Where Do I Buy gluten-free, Soy Free Ingredients Cheap?

[Noura]

I am new to gluten-free and now it looks like I might have a problem with soy as well. So I am going gluten and soy free. I want to make more things from scratch but I don't know where to buy them without destroying the grocery budget. Does anyone know of a co-op or something that I can buy bulk or just cheaper? My grocery bill has more than doubled and I can't sustain that for long.

[celiac-mommy]

I am new to gluten-free and now it looks like I might have a problem with soy as well. So I am going gluten and soy free. I want to make more things from scratch but I don't know where to buy them without destroying the grocery budget. Does anyone know of a co-op or something that I can buy bulk or just cheaper? My grocery bill has more than doubled and I can't sustain that for long.

I buy all my flours directly from www.bobsredmill.com If you buy the flours in bulk, it's soooo much cheaper (like ~1$/pound)! Other than that, I basically buy only whole foods-fruits, veggies, organic milks and cheeses for my kids (I'm vegan). Quinoa noodles, rice, etc... I actually find that I spend a lot less on food than I used to, but we also cut down eating out from 2-3x a week to 2-3x a month. I feed a family of 4 for ~100$ a week and it's almost all organic.

[lcbannon]

Depending on how sensitive you are you can shop other places. I buy my Potato Starch and Tapicoa Starch and White rice flour at an asian market- MUCH cheaper. I buy millet and sorguhm flour at an Indian Market- Jowar is name for sorguhm flour. I do however order on auto ship from amazon my Brown Rice Flour. I grind my own Teff Flour from the tiny seeds. I also make my own potato flour from grinding Instant Potato Flakes.

Eating gluten-free can be expensive but some things you really need to get the good stuff- we have to do without so much so saving in areas where I can really helps.

Good luck.

[missy'smom]

Like others, we stick with basics as much as possible. Lots of veggies and fruit. I make my own yogurt starting it with a small, good quality plain yogurt, it's easy and cheaper, even if I buy the organic milk. We get brown rice pasta from Trader Joes but it's not something we use daily. The bulk of our starch consumption is rice that is purchased in 20 lb. bags at the asian market. We invested in a middle line asian rice cooker over 10 years ago and it is still going strong and we use it nearly everyday, not just for white rice but occasionally brown or pilafs too. I do buy flours at the asian market too and use it for basics like pancakes and muffins and pizza. I just don't provide as many baked goods as I used to. Kiddo likes Pamela's Bread Mix and I'm happy with the convenience so I order it in bulk online at the famous retailer that starts with an "A". It saves me maybe $1-$2 per loaf. He can only eat so much so fast so I freeze the mixes in their packages until I need one. I'm big on homemade "convenience foods"-making or purchasing things in batches, portioning them out and freezing them-either cooked or partially prepared and uncooked. Taking along meals or snacks when we are out saves too, even if it's just a drink. Some things take extra planning and organization and energy at first but it becomes part of the rhythm of life in time. And like others, we are not eating out like we used to. By spending wisely or saving in some areas, we can afford a few more costly or specialty products.

[Noura]

Thank you so much everyone! This is very helpful! I can't wait to get going! I was wondering too if anyone knows of mixes you can make from scratch that are gluten free. I don't have a lot of other areas to cut costs really. We hardly eat out since I was diagnosed. I was glutened eating out at a place that even had a gluten free menu. They meant well and really went to a lot of trouble to do it right but in the end they just didn't know. We will try Outback the next time my husband and I go out. I hear they are pretty good and we have a gift card to there! We have 5 children so you know where the money is going. But I think all your tips will really help! Thanks! And if anyone does know about mixes let me know!

[missy'smom]

Thank you so much everyone! This is very helpful! I can't wait to get going! I was wondering too if anyone knows of mixes you can make from scratch that are gluten free. I don't have a lot of other areas to cut costs really. We hardly eat out since I was diagnosed. I was glutened eating out at a place that even had a gluten free menu. They meant well and really went to a lot of trouble to do it right but in the end they just didn't know. We will try Outback the next time my husband and I go out. I hear they are pretty good and we have a gift card to there! We have 5 children so you know where the money is going. But I think all your tips will really help! Thanks! And if anyone does know about mixes let me know!

Carol Fenster wrote a cookbook called something like, Gluten-Free Quick and Easy-white background, green trim and a glamor shot of a pizza on the cover. It has recipes for homemade mixes. We use the pancake one most often. You mix up the main dry ingredients and store in containers then measure out the amount of mix and add your wet ingredients. She gives suggestions for dairy-free subs. and maybe others allergens. A tip for homemade mixes is to portion it out into ziplocks and write the rest of the ingredients and amounts on each bag with a sharpie. Then re-use the bags the next time you make a batch of mix.

If you are interested in making yogurt there is a thread on this forum as to how to do it.

