Cheap Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Egg Free ideas please!

[PoopyFingers]

Anyone got any tips for a cheap free-from diet (with the emphasis on cheap!!!)

DS1 - gluten free, dairy free
DS2 - dairy free, egg free
I am gluten free, dairy free, egg free, but DP has no food issues

I buy Rice Dream and Oatly milk for self and kids, normal milk for DP

Gluten free bread such as Genius, (Warburtons now do a nice one) Tesco or Asda free from bread I try to buy generally when it's been reduced due to being near to sell by date. We eat lots of rice, and also free from pasta.

Genius is now apparently available on prescription, so I will ask my GP to prescribe for us all at our next visit.

Are there any schemes by which I can claim expenses for dairy free milk?

And does anyone have any tips for generally making life cheap and simple?

Our grocery bill is on average £115 per week, but this includes all nappies, toilet rolls, toiletries and things like screenwash etc as required.

Is this a high bill bearing in mind all the extra expense of milk substitutes (£1.28 per litre carton) and GF bread (£2.89 for a teeny weeny loaf )?

No it sounds low to me. Have you time to buy G.F. flour and make yr own bread? I cook dried haricot beans and make houmous style dips with garlic,lemon and olive oil also tahini dips...

If you all eat fish tinned tuna goes a long way mixed with a dressing of one of the above dips and tiny chopped onion and garlic (I believe we need plenty of flavour to stop our diets being boring)!...

ppeatfruit - I have Doves Farm flour, and a breadmaker - but I have struggled to make anything other than a sunken gluten free brick .

I use the breadmaker to do nice crusty bread for DP, which has such a lovely smell and gives me a rosy glow even though I can't eat it!

DS1 is 3.10 and DS2 2.2 - they aren't keen on tuna, although they like (expensive...) salmon and haddock

i make wheat free (not gluten free) bread by hand you don't need to knead!(you use more yeast than for normal flour). i buy carrots, celeriac parsnips radishes etc. which are v. versatile.

I like whole organic rice (it is expensive but it's more filling and healthy than the white) with a veg. and or lentil curry its good. TVP is very cheap and can be used instead of mince in all recipes.

Loving the idea of whole organic rice - and even if it is more pricey, it's still a very cheap food isn't it?

TVP plays havoc with my IBS sadly - I do like the taste though.

What's your recipe for bread?!?!?!?!

Maybe you could use rice flour I don't like the G.F. flours 'cos I can't eat potatoes (it's in the G.F. Flours)Also not all the products in Health Food shops are exp. it's worth looking for variety in yr. diet.

I use Kamut flour 12ozs. and rice flour 3ozs and 1pint of hand hot filtered water(the flour soaks up a lot of water!) mixed with tsp of olive oil, half a tsp. fructose and salt almost a tablsp.of G.F. ready yeast..

If you use a breadmaker to make bread then you need to get a breadmaker with a special GF program. I have a Panasonic SD255 and that makes brilliant GF bread, my littlies especially like the spiced, fruit bread.

I cook everything from scratch for a family of 5 and we spend around £500 a month at the moment.

My GP said I could only get gluten-free food prescribed if I was diagnosed coeliac. Sadly.

sorry pressed the button to soon.

Things I do are cook a chicken (usually in the slow cooker) and DC3 has the wings and a bit of meat that has fallen off. DC1&2 have the legs. DH and I had the meat off one breast. I do plenty of veggies.

I then strip the carcass (very easy if done in the SC) and then do a meal such as a chicken and veg. risotto (sometime bung in some ham or bacon if I have some to use up as well) Or you could use the chicken etc. in a pie. Then the rest is frozen for a meal another week or I will make it up in a risotto, pie etc. and freeze for a meal later in the month. The bones get boiled up in the SC for soup or as stock for pies. risotto etc.

Risottos do make good cheap meals, I had some yellow stickered mushrooms the other week and made mushroom risotto.

Get a gammon and again bung it in the SC and have ham egg and chips. Use the rest in sandwiches for the week, in pies etc.

Have a look on the Moneysaving Oldstyle board on Moneysavingexpert.com there is a lot of ideas on there.

jack pot and beans is a cheap meal.

make your own soups.... get a bread machine and make your own bread
also can then make own GF pizza bases too
Personally i LOVE my home made pizza base with homemade tom sauce, with loads of veg and ham etc without cheese... honestly if topped high with veg and stuff IMO it doesnt need cheese on top

short-bread made with corn flour ans dairy free spread

I have a gluten / dairy free friend and she makes the yummiest lasagne using polenta instead of pasta. sometime she adds goats cheese or else dairy free cheese

also lots of ricey dishes are cheap and cheer ful
most things that go with pasta can go with rice too

my friend has a gluten egg and dairy free cook book... it has some seriosuly tastey recipies in it... splash out on the wierd and wonderful flours / ingradiants like xanthan gum, then you can bake your own yummy treats much more cheaply.

also i think tesco own jaffa cakes are gluten and dairy free... might need to check egg content though. (branded jaffa cakes, and other shops own brand arnt though, it must be tesco.... they are quite cheap too)

Peanut Butter Biscuits

6oz caster sugar
7oz peanut butter (cheapest shop one)
1tsp baking powder
1 egg

Heat oven to 180deg. Line baking trays with parchment.

Whizz together sugar and pb in a food processor. Add bp and egg and whizz.

Roll into small balls in the palm of your hand and flatten in your hand, lay on the baking tray. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Hey! presto! yummy biscuits.

Coconut Snowballs

180gr caster sugar
2 eggs
250gr dessicated coconut

Heat oven to 160degC, grease baking tray.

Whizz the sugar and eggs together and then whizz in the coconut. Shape into balls (walnut size) Put onto greased baking tray, cook in oven 10-15 mins. They are ready when golden brown.

springy O.P is egg free. Sorry poopy my compooter broke last night , i can't post more than 3 lines on here for some reason.Recipe cont. Mix yeast and flours then add water as needed to make dough not too wet...

....Stir well then cover with plastic bag put in warmish place for 5 to 7 hrs. (until doubled in size) put in oiled bread tins sprinkle with sesame seeds or whatever brush with olive oil or water...

...Bake at 180 C for 15 mins (turn off fan) then turn up to 200 for 20 to 25 mins (all ovens are different) check it by tapping for 'hollow' sound. Put on rack till cool. Sorry for the fractured nature of the recipe

Eeek! sorry missed that

A favourite meal of the kids is Sweet Chilli Sausages (can be done with Pork Chops as well)

Sausages (I use Black Farmer or Asda's own)
4 tblsp tomato ketchup
2 tblsp clear honey
2 tsp mild chilli
2 cloves of crushed garlic
I tblsp water

Heat oven to 200degC

Bake sausages in a dish in the oven for 15-20. Mix the other ingrediants together. Remove sausages and pour on sauce. Turn sausages to fully coat. Cook for 10-15 mins , turn and coat, cook for 10-15 mins.

Serve with mash and greens.

Ever since seeing a programme about factory farming where they scrape the abattoir walls and floors and put the results in sausages D.H. has not bought 'normal' sausages!!( i don't eat them anyway)!

Black Farmer

Looks interesting springy thanks. What are their rearing and killing methods?