Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup

I have always LOVED vegetable barley soup... every time I am at a resturant and see it on the menu I know hands down that is what I am going to order... well I have been searching for a good recipe for awhile. It seemed that every time I tried one it would turn into a gloppy mess and just not look appealing... it always tasted ok, but in our house the people eat with their eyes first.

Well I think I may have finally found a recipe that works for my family and I and since it was a hit I just had to share it:

8oz lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic- minced
5 cups beef stock
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes w/juice
3/4 cup quick cooking barley
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
9 oz frozen mixed vegetables
4 cups water

Brown meat. Add onion and garlic cook until onion is tender. Drain. Stir in remaining ingredients except frozen vegetables and water. Cover, bring to boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10. Add vegetables, cook about 10 more minutes or until barley is tender. This is where the water comes in... if you want a 'thinner' soup add some of the water... I ended up adding 4 cups of water to make it the way my family likes it...

ENJOY!!!

Oh and if you add the 4 cups of water you can have 1 cup of this soup for 3 WW PointsPlus Points :) You can eat the ENTIRE BATCH of this soup for 25 points :)