Beef and Barley Soup

Not too long ago, the only grain I was eating was rice, and I am SO sick of it. So part of my "eating healthy" plan is to eat more different types of grains, being that they are low on calories, high on fiber and protein, versatile, economical and delicious!!!
So I figured I would start with a dish that I am already familiar with.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)


Ingredients
Cooking spray
3/4 pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
2/3 cup chopped onion
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove beef from pan. Add carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms to pan; cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add beef; fat-free, less-sodium beef broth; and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in pearl barley; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until pearl barley is tender. Stir in salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

Meatballs

I went to bed at 9:00 the night before last. This isn't anything out of the ordinary for me though, I like my sleep. The thing about that night is that it was New Year's Eve, so I totally felt like I missed out on the fun, to say the least.
I know its the beginning of the year and my plan was to eat healthier and drink less, but I started with the complete opposite. I drank vino all day and made meatballs! I stuffed myself with spaghetti and meatballs for lunch, then of course made meatball subs for dinner with the leftovers. But that's it! I will start eating healthy on Monday!

I wasnt really in the mood to make tomato sauce from scratch so I used Mario Batali's Arrabiatta Sauce thats made with San Marzano tomatoes. Its delicious.

Meatballs
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 pounds of ground veal/pork/beef mix
2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Meatballs

Mix all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Let stand 15 minutes. Using moistened hands roll meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Add a drizzle of oil onto a med frying pan heat over med heat and start adding meatballs and saute until brown.

In a separate pot bring the sauce to a boil, add meatballs and simmer for about 10 mins. DONE!!!