The Recipe Girl's Beef and Lentil Stew

This was a great crockpot meal, and I found the recipe in The Recipe Girl's cookbook.  It was easy, and it tasted so good, which sometimes can be a challenge for a slow cooker.  I loved how flavorful this was, and the boys and I gave it a 9, while Aaron gave it an 8 because it had spinach :).  Each serving was 266 calories, so we had this with some bread, which is delicious all on its own ;).  Here's the recipe with my changes:

3 T olive oil
1 lb stew meat, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/3 c dry red wine or beef broth
1 c chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 t minced garlic
3 c beef broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 c dried lentils
1 bay leaf
3 c spinach
1 T chopped fresh rosemary and thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat 1 1/2 T oil over medium heat and brown the stew meat.  Add the wine/beef broth to deglaze the skillet, then pour the whole thing into the slow cooker.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 t olive oil, and cook the celery, onion, and carrots, cooking and stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.  add the garlic, then add the whole mixture to the crockpot.  Add in the broth, the tomatoes, lentils and bay leaf.  Cook for about 8 hours on low, then when ready to serve, remove bay leaf and add the herbs and spinach.  Season to taste and serve.