Simplified Dinners {Review}

I was really intrigued when Mystie Winckler contacted me and offered Simplified Dinners to review. I enjoy cooking and am often on the lookout for simple but tasty quick meals to put on the table.  I get a lot of satisfaction trying to get them into one baking dish with minimum fuss.  The title jumped at me and I thought yes that sounds like me.

One of my goals is to simplify life so that I have more time for other things.  Having said this though the one thing I have come to realize is that feeding a family well involves becoming more health conscious and aware of what products contain. 

I loved Mystie's insight that in order to cut out the bad she needed to go on a simplification journey.  I'm there but in all honesty this takes a lot of effort.  Once I received Simplified Dinners I realized that Mystie has done all the work for me.

This is not just another cookbook to have on your shelf. (Most of mine are there collecting dust) This little gem is as it's name suggests simple to use!

Master Pantry List
This is one page of items. You can view a list of the ingredients online
It is divided into

• Produce
• Seasonings
• Dry goods
• Bottled Goods
• Canned Goods
• Dairy
• Meat
• Frozen 
• Other  

I print it off, highlight what I need and go to the store. I stock up with only the items I need for the week. It takes less than ten minutes to prepare a grocery list this way and all the items are wholesome.

Index
Each and every page contains a simple 3 - 6 step set of directions and between six and nine easy variations to the one recipe. These variations make having variety easy to accomplish.
Simplified Dinners

• Slow-Cooker Roasts
• Slow-Cooker, No-Defrost Chicken Pieces
• Chicken-in-a-Pot
• Skillet Cutlets with Pan Sauces
• Marinades for Grilling or Broiling
• Foil-Packet Fish
• Stovetop Pasta
• Bean Pots
• Fajitas
• Quesadillas
• Taco Bar
• Burritos or Enchiladas
• Taquitos
• Frittata
• Oven Omelette
• Pizza
• Simple Stir-fry
• Potato Hash
• Baked Potato Bar
• Bean Soups
• Stews
• Blended Vegetable Soups
• Quick Soups
• Main Dish Salads
• Vegetable Side Dishes
• Side-Dish Salads
• Starchy Side Dishes

Simplified Dinners Gluten and Dairy Free

• Slow-Cooker Roasts
• Slow-Cooker, No-Defrost Chicken Pieces
• Chicken-in-a-Pot
• Skillet Cutlets with Pan Sauces
• Marinades for Grilling or Broiling
• Foil-Packet Fish
• Stovetop Pasta
• Bean Pots
• Lentils over Rice
• Fajitas
• Quesadillas
• Taco Bar
• Burritos or Enchiladas
• Taquitos
• Frittata
• Oven Omelette
• Simple Stir-fry
• Potato Hash
• Baked Potato Bar
• Bean Soups
• Stews
• Blended Vegetable Soups
• Quick Soups
• Main Dish Salads
• Vegetable Side Dishes
• Side-Dish Salads
• Starchy Side Dishes
• Gluten- & Dairy-Free Desserts

eBook Cost

• Simplified Dinners $12.99
• Simplified Gluten Free & Dairy Free Meals $12-99

There is an affiliate program available.

Connect

• Blog.  
• News letter subscription.  There are two options available. Simplified Pantry posts or a Monthly Newsletter.
• Pinterest
• Monday's Mystie shares Menu Plan Monday
• Subscribe to all Blog updates

This 16 page eBook has more than lived up to my expectations.  It's easy to use. The best part is it uses every day items in your pantry to create delicious home made from scratch cooked dinners. I love the simple inspiration on each page.  Pop on over to Simplified Dinners and purchase your copy from Mystie.

Blessings
Chareen 

It's new in our school . . .

Last week I shared our proposed curriculum for the year ahead. It was so encouraging to write out a list of our year ahead and plan.

This year there are four new things we are adding to the mix. My aim is to add more Fine Arts study to our weekly rhythm.

