I do the same on Sundays...beef stew...about 5-7 pounds of beef, trim the fat, brown it in olive oil for a few minutes (not too much)...into the pot...two sweet onions, chopped up, into a pan with olive oil for a few minutes then into the pot with the beef...then two whole cloves of garlic, chopped and into a pan of some olive oil for a few minutes then into the pot of beef and onions...let that cook for an hour or two, then one bundle of celery, chopped and into the pot of beef, onions, and garlic, one pound of chopped baby carrots into the pot immediately after the celery (doesn't matter which is first)...let that cook for an hour...lastly, two russet potatoes, peeled and chopped, into the pot with everything else...cook for an hour...at all steps, seasoning with black pepper and garlic powder...whole thing takes anywhere from 3-5 hours of cooking time. At the same time I cook about 15-18 boneless chicken breasts in olive oil with black pepper and garlic powder, baked at 325 for 30-35 minutes. Every day I throw in a can of no salt green string beans for carbs when eating the chicken, and almonds or natty, no salt peanut butter for fats. Always have 5 eggs (1 yolk), two slices of whole wheat bread, almonds, and a glass of milk for breakfast. Intra_aid during workout with half a serving of green magnitude, immediately after workout, waxy maize starch and other half of green mag serving, 30 minutes later Dymatize protein. Hope this helps.