Simplified Dinners Review

I am sure I am not alone when I say that I openly welcome new ways of doing things to simplify my life. As a very busy homeschooling mother, wife, homekeeper, blogger, editor, designer, photographer, and everything else in between – I am always seeking ways leading to better time management.

Most of you do not know this, but our youngest son {Little Caveman} has several severe food allergies. He was diagnosed through blood testing 3 years ago at the tender age of just one-year-old. Although he is not allergic to gluten, he is severely allergic to wheat, so gluten free cooking was a great starting point for our family. He is also allergic to dairy, egg whites, all tree nuts, and soy – just to name a few. So to say that his diagnosis changed the way we look at cooking and ingredients would be an understatement. Combine this new revelation in our family cooking with the desire to have things more simplified, and you have a headache.

When we came across Simplified Dinners: gluten-free and dairy-free made easy, we were overjoyed to say the least. The title alone gave us great hope – and the book itself did not disappoint. (For those not needing a gluten-free/dairy-free version, there is also a regular version of this book that you can get information on at the end of the review)

What We Liked About This Plan

• The main thing we liked about this plan is the fact that with a certain list of common pantry ingredients, you are able to make nutritious and delicious meals with ease. This makes for easy meal planning!

• We also really enjoy the fact that within each recipe, she provides variations. For instance, we prepared a fish packet a couple of weeks ago using the Honey-balsamic variation but there is also a lemon and garlic-herb option as well. This gives you a lot of variety.

• Another wonderful asset to this plan is the “Master Pantry List”. We love this concept. It spells out exactly what you’ll need to have on hand in order to prepare any of the meals in this book. We had all but maybe 10 of these items that were very easy to find at the store.

• Of course there was a wonderful section that talks about the importance of knowing your ingredients. This is of great importance for those who are just now getting into a gluten-free and/or dairy-free lifestyle. The book gives some advice about how to figure out what “other” names gluten can be masked in as well as suggestions on how to figure out if a product is actually gluten-free or not.

How Book Will Save You Money

For all my saavy saving friends out there {we are HUGE into frugality} let me tell you a few reasons this book will save you money:

1. No more wasting ingredients for buying them for just one recipe. Thus saving you countless dollars on wasted food.
2. No more frequent trips to the grocery store because your meals are easily laid out with variety so long as you restock your pantry items. So you’ll not only save money on gas, you will also save time which as we all know equals saving money.
3. Gives you the ability to prepare healthy gluten-free and dairy-free foods without paying expensive health food store prices.

The Meals List In The Book:

• 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

Where You Can Buy This Book (as well as the regular version)

The awesome news is, that this fabulous book is available in TWO different versions. There is the GFDF version, which is the one I reviewed, as well as the regular version. You can purchase either book below: