How Do You Afford This?

[chrissy]

i think i've probably already asked this once (i have a bad memory). i am really concerned about how i am going to afford to feed my children. i always thought bread was a way to make the meal go further. i have 8 children at home, (3 with celiac). i feel like i have to make the kitchen gluten free because they are so messy when they eat---you notice crumbs as a mother, but not like you do when those crumbs , are there certain types of rice to grind that make better flour? is there a better grinder for rice and beans? is all bean flour going to be bitter before it is cooked? so many questions.

christine

[Carriefaith]

The gluten free diet doesn't have to be expensive. For example, my diet mostly consists of fruits, vegetables, rice, and meat. I eat these foods in many combinations and I find that the most expensive parts of my meals are spices, certain meats, oils, and specialty gluten free foods. I don't eat specialty gluten free foods as much as I used too since there are so many more wonderful things to make with fresh foods!

[Guest nini]

I use rice and potatoes to make a meal go farther...

for homemade gluten-free breads, I would at the very least buy an all purpose gluten-free flour mix... I found one by Orgran that is really good for baking. They have a regular and a self rising flour mix. There are a lot of gluten-free bread mixes that are quite good and you could order them in bulk quantities if you find one you like. It's cheaper if you buy it in bulk . (The Gluten Free Pantry is an excellent resource)

I also found a rice flour at the grocery store for .33 cents a bag... it was in the Hispanic foods section.

[tarnalberry]

bread isn't the only way to make more expensive items go farther. rice, corn, potatoes, other vegetables are all good ways to do that. other grains, as you can get them, can also serve this purpose. I think it's important to stick to naturally gluten-free items, and not pay the extra cost for the specialty items, but I don't have kids...

[Merika]

True, depending where you live, rice and potatoes can be ridiculously cheap. If you live near an East Indian or Asian or Hispanic neighborhood, you can buy huge 10 lb or more bags of rice for almost nothing. It's waaaay cheaper than buying little boxes of rice at the standard grocery store.

And potatoes - my dad once brought me a 50 lb bag of potatoes he picked up in rural Michigan - it cost him $3. !!!!

Stay with real, whole foods, and don't go into imitations of gluten foods, and your budget will be fine.

Best wishes,

Merika

[Guest Viola]

I don't mean to be negative but ...

Depending on where you live ... at this time of year fresh fruits and fresh veggies are pretty expensive, especially here in Canada. Even the potatoes ranged from 69 to 99 cents a pound when I was in shopping on Thurs.

I think if you can find a bulk sale, canned veggies, baked beans etc. may even be cheaper. I found a good sale on mandarine oranges right now as they are left over from Christmas and they won't keep long in the stores.

I agree, shopping at this time of the year can be pricey ... look for sales and coupons. I know turkey looks expensive, but it goes a long way and can be frozen after cooking to use in dishes such as fried rice, soup, and stir frys.

Be careful ... some stores are putting things like Organic bananas etc. right close to the regular bananas etc., and although some people swear they are "better for you" You will be paying a much higher price.

It is very challenging shopping on a strict budget.

[Smunkeemom]

I actually hardly ever buy "gluten free food" I get some animal crackers for church, and some cereal, and every once in a while I get some microwave dinners (for weeks that are so busy that we would end up eating fast food anyway)

I just gluten free whatever I cook anyway, sub cornstarch for flour, naked meat instead of breaded, corn tortillas instead of flour, ect.

Potatoes are cheap and easy to make into lots of stuff (like potato pancakes) I would sit down and write out everything you like to cook and try to figure out how to "gluten free" it. And remember kids live fine without pb&j sandwiches, and cookies. Make bread a special thing, it's not "needed" in a diet anyway, I think I probably bought 1 loaf of bread this year and it was for Christmas dinner. The rest of the time I make them cornbread, corn mill, eggs, milk and sugar all all pretty cheap.

[Ursa Major]

I do a lot of meals in my crock pot (slow cooker), and since I can't eat potatoes, I use rutabagas instead, as well as a lot of carrots. My meals don't cost a lot at all. I don't replace anything with gluten, except for the very occasional time I make some brownies (maybe once in two or three months) for a treat. I don't miss those things made out of flour for the most part, now that I am past the withdrawal period.

So, get past the mindset of having to find replacements for the bread, cookies etc., and change your way of looking at food completely. You don't have to eat cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, cookies for a snack and your regular type of meal for supper. Which law says that you can't eat meat and veggies for breakfast, fruits and nuts for snacks etc.? Be creative, forget about flour substitutes and you'll save money!

[Smunkeemom]

  Ursula said:

I do a lot of meals in my crock pot (slow cooker), and since I can't eat potatoes, I use rutabagas instead, as well as a lot of carrots. My meals don't cost a lot at all. I don't replace anything with gluten, except for the very occasional time I make some brownies (maybe once in two or three months) for a treat. I don't miss those things made out of flour for the most part, now that I am past the withdrawal period.

just thought you might want to try sometime, I found out that if you boil cauliflower(sp?) just like you would potatoes and mash it with milk and butter it tastes just like mashed potatoes, I know it's kinda off topic but since you can't have potatoes I thought you might want to know, you know if you missed them or something, as opposed to just not liking them.

