspn rosemary
1 tspn thyme

 Preparation:*This part is so easy I'm almost embarrassed to type it...* 

Place meat in crockpot. Add liquids, then add all other ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.