The pizza mix recipe that I use is posted on this thread. https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=64626&mode=linear

[Noura]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful! I look forward to trying the pizza mix!

[GFinDC]

You can also get Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes at a pretty reasonable price in many grocery stores. For making your own mixes you also would want to get some zanthan gum or guar gum. Or some Orgran GFG that they sell on the Gluten Free Mall. It has good reviews.

[Noura]

Sounds good! I did try breading my chicken breasts with Almond meal and rice flour and spices. That one turned out pretty good!

[mushroom]

You can also get Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes at a pretty reasonable price in many grocery stores. For making your own mixes you also would want to get some zanthan gum or guar gum. Or some Orgran GFG that they sell on the Gluten Free Mall. It has good reviews.

I am confused: I thought I read the Betty Crocker mixes had soy??? Or maybe it was potato starch??? I just know I crossed them off

[Juliebove]

If you live near a Costco, you can get plenty of "regular" things there. Like meat, cheese, plain rice, fresh and canned vegetables and fruit. We also get olives and some kinds of broth and spices. Of course you do need to check labels.

I am lucky in that the little health food store just around the corner from me is owned by a celiac and has the best prices on pretty much everything. I buy as much as I can from them because they are good to order things specially for us when they can. They carry Tinkyada as well as a corn and quinoa pasta. They don't carry all of the shapes though. So once in a while I go to another store or order the shapes that I want online. Most of the time we just make do with what they sell there.

I find Target has really good prices on food! Ours does not have a complete grocery section but they do have several aisles. There we buy chips, cheese sauce, salsa, bean dip, milk, cheese, some cereals (Trix and Pebbles), lunch meat and some other things.

Walmart also has good prices but really has less things we can buy. Again, our Walmart does not have a true grocery dept. Last summer they had some rice chips that my daughter loved. Alas, they haven't had them since. I have also bought canned chicken, rice, canned olives and the same cereals as above from them.

My daughter likes Ener-G bread. I know not all people like it, but she really likes the Rice Starch Loaf. Because she generally only eats 4 slices per week, I buy it directly from them in 2 slice packets. While this does seem expensive, I find it pays off in the long run.

I order some things from this website. When I do place an order, I try to get as much as I can at once because I have to pay so much postage. But I also try not to order too much.

When we first learned of our food allergies, I went off the deep end buying stuff. I would buy something simply because it was gluten free! I can't believe how much flour I wound up throwing out. Now I try to buy it on an as needed basis. I do use Sweet Rice flour reguarly for thickening gravies and sauces. I can get this very cheaply in the Asian section of my grocery store or at Trader Joe's. TJ's is another cheap source of food and they do have gluten-free pasta, but... You have to check all labels because much of what they sell could be cross contaminated. Because the store is not near us, I find I don't shop there very often any more.

I buy a plain white or brown rice flour (depending on whatever recipe I'm making calls for). And I buy a four flour bean blend that I use for general baking. I do occasionally buy some other kind of specialty flour as the need arises. But I find I just don't do much baking any more.

Daughter likes Enjoy Life cookies. I can get them by the box at several grocery stores around here, as well as the chocolate chips. I know of two stores where I can get the chocolate bars. But often I buy the bars by the case online as well as the 2 pack cookies. She likes those in her lunch. I also watch for sales. Also, many places will give you a small discount if you buy by the case. I put up a set of shelves just for those special foods that we stock up on.

I know it seems overwhelming at first. But after a couple of years you'll probably find as we did, that you don't need so many specialty things. We find much of what we eat now is just regular stuff. And perhaps we are lucky, but we can find a great many gluten-free products at the various grocery stores around here. Like Ian's chicken nuggets and fish sticks.

Tomorrow I am having my dinner away from home. It's going to be a salad. All of the vegetables are things that regular people eat. For protein I will have some walnuts and canned kidney beans on top. I'll also have black olives. I don't eat dressing so that makes it easier. I use lemon slices to squeeze over the to and I use a little salt and pepper. Dressing is hard to find without soy. But there are a few that you can get now in the regular grocery stores, or you can make a quick Italian dressing with vinegar and oil.

[Juliebove]

I am confused: I thought I read the Betty Crocker mixes had soy??? Or maybe it was potato starch??? I just know I crossed them off

I believe they have soy lecithin. I am pretty sure that the chocolate chip cookies does. Not really sure if the others do, but I kind of think so.

[Noura]

The cake says "may contain soy" and the cookies and brownies both contain soy. But I know of a great recipe for cake with frosting that is just amazing! I found it in this book called "The Guide to a Gluten Free Diet". I made it. Amazingly it didn't take long and then I was afraid to eat it because I knew what it was made out of but since I went to the trouble of making it I knew I had to at least try it or there was no point. I could not believe how good it was! One of the main ingredients was chickpeas!!! Can you believe it?!