Hi lindhoutd, you can do what you need with what you're suggesting. The richness of the Arduino ecosystem means there's rarely just one way to get to your destination. For some the Arduino made for breadboards would be a Uno and a Protoshield with a breadboard on it.
I agree with PaulRB that it's a matter of preference, but in the end we all end up collecting the whole set 
Welcome to the community lindhoutd!
Geoff