I'm gluten-free and two of my four daughters have celiac disease as well.
This is a little of my philosophy on how to feed a family of 6 a gluten-free diet. My parents were very frugal so I learned my eating habits and creative gluten-free meal ideas first from my Mom. Here are the basic things I do to stay within a budget of $300 per month:
1. Plan meals and make a grocery list.
2. Do 90% of grocery shopping at Aldi (Wal-Mart if you don't have an Aldi).
3. Do not purchase a lot of gourmet gluten-free items that you find at places like Whole Foods (tempting as they may be).
4. Make a list of everything you currently eat that does not contain wheat (gluten).
5. Portion Food!! I find this to be extrememely important when staying on a budget. This means to take a box of gluten free cereal and divide it into as many "breakfasts" as you think before the kids get a hold of it and have three bowls for breakfast just because they can. When I use brown rice pasta to make spaghetti pie, I freeze half of it so it can be used for two meals. If you just set the entire pan on the table, everyone will finish it just because they can. I portion everything out as soon as I bring it home from the grocery store. My girls help with this. I purchased a bunch of tiny plastic containers from the dollar store and we portion everything from peanuts and raisins to little boxes with two slices of cheddar cheese and two pieces of pepperoni for a lunch snack.
6. Limit snacking. A designated mid-afternoon snack of an apple or a banana is fine, but just grazing through the cabinets every time someone is bored, IS NOT ALLOWED.
7. We drink water. Period. No sodas. No juice. No milk. God intended for us to drink water and our bodies NEED it. I give orange juice when we are fighting winter colds, otherwise it just makes the kids hyper. They need the entire orange,not just the juice. They have milk on their cereal but we don't just drink it by the glassful because I don't think it is very healthy and I can't afford to buy the healthier varieties.
8. Nurse your babies.
9. My girls attend a Christian school so they pack a lunch each day. I purchased them nice thermal insulated lunch bags (from a consignment store) and they pack their lunch for the next day each afternoon when they get home from school. I have given a list of typical foods in the blog post. Usually it includes some of the following: cheese and pepperoni, a fruit, carrots and ranch, peanuts and raisins, yogurt or applesauce, a peanut butter rice cake or a piece of ham or turkey by itself. It could also include leftover from dinner the night before.
10. Focus on eating foods that are "normal" that you can have instead of trying to make all kinds of exotic gluten-free things. Gluten-free bread and bakery items just don't taste very good. Bob's Red Mill mixes are the exception but they are expensive so they are used for special occasions. This means that we don't eat bread. There are many other foods that we can it so we try to focus on them.
11. For dinner, try to focus on making a meal that consists of a meat (canned salmon, chicken, ground turkey, ham, pork chops, etc) and add veggies (salad, veggies tray, roasted veggies, slaw, peas, etc), add starchy veggies (potatoes, corn, beans, etc) and then add something like applesauce or canned pears for something sweet and tasty.
12. Skip desserts.
13. Use cornbread. We purchase stoneground cornbread from a local mill for $5 for a 10 lb bag. We eat a lot of cornbread. I have a recipe that does not use wheat. We like it with butter and honey on it. It can also be used as a topping on casseroles such as Mexican Sheppard's Pie.
14. You can still make casseroles!! Use sour cream and Velveta cheese (or something similar) instead of using wheat thickened "cream of mushroom soup," cream of chicken soup," or white sauce. One meal that I make regularly is to purchase a whole chicken from Aldi (usually costs around $3.50). I put it in the crock pot and cook it until it is falling off the bones. I debone the chicken and add cooked brown rice, chopped broccoli, sour cream, and Velveeta cheese to make a delicious chicken, brocolli and rice casserole. I divide the "mixture" into two casserole dishes and I have TWO meals. We eat one that night and I freeze the other one. The entire meal costs less than $5. If you have boys and are worried about having enough - just add corn bread and roasted veggies!! We have a rule that you can not have seconds until you eat your veggies. I do a similar thing with spaghetti pie.
15. Corn tortillas with melted cheese on them are cheap and great for lunches or snacks.
16. Don't eat out. It costs too much and it is very difficult to find gluten-free food at the cheaper restaurants.
17. Basically you just have to change your mindset. Focus on all the wonderful things God created that we CAN eat. Instead of whining about how we can't have french toast or muffins for breakfast, fix a delicous breakfast of bacon and omelets or gluten-free blueberry pancakes.
What do you do when two of your four children are diagnosed with celiac disease, you have a $350 per month grocery budget (for a family of six), and you don't enjoy cooking?
Honestly, it was overwhelming. The list of foods they could not eat seemed endless, as anyone with celiac disease knows. The first thing I did was make a list of all the foods they COULD eat and post it in the kitchen.
Breakfast:
Eggs
Yougert
Rice Cake & Peanut Butter
Breakfast Casserole
Grits
Cream Of Rice Cereal
Egg Enchiladas With Corn Tortillas
Milkshake
Hash Browns
Fruit Salad
Bananas
Omelet
Breakfast Potato (topped with cheese, bacon, etc)
Cornbread With Milk And Honey
Gluten-Free Cereal
Gluten-Free Pancakes
Gluten-Free Waffles
Favorite Products
These are things that work for me. I don't have the financial ability to purchase a lot of specialty products but here are a few that I do feel are worth the extra cost...
