Monday 19 August 2013

Easy Meatpie Topping



Last year while we were in South Africa for a family reunion my sister in law shared her favourite Easy Meat Pie topping.  It takes less then 5 min to prepare and is delicious.

Last month I did a guest post over at  A Dusty Frame.  Pop on over for this 5 min dinner recipe.

Blessings
Chareen

Friday 16 August 2013

Start preparing for the new crew applications ...

 This year I've had the pleasure of participating in my first cruise with The Schoolhouse Review Crew.  I have been having an amazing time and have learnt so much. 

Applications for the 2014 crew will be opening in October this year. For those of you who are interested in possibly applying to be on the crew I thought I would share some information with you.

Application Criteria
  1. An active blog with a minimum of 50 public** followers and actively use one social media*** platform. 
  2. Must blog at least once a week. 
  3. Home school all or some of your children. 
  4. Be willing to actively use products with their children for a period of six weeks; review your experiences, and post your review to your blog within the due date window. 
  5. Reviewers must be willing to use our private forum, check in each day, Monday through Friday, and respond to all age-appropriate vendors. 
  6. Take their responsibility to their readers and to the vendors seriously. 

** Public {Numbers can be seen when looking at your blog home page}
** Follower numbers can be on: Google+, Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin'Linky Followers, Networked Blogs,Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram

*** Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram
Benefits of being on the Crew
  1. Meet 250 homeschool bloggers
  2. Access to a private forum
  3. Try out curriculum for FREE (I've had over $1 000 of curriculum in eight months!)
  4. A Social Media Share opportunity
  5. Fortnightly Blog Cruise opportunities
  6. Spotlight on the Crew guest posting
  7. 5 Days of ... Blog Hop  opportunities
  8. A personal mentor to help you
  9. Leadership who support encourage and are available.
If you have any questions please ask
Blessings
Chareen

Wednesday 14 August 2013

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