Grocery Budgeting.

[Jentu]

There probably has been a topic on this already so feel free to point me in the right direction...

We're a family of 5 and I'm trying to keep my grocery budget reasonable, but going gluten-free has been really expensive. Does anyone have any tips or recipes to help out? Thanks you!

[missy'smom]

We use some gluten-free specialty products but I make alot of dishes from simple, natural ingredients so I'm not spending more than before. You can process a cereal like rice chex cereal or a corn based, unsweetened cereal(Health Valley corn chex)in the blender or food processor and use instead of the storebought gluten-free "bread crumbs". If you eat the cereal as cereal, save the crumbs in the bottom of the bag in a container for use in meatballs, meatloaf or breading. You can make your own breaded chicken strips or nuggets. Bread and freeze uncooked on a lined tray and transfer to baggies. I bake my own gluten-free bread. Buy flours like sweet rice flour, rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch at an asian market. They are often less than a dollar a bag. We don't eat as many baked goods or bread anymore and eat pasta only occasionally. Trader Joes gluten-free pasta is less expensive than some others. We eat alot more potatoes and rice. I buy rice in bulk at the asian market. I bought a bag of Korean rice at the asian market this week, for example - 40 lbs. for $31. We have tightened our budget lately and I don't buy my son many snacks right now, he gets alot of popcorn(loose bag-air popped) and fruit(in season and on sale or at it's best value for that variety) and an occasional store bought(often in bulk from Costco) or homemade snack.

[Jentu]

Thanks! I'll have to find an Asian market around here.