Bob's Red Mill
Any of the mixes from Bob's Red Mill have turned out well. We use the pancake mix and the brownie mix frequently. My husband says these brownies are better than the wheat variety!
Recipes
Bob's Red Mill
Gluten Free Recipes / The Celiac Site, Helping others live gluten-free lives
Need To Help Your Celiac Gain Weight?
High Calorie, Gluten-Free Food Ideas:
Milkshakes
Ice Cream
Cheese
Corn Chips With 7-Layer Mexican Dip (lots of cheese and sour cream)
Recipe Example:
Cooks.com - Recipe - Seven Layer Mexican Dip
Snickers Candy Bars
Nuts
French Fries
Steak
Grilled Chicken Topped With Cheese and Bacon
Bacon
Sausage
Cheese and Pepperoni Slices
Spaghetti Pie (brown rice pasta)
Gluten-Free Brownies and Ice Cream
Peanut Butter (the girls eat it plain off a spoon and we call it a "peanut butter scoop")
Potato Chips And French Onion Dip
Doritos
Fritos (have the highest fat content of any chips) And Dip
Chili Cheese Fritos
Peanut M&M's
Deviled Eggs
Cracker Jacks
GORP
Stuffed Baked Potato
Chicken Salad With Lots Of Mayo
Meat And Cheese Roll-UPs
Beef Jerky
Hot Dogs And Catsup
Rice Pizza (make a crust out of cooked rice, eggs, butter, Parmesan cheese and top with tons of cheese and pepperoni) This is one of the girls favorites.
Nachos And Cheese Dip
Potato Salad
Pudding (check to make sure it is gluten-free)
Gluten-Free Cereal (can eat plain out of a bag or with milk)
Gluten-Free Macaroni And Cheese
Cornbread With Milk and Honey
Mashed Potatoes With Lots Of Milk, Sour Cream, Cheese, Garlic
Chips With Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Ultimate Nachos
Bologna
Leftovers
Chocolate Milk
Hash Browns (check for gluten-free ingredients)
Tips
Use Full Fat Milk...Eliminate 2% varieties of
Potato Chips make a great crunchy topping
*PRINGLES HAVE WHEAT*
What We Eat For Dinner:
Spaghetti Pie
Meatloaf
Tacos
Chili
Mexican Tamale Pie
Recipe:
Cooks.com - Recipe - Mexican Tamale Pie
Tator Tot Casserole (be sure to check but I think Ore Ida brand are gluten-free)
Recipe:
Cooks.com - Recipe - Tator Tot Casserole
Cheeseburger Casserole (use sour cream in place of soup)
Recipe:
Cooks.com - Recipe - Cheeseburger Casserole
Grilled Chicken
Grilled Pork Chops
Baked Fish
Salmon Patties
Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Stir-Fry With Rice
Hamburgers Without Buns
Hot Dogs
Rice Pizza
Ultimate Nachos
Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole (I use sour cream in place of cream of chicken soup and add extra cheese)Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti sauce and mozz cheese (no pasta)
Stuffed Green Peppers With Rice And Sausage
Gravy Over Hamburger Patties (gluten-free gravy is a little weird)
For the girls lunches I make them a tray of food on a divided cafeteria tray since they can't have things like sandwhiches. When the girls go to school, I make sure they have a nice insulated lunch bag with a place to put a drink and just fill up lots of little containers of food.
Main Staples Of The Girls' Lunches:
A Nice Cold Drink
Cheese and Pepperoni
Pudding or yougurt
Nuts
Chips
Gluten-Free Cereal In A Bag
Carrots And Ranch
Meat And Cheese Roll-Ups
Beef Jerkey
Fruit Cocktail
Treat Such As Chocolate/Gummi Bears/Skittles/Mike&Ikes)
Leftovers
More Lunch Ideas:
Apples and Peanut Butter
Fruit Salad
Hard Boiled Eggs
Jell-O
Fruit Cups
Corn Tortilla Chips and Salsa
Fritos and Cottage Cheese
M&Ms
Tuna Salad
Meat/cheese roll-ups
Pepperoni and cheddar cheese
Mini rice cakes
Pickles
Corn Tortillas with pepperoni and mozzarella on top and melted in oven
Yogurt
Popcorn
Cheese Sticks
Trail Mix
Gluten-Free Protein Bars
Pudding
Celery And Peanut Butter
Green Beans
Carrots
Apples
Oranges
Canned Fruit Cocktail
Turkey & Swiss Roll-Ups
Bologna and sliced cheese roll-ups
Cheese corn puffs
Applesauce
Soup in thermos
Taco Salad
Tossed Salad
Veggies w/ Ranch
Leftover hamburger cut up with ketchup, mustard, cheese, pickle
Hot dogs
Beef Jerky
Anyone gluten free?
Evan's test for celiac was negative, but I'm waiting for the actual lab report to see how negative etc. We decided to give it a try anyways to see if it helps Evan's growth at all.
