Beef and Vegetable Barley Soup

It's very kid friendly and a complete "dump it all in one pot" recipe. I forgot to take a picture the night we ate it, but I'll post one soon.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. stew meat
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp oregano
2 beef bouillon Cubes
4 c. water
1 bay leaf
* 1 can (14.9 oz) mixed vegetables, undrained
*1/2c. barley

Heat oil in large saucepan and brown beef. Stir in onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender. Stir in oregano, bouillon cubes, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour. Add vegetables and barley. Cook over medium heat 30 minutes. Serves 4.

*My variations: I used 1 cup of frozen vegetables and 1 1/2 c. barley that was already cooked(left over from another recipe.) Instead of cooking for an additional 30 min, I cooked until the vegetables thawed and warmed. I also added salt and pepper.