Hearty Beef, Barley, and Lentil Soup

One of my favorite soups is Gone-All-Day Stew, but it doesn't freeze very well because of the large chunks of vegetables and the use of potatoes.  So, I modified a recipe from the soup cookbook that Becky and Brian got for us for Christmas which called for barley and lentils instead of potatoes.  In addition to making the soup more freezer-friendly, this also packs the soup with fiber.  Anyway, to make the soup coherent texture-wise, I used a small dice on the tomato, carrot, and mushrooms, and also used ground beef instead chunks of stewing meat.  The result might not look like much, but it sure is tasty: