Tips On Eating Gluten Free On A Low Budgetand Somewhat Low Preperation Time?

[MikeOhio]

Hi. I'm new to these boards. I have Celiac disease but not all that much money to spend on gluten free groceries. I also don't have a whole lot of time to prepare food. Does anybody have any tips for me? I've been eating a little bit of breaded foods like popcorn chicken and fishsticks to save money and be able to eat with the person I live with sometimes. I guess that's probably not a good idea.

I also live in a rural area with a little access to gluten free products but not much.

[nursenation2]

Whole foods are cheaper and farmers markets for produce, you can get it cheaper most of the time that way. Even frozen chicken breast that doesn't have breading is cheaper most of the time. Naturally gluten free food is cheaper than trying the replacement gluten free stuff. Another way to save is buy gluten free items that you like on sites like amazon. Then it comes to you and usually at way lower prices.

[tuxedocat]

I'm with nursenation, my trick is to just not even try to replace gluteny foods. I used to be on Atkins and just eat close to paleo (except for white rice). Things like soups, I make large pots of then freeze in Tupperware containers.

Think... green salad topped with meat of some kind (leftover chicken or canned tuna will work in a pinch) and a homemade dressing (lemon and olive oil will also do in a pinch).

Eating at home isn't the tricky part if you already know how to cook.

[BabsV]

Along with eating natural foods and avoiding all the gluten-free replacement foods...get a crock pot. They aren't very expensive and they save you tons of time. Also, cheaper cuts of meat cook up better in a crock pot. Many of us on the forums are big fans of this site for crock pot recipes: Open Original Shared Link The blogger's daughter has Celiac so all recipes are gluten free.

[scaredblossom]

I've been doing lots of fruit, I mean lots, applesauce, pepperoni, corn chips for my lunch at work! I never have time to really prepare anything so fruit works well! I buy my at a small grocery store already cut up and packaged, quite a bit for only 2 bucks! At home potatoes are a great life saver so many ways to fix them and they're filling! Eggs, bacon, hamburgers with no bun! I live way out in the sticks and right now I'm the only one working and we have 3 kids so I know how hard it is! It can be done, just don't give up and remember this is your health you're dealing with...spend lots on toilet paper from eating the wrong things or little on things you can eat that go a long way =)

[AHemlock]

Seconding the above recommendations. Go for foods that would never require wheat in the first place. Paleo diet is one way (more meat and veggies) as well as alternative grains like rice or corn if you don't want to go strict paleo. I always love making my eggs and bacon with fresh butter in the morning. Steak and eggs are good dinner too, as well as whatever vegetable happens to be cheap down at the farmers' market.

Fried rice is a good quick and easy way to make something cheap and filling. 1 egg, 1-2 cups rice prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge, then cooked at medium heat over a normal temperature with seasoning of your choice is just perfect! Rice noodles are great too.

Mexican food like corn tortillas and tortilla chips are perfect snack foods too. If you don't live in the American Southwest it could be hard to find some good corn tortillas.

[Christine0125]

Chex cereal is cheap and you can easily make snack mix with it by throwing in some nuts, raisins or other dried fruit. I keep a bag of the frozen shredded potatoes in the freezer - store brands are very inexpensive and they are so versatile. Great breakfast with some scrambled eggs and cheese or veggies thrown in. More hearty if you make it with cut up sausage, chicken or whatever you like best. I keep frozen lunch sized containers or soups, chilis and stir-frys in the freezer to grab for work. With the chili, I usually microwave a baked potato and then top it with the chili for a filling meal. Some of the smart ones frozen entrees are gluten free so I keep a couple in the freezer for quick meals.

[Mom23boys]

Like the others have said, "keep it simple".

You don't have to eat breaded items (I'm assuming frozen?). Buy the plain. A plain frozen fish or chicken strip cooks just as fast as a breaded one.

I keep my double steamer on the counter with my rice cooker. Pop a couple veggies in and some rice. Do a load of laundry or something and come in and supper is ready!

Got a crockpot? Put some potatoes in (nothing else or oil, salt, garlic) and bake them in there. Yum and easy. Makes a great, quick breakfast (we don't do eggs either).

[sa1937]

Hi. I'm new to these boards. I have Celiac disease but not all that much money to spend on gluten free groceries. I also don't have a whole lot of time to prepare food. Does anybody have any tips for me? I've been eating a little bit of breaded foods like popcorn chicken and fishsticks to save money and be able to eat with the person I live with sometimes. I guess that's probably not a good idea.

I also live in a rural area with a little access to gluten free products but not much.

Welcome, Mike! You've gotten several suggestions already. Your best bet is to buy a lot of naturally gluten-free foods and avoid the expensive processed stuff.

You might also want to use the google button in the top right hand corner and search for cheap meals or budget meals to get some ideas. We are periodically asked your same question and you'll probably find some recent threads on this subject.

[1974girl]

I ordered the gluten free meal plan from www.emeals.com It gives you recipes and the shopping list for 7 complete dinners...sides included. I save tons using those and not just going to the grocery blind. Breakfast...yougart, fruit, cinnamon chex, eggs, gluten-free toast.

Lunch- chili (check for gluten-free...Vietti is gluten-free)and Fritos, or refried beans, cheese, Fritos and sour cream. Grilled chicken salad with chicken left over from the night before.

[bartfull]

George Foreman grills have come WAY down in price, and they are a great way to cook meats AND vegetables. If you're used to eating the breaded and deep fried stuff, baking in the oven or crockpot isn't going to give you that satifying crunch. But food cooked on the George gets really crispy in the outside and stays tender on the inside. As someone who used to live on fried chicken and cheeseburgers, finding a way to cook whole, naturally gluten free foods and having them TASTE GOOD, was a problem. The George made it easy.

Now that I've been at it a while, I have gotten used to eating my bowl of "mush" every day. I cook and shred my meat, mix it with rice and finely chopped veggies, and I cube up some Monrerray Jack cheese in the mix. Then I microwave it an put a little butter on it. I make a gallon zipper bag fullevery couple of days and whenever I want some, it's ready in one minute. Tastes petty good too.

(Of course lately I've been eating yams instead of the rice. Baked or microwaved, they are full of nutrition and taste SO good. )

[jeanzdyn]

tostitos corn chips are labeled 'gluten free'. I use them to supplement a meal where other people might eat bread. Like tostitos chips and cheese, and then whatever else I want that is gluten free. This is relatively low cost. I travel a lot, so I try to find things that are easy to bring with me. Baked beans, anything that is really portable, maybe does not need to be heated and is low cost. Idahoan makes some very tasty potatoes --it is a powder and you add water -they are delicious and about $1.00 a cup, which they call 2 servings. I eat eggs more often at home, that is a low cost meal.

keep it simple is good advice and try looking for gluten free foods on the Internet -- you may be able to find some bargains and they ship it to you.

and like others have said --eat more vegetables. potatoes are pretty adaptable, you can combine them with almost anything. I eat a lot more potatoes than I did before being diagnosed with celiac disease.

[MikeOhio]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I think I have gotten some good ideas.

[MikeOhio]

Welcome, Mike! You've gotten several suggestions already. Your best bet is to buy a lot of naturally gluten-free foods and avoid the expensive processed stuff.

You might also want to use the google button in the top right hand corner and search for cheap meals or budget meals to get some ideas. We are periodically asked your same question and you'll probably find some recent threads on this subject.

Thanks