I learnt the hard way last year not to add it all into the mix at once or it soon gets left on the sidelines and forgotten.  My aim this year is to slowly add in one thing at a time.  We follow a five week learning cycle (four weeks school one week rest).  I will be adding music appreciation / study in cycle two and then Nature Journaling in cycle three.

SQUILT

A few months back Mary over at Homegrown Learners released her first eBook SQUILT.  I am really excited about this product because it's written for every day mom's at home who have no classical training or personal understanding of the classical genre. SQUILT stands for Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time.

Volume 1 covers composers/music from the Baroque era. Over the course of working through SQUILT we will be learning about 5 types of instruments, dynamic, rhythm, and tempo.  There are plenty of links sprinkled through out the eBook to help you explore the music more fully.

It also contains note booking pages for you to print and use.

World's Greatest Composers

This unit study has been compiled by Erica over at Confessions of a Homeschooler.  We will be using the parts of this that coincide with the composers from SQUILT Vol I.

Each composer covered has approximately 10 lessons available in it.  Once we have completed SQUILT we shall finish the balance of the year using this and compiling a lapbook covering The Orchestra and Composers.

This study uses the books by Mike Venezia to complete the study.  I am looking forward to completing this study.

You can see a few pictures of the completed lap pack over at Erica's online store. There is also a full list of all the composers covered in the pack.

Classical Composers Monthly

I Have a little bit of a love affair with online resources and sometime spend too much time on YouTube trying to find just the right clip to enhance our learning.

I discovered this gem of a site via Pinterest and have purchased a couple of volumes.  Each volume covers 12 composers. There are currently three volumes available.

For each composer you are supplied with a few YouTube clips, links to FREE resources, down loadable music links, Fun activities and notebook printables.  You can see a FREE sample of a study: George Fridric Handel.

Each Volume is purchased separately for $14.95 and you have lifetime access to the resource purchased.

ARTIST Study
I really would like to settle down and complete Vol I of The World's Greatest Artists this year.  I had so many good intentions but alas they never came to pass last year.
Recently Monet's Garden came to Melbourne which inspired some in depth artist studies.  Sir N and I had such a wonderful time learning together that I am really keen to keep going.

We explored the life and work of Claude Monet and did some great art following his style.

This unit study is available for FREE from Confession of a Homeschooler.

Nature Journal

I have a total love affair with the very idea of Nature Journaling after reading Karen Andreola's chapter on Nature Journaling in the Charlotte Mason Companion.

So much so in fact that I collected a whole page of resources and a stack of books (Nature Journals, Keeping a Nature Journal  and The Decorated Journal ) to help me get started.

Well this year is going to be the year that I take the plunge. Our books are purchased and the digital camera is ready.  We will wait about a month by then spring should have arrived and we will take the plunge and attempt to journal our way through nature...I will keep you posted.

These are a few new resources to me.  I would love to hear what you are using that is new to you.

Blessings
Chareen

This week

• Bernadette   A Room of My Own
• Julie  Our Schoolroom - Highhill Education
• Savannah shares Learning Nook
• Lucinda  5 Steps to an Organised Homeschool Space 
• Nicole  Our Home: A Training Ground

 ---ooOoo---

Your chance to win a ticket to The Old Schoolhouse Expo

On Saturday I shared with you about The Old Schoolhouse EXPO which is being hosted in less than two weeks time.

You are invited to join home schoolers from around the world for a week of encouragement and professional development from 27 different speakers.

Today The Old Schoolhouse have donated ONE ticket valued at $24 for a reader of Every Bed of Roses to win using the Rafflecopter widget below.(If you are reading this by RSS feed you will need to click HERE to enter)


You can print a schedule by speaker name or Day and Time over on the Event Schedule page. Expo recordings are included with the price of your Expo ticket. You will receive a link to the recordings after the expo week is complete.

Mark you diary now and join me for a week of encouragement over at The Old Schoolhouse EXPO 19-23 August 2013. 

Enter NOW
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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• The prize is ONE ticket to The Schoolhouse EXPO.
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