[zakismom]

That's the only way I'll eat cauliflower. It's really good

[jerseyangel]

I used to eat cauliflower that way when I did the Atkins Diet several years ago. I thought it was delicious.

[Ursa Major]

Actually, I tried the cauliflower that way once, and it was pretty good. The only problem is, that I can't have dairy either, and so can't put real milk and butter in. It doesn't taste as good with substitutes, I'm sure. Still, my husband actually loved it (I liked it better the next day, I heated the leftovers in my frying pan).

Thanks for reminding me, though, I forgot all about that option. I'll make it again some time next week.

[lonewolf]

I only have 4 kids at home, but I know how hard it is to eat just meat and vegies and fruit with kids. I make gluten-free food at every meal. The only wheat/gluten my kids have is sandwiches for school lunches and occasionally at home. Toast once in a while and maybe crackers occasionally. It's THEIR JOB to clean up their crumbs. They make sure they have a plate or paper towel under their bread. I still have to wipe a few crumbs once in a while, but it's not that big a deal. I do have butter, almond butter and jelly labeled "gluten-free", so there's no CC.

I make almost everything from scratch. We eat a lot of chicken and rice, tacos, potatoes, gluten-free pizza, etc. They don't miss the gluten. I mix up my own gluten-free flour and use it to make everything that "normal" moms would make. We all eat gluten-free pancakes, waffles, cookies, quick breads, muffins, pie crust, etc. With practice, you can make everything taste great. My 14 year old had a slumber party last weekend and I made gluten-free pancakes for all her friends and they ate them all, didn't even know they were eating something "special". I buy pasta when it's on a good sale and stock up - we all eat Tinkyada - even company. It might be a little more expensive, but it's not that bad. I think it's easier in the long run to make one meal that everyone can eat, rather than use the time and energy to make 2 meals.

Inexpensive, naturally gluten free meals like chili and bean soups are yummy and can feed an army. If you think about it, there are LOTS of meals that don't need to have gluten in them. Stretching your food dollars with rice and potatoes is a great idea too. We even like spaghetti sauce on rice, which is lots cheaper than any kind of pasta.

Good luck! You'll get the hang of it and learn to do it on a budget. If you can handle 8 kids, you can handle this.

Liz

[chrissy]

having this board to come to is so helpful----you all have reminded me of things i was forgetting. potatoes, for instance. i live in idaho. my husband has done tires for the farmers for years. we get FREE potatoes. we do eat them alot, but can someone give me a good recipe for potato pancakes---i've never made them. we were from the south, so we grew up eating beans and rice. thanks for the reminders of things i should have already thought of.LOL!!

[angel-jd1]

My dad used to always make us what he called potato cakes for breakfast. He would use leftover mashed potatoes, melt butter in the skillet, flatted a bunch of cold mashed potatoes into a hamburger shape and flour both sides (use gluten-free flour of course) then put the cake into the hot buttered skillet, brown both sides and enjoy!! Not terribly healthy, but very warm, filling and a great way to use leftovers!

-Jessica

  chrissy said:

having this board to come to is so helpful----you all have reminded me of things i was forgetting. potatoes, for instance. i live in idaho. my husband has done tires for the farmers for years. we get FREE potatoes. we do eat them alot, but can someone give me a good recipe for potato pancakes---i've never made them. we were from the south, so we grew up eating beans and rice. thanks for the reminders of things i should have already thought of.LOL!!

Traditional mexican food (i'm not talking taco bell style here) uses a great deal of veggies and potaotes and such for stretchers. I learned to make traditional mexican food from a little hispanic lady when I was young. She used carrots, potatoes, and peas in her taco meat. She said that when you are poor and you have a large family to feed, that makes the food go farther! Since learning from her, I have always added the extra veggies. It doesn't only make it go farther, but it adds a little more healthyness

Even when making stir fries, I will use tons of rice under my stir fry and just make extra sauce in the stir fry. It seems to make it go quite a bit farther. Rice in meat-loaf is also something that I do. Since I don't put in the bread the rice makes it go a bit further.

Don't let leftovers go to waste. I saw a news blip today where the average american spends $5,000 on groceries in a year. $750 of that money is for groceries that get thrown away!! Get some ziploc containers and freeze small portions, label them with freezer tape. I do this and I have a frozen dinner to take to school for lunches. Much cheaper than buying something or buying a frozen amy's meal. Much healthier also.

-Jessica

  lonewolf said:

. Stretching your food dollars with rice and potatoes is a great idea too.

[Felidae]

We just grate the potatoes, add one egg, some finely chopped onion, salt and pepper. Then spoon them into a frying pan with some oil in it. Also, we eat them with applesauce. Sorry it is not an exact recipe that I use.