Help! I'm Making My First gluten-free Shopping Trip....

[azmom3]

I'm going to do my first official "nothing with gluten" shopping trip to Whole Foods.

I'm VERY intimidated by all the labels. I'm on a very tight budget, so can't afford to do anything too outrageous, although I'm prepared for a couple splurges in this area if I have to...maybe for a good bread or pasta. Basically, I can't afford trial and error, so I figure I'll get things that most people like.

What do you think of this plan...for the first week, stick to a very basic diet, then maybe add a couple new things to try each week. That way, I'm less likely to screw this up or waste too much money on things we don't like. I will probably eventually buy/order things in bulk that I'm able to once I see that we all like it.

I've never really enjoyed cooking, probably because I've ruined way too many things, so I'm looking for simple things. We also have a very hectic schedule, so time is an issue. The fewer the ingredients and quicker to make, the better. Or if it warms up nicely, maybe I can spend a little more time cooking on the weekend.

I'd love any help on shopping tips, must have's, and maybe a few simple recipes. I breezed through Nini's newbie kit.....WOW! Thanks for sharing all that. I'll be referencing that many, many times I'm sure. Thanks again for any help you can give.

[brendygirl]

Hi, sounds like fun!

Perhaps it would help if you clarify about "we".

If you're planning on feeding lots of people the gluten free diet on

a tight budget, that can be done.

I can't say any of the gluten-free foods

seem cheap. gluten-free Bagels here are $8 for a bag of six. gluten-free cereals were on sale for $3 a box and I stocked up, but that's rare.

The people on these boards who go cheap and have an entire family

of gluten-free people seem to eat lots of naturally gluten-free foods like rice and chips and eggsand carrots and hot dogs and Kraft foods. They also make regular foods with

gluten-free flours and other ingredients.

That said, if you had a disease that needed medicine, would you not

be able to afford the copay? Having celiac disease can be

expensive, but it helps me when I realize that I don't have to buy

medicines or syringes or anything like that, so the extra money on

the food bill doesn't bother me so much.

Doctors say it takes 3 years to adjust to the gluten-free diet. It is hard. One of the best

ways I help myself is to keep my stress levels down and I budget a lot for food.

I also enjoy a debt free lifestyle and agree that a budget is ultra important, but I

wouldn't put my food on the scrimp list, especially since I've got 2 more years before

I've really got a handle on it.

[Guest nini]

one gluten-free substitute staple I would invest in right away is a GOOD gluten-free pasta. Many of us on here recommend Tinkyada as it is very good, easy to cook (just follow the directions) and most non gluten free people can't tell the difference. If you can find Bi-Aglut or Schar gluten-free pastas, then even better!

Get yourself a good all purpose baking mix that you can use in a variety of recipes, I prefer The Gluten Free Pantry's Quick Mix and then I just googled Bisquick recipes and used the quick mix wherever it called for bisquick and made sure my other ingredients were gluten-free. Lately I've been able to find it on sale for like $2.50 a box so I stocked up.

other than that I would say to stick with the foods that are naturally gluten free, and you can do that cheaply at a Super Wal Mart or most regular grocery stores.

My 6 year old says the one thing (or two) that she doesn't want to live without are the Ian's Allergen Free Wheat Free Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets and Fish Sticks. (I think they are gross but she loves them)

[Guest cassidy]

I agree that sticking with naturally gluten-free is the way to go, other than the Tinkyada - I love that stuff.

The rest of it I have tried many types of bread and snacks and it is tough and expensive to find good stuff. I really don't buy much of that at all and stick more to rice, meat, cheese, veggies and fruit.

I wouldn't try bread in the beginning because there doesn't seem to be a consensus on which type is best and a lot of them are nasty. The only kind I like is from Whole Foods, it is expensive, but worth for a treat.

[Jestgar]

I wouldn't try bread in the beginning because there doesn't seem to be a consensus on which type is best and a lot of them are nasty.

I find that even the nastiest bread improves if you soak it in eggs and milk with a little vanilla and fry it up (french toast). Some you need to let soak a little longer or add a little more cinnamon or nutmeg or other spice, but most of them can be salvaged.

[azmom3]

Hi, sounds like fun!

Perhaps it would help if you clarify about "we".

If you're planning on feeding lots of people the gluten free diet on

a tight budget, that can be done.

I can't say any of the gluten-free foods

seem cheap. gluten-free Bagels here are $8 for a bag of six. gluten-free cereals were on sale for $3 a box and I stocked up, but that's rare.

The people on these boards who go cheap and have an entire family

of gluten-free people seem to eat lots of naturally gluten-free foods like rice and chips and eggsand carrots and hot dogs and Kraft foods. They also make regular foods with

gluten-free flours and other ingredients.

That said, if you had a disease that needed medicine, would you not

be able to afford the copay? Having celiac disease can be

expensive, but it helps me when I realize that I don't have to buy

medicines or syringes or anything like that, so the extra money on

the food bill doesn't bother me so much.

Doctors say it takes 3 years to adjust to the gluten-free diet. It is hard. One of the best

ways I help myself is to keep my stress levels down and I budget a lot for food.

I also enjoy a debt free lifestyle and agree that a budget is ultra important, but I

wouldn't put my food on the scrimp list, especially since I've got 2 more years before

I've really got a handle on it.

"We" is me, my husband, and 3 kids.

one gluten-free substitute staple I would invest in right away is a GOOD gluten-free pasta. Many of us on here recommend Tinkyada as it is very good, easy to cook (just follow the directions) and most non gluten free people can't tell the difference. If you can find Bi-Aglut or Schar gluten-free pastas, then even better!

Get yourself a good all purpose baking mix that you can use in a variety of recipes, I prefer The Gluten Free Pantry's Quick Mix and then I just googled Bisquick recipes and used the quick mix wherever it called for bisquick and made sure my other ingredients were gluten-free. Lately I've been able to find it on sale for like $2.50 a box so I stocked up.

other than that I would say to stick with the foods that are naturally gluten free, and you can do that cheaply at a Super Wal Mart or most regular grocery stores.

My 6 year old says the one thing (or two) that she doesn't want to live without are the Ian's Allergen Free Wheat Free Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets and Fish Sticks. (I think they are gross but she loves them)

Thaks for all the great suggestions!