21 Delicious Ways to Eat Gluten-Free on a Budget

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If you have tried going gluten-free or cooking for someone who needs to eat food without gluten, you probably know that this diet can be seriously unhealthy for your budget.

However, as I learned after switching to a gluten-free diet 12 years ago, spending wads of money just isn’t necessary to avoid foods with that protein, which for some people can cause health problems.

I’ve gleaned these 21 tips from my experience and that of others, including gluten-free author-bloggers Annalise Roberts (The Food Philosopher) and Nicole Hunn (Gluten-Free on a Shoestring):

1. Accept it: Your world has changed

Gluten-free eating becomes easy when you accept there’s really no substitute for wheat. Just let it go. Store-bought gluten-free baked goods aren’t just expensive, they’re also:

  • Disappointing. It’s crushing to spend $15 on a pie “that tastes like gravel,” says Roberts, author of several acclaimed gluten-free baking books. A few local artisan bakeries are setting the bar higher these days, but “not bad” is still high praise for most store-bought gluten-free products.
  • Fattening. Fat, sugar, eggs and salt are used to pump up the blandness of rice flour, a primary ingredient in baked goods.
  • Prone to go stale fast. These baked goods dry out much more quickly than wheat-based foods.

2. Embrace new habits

Stop trying to replace all the bread, bagels, muffins and cookies you used to eat. Make bread and cookies occasional treats. Eat burgers and sausages without a bun. Switch to open-faced sandwiches, lettuce wraps and crackers. Enjoy dips, hummus and peanut butter with vegetables and fruits. Cornbread (read the labels on mixes) is a quick, easy bread substitute.

3. Cut back on restaurants and takeout

Eating at home saves tons of money and reduces your chances of accidental gluten poisoning. I once got ill from a chicken dish the waitress had assured me contained no wheat. I later found out that she’d known the dish had flour, but she hadn’t realized that flour (typically) is wheat.

4. Cook from scratch

Most rules for budget eating apply, with gluten or without. Cooking from scratch is one of those rules. It eliminates the premium on restaurant and takeout food. Author Mark Bittman’s soup tutorial is a thrifty, easy way to start (omit the croutons and bread). Our creamy polenta is another good starter dish. The Web and public libraries have loads of recipes and guidance.

Start gradually. Personal finance expert Donna Freeman advises cooking just twice a week at first, making the meals “big ones so you’ll have leftovers to carry to work.”

5. Freeze

After a day — or maybe two — wrap fresh gluten-free baked goods tightly in plastic and foil and store in the freezer so they won’t dry out. Slice breads before freezing so you can thaw slices separately. Roberts told me in an interview that she microwaves frozen slices for 6 to 8 seconds before popping them into the toaster.

Gluten-free flours have a short shelf life, so buy in small quantities or keep out enough for four or five months and freeze the rest.

6. Use whole ingredients

The biggest expense in a gluten-free diet is the cost of specially processed foods. Fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, eggs, beans, rice, quinoa and corn are naturally gluten-free, are healthier and cheaper than processed foods, and help you avoid products with hidden gluten.

7. Bake

From Roberts’ “Gluten-Free Baking Classics,” I’ve produced cakes, cookies, muffins and scones far better than store or bakery products and usually indistinguishable from wheat-based goodies. Oh, and they cost a fraction of store prices.

I haven’t tried much bread-making, but with the right recipes it’s not difficult, Roberts says. “Gluten-Free on a Shoestring” shares top 10 secrets to bread-making.

8. Find your favorite flour blend

Most gluten-free baking requires a balance of several flours (grain, bean and legume), starches (potato, tapioca, corn and arrowroot), and gums (guar gum and xanthan gum). To bake bread, you’ll use different blends (known as flour mixes) from those used for cakes and cookies.

Popular flour blends are made by King Arthur, Authentic Foods, Cup4Cup, Better Baking and Bob’s Red Mill.

While you can substitute rice flour for wheat in a few recipes, you won’t find a single flour or blend that works dependably as a “cup-for-cup” substitute for wheat flour, says Roberts. Hunn blogs here about the problem.

Each grain, each company’s milling techniques and each flour blend absorb moisture differently, creating divergent results. Roberts says you should find a bread flour mix and pastry flour mix you like and stick with them for dependable results.

9. Make your own flour blends

Cut costs even further by blending your own flour mixes. It’s easy. Hunn, author of the “Gluten-Free on a Shoestring" books, also tests and reviews commercial flour blends. She’s even developed formulas for replicating two commercial blends.

Roberts shares recipes for her homemade flour blends here.

10. Use gluten-free-tested recipes

Use recipes developed for the flour blend you’re using, Roberts says. Milling companies offer plenty of tested recipes on their packaging and websites. When following recipes developed by cookbook authors or bloggers, use the flour blends they recommend.

11. Stockpile

I’ve splurged and spent $7 a couple of times on awesome gluten-free crackers (Raincoast Oat Crisps). But for daily consumption, I stock up on my favorite cheaper grocery store brands when I find low prices.

12. Use sales and coupons

Some of my favorite gluten-free foods are on sale frequently. I use grocery store coupons or download coupons from manufacturers’ sites to compound the savings.

13. Shun specialty stores

High-end grocers charge high prices, and they excel at tempting shoppers into making pricey impulse buys. Budget shopping is simpler at a regular grocery store. Bring your list and stick to it. Here’s About.com’s celiac grocery list.

14. Avoid inside aisles

The perimeters of grocery stores are the places to find unadulterated whole foods. Just be sure to read labels — especially on processed meats. Aside from canned and frozen vegetables and fruit, inside aisles contain mostly expensive mixes, junk food and packaged products.

15. Raid your cupboards

Making meals with food in your pantry and fridge will keep you out of stores. Get inspiration and recipes at Cook With What You Have.

16. Make stock

Save vegetable peels in an airtight bag in the freezer to make flavorful stocks to use in soups and other dishes. Here is Ina Garten’s (no-gluten) chicken stock recipe.

17. Cook ahead

When cooking soups, stews and casseroles, make plenty. Then, eat some and freeze the rest. Hunn’s “Gluten-Free on a Shoestring” suggests quick weekday meals using basics like the gluten-free pizza dough, pasta dough, stocks and black beans she makes on weekends. (The book has recipes.)

Once a month, Hunn makes and freezes uncooked macaroni and cheese, cookie dough, potato gnocchi, biscuits and rolls.

18. Go online

About.com suggests comparing prices online. Doing so helps you recognize a good price when you see one in a store, and buying online may even be cheaper. (Remember to include shipping costs.)

19. Don’t buy for the whole family

Many gluten-free guides suggest taking your entire family gluten-free. That’s up to you. But if you do, limit the expensive store-bought gluten-free items to those family members who actually need them.

20. Collect favorite books and blogs

Going gluten-free is a bit research-intensive at first. But identifying your favorite sources for tips and recipes saves you time later.

21. Use your stale bread

With ingredients this expensive, you can’t afford to throw out food. Use stale bread and crackers and baking goods to make bread crumbs, croutons, strata, meat loaf and meatballs. About.com has more tips for using stale gluten-free bread.

Do you have any tips for making a gluten-free life easier? Share them in our Forums. It’s a place where you can swap questions and answers on money-related matters, life hacks and ingenious ways to save.

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