Gluten free diet on a budget

[MonkeysMummy17]

Hi all, this is my first thread!
Just wondering if anyone can suggest some good gluten free family meals?
I've recently gone gluten free and feeling much better for it, but I'm struggling for family meals that aren't always the same.
Also trying to shift the baby weight so trying to do it healthily and keep it under budget where possible.
I'm using gluten free Huel for breakfast and lunch but we just seem to be having chilli, salad or jacket potato as I'm trying not to spend a fortune on gluten free products 😬 it's getting a bit dull but I can't see the wood for the trees in trying to plan meals that aren't expensive and are tasty!

Simple frittatas and Spanish omelettes are cheap. You can get some really simple ones with Cheddar, eggs and potato, with extras like frozen peas and bacon.
often bulked out with potatoes. I use this one and sometime add extras like frozen peas and Cheddar. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2685647/spanish-omelette
Cream cheese costs about 50p in Tesco and can be used to make a really creamy risotto. I like this recipe as is cooked in the oven www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1120679/ovenbaked-leek-and-bacon-risotto
This recipe from Jamie Oliver for lentil and vegetable cottage pie is delicious www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/michela-s-veg-lentil-cottage-pie/
Best ever bubble and squeak www.asdagoodliving.co.uk/food/recipes/best-ever-bubble-and-squeak
Tinned tuna is very cheap and is used for this simple pliaf www.john-west.co.uk/recipe/tuna-leek-smoked-bacon-pilaf

Breaded Fish using polenta
Chicken Kiev also using polenta
Sausages (Tesco's finest are gluten free)
Roast dinner
Steak and chips
Sweet and sour chicken (blue dragon sweet and sour sauce is gf) with egg fried rice.

Chicken curry (tesco korma sauce is gf and so are Tesco onion bahji's)

I'll keep thinking.

Apparently it isn’t a good idea to keep kids gf if they aren’t intolerant/coeliac as could possibly lead to intolerance later (though this may not be true).

Traditional meat and potato dishes are good- cottage pie, gammon and new pots, stew and baked pots, chops/chicken and wedges with different seasonings.

Don’t know what huel is, but eggs good for breakfast or lunch, and gluten free porridge oats aren’t too dear. Rice cakes are usually gf and good as a base for cheese/ ham/ hummus/ jam for lunches. Look for offers in other gf crackers/ bread (I keep gf bread in freezer as seems to go off quickly, just take a slice as I need it. Also means rest of family can have normal bread, which I actually think is healthier than the gf ones if you don’t have to be gf!

Ooh following this thread with interest! I have zero imagination for meals these days.

Thanks all, some great inspiration there!

I'm not enforcing gluten free on the kids and husband, just the evening meal 😊

I'm trying to just cut bread altogether as gf stuff is so expensive and trying to lose weight, but having some in the freezer is a good shout we have normal in for lunches for husband and kids

If you’re not actually intolerant to gluten or Coeliac (and few people are) there’s no reason to cut out gluten, especially if you’re going to replace it with even more processed, specially made gluten free stuff. It’s just a protein molecule. Don’t buy the silly myths.

I'm being investigated for an ongoing medical problem and coeliac is one of the diseases that's going to be looked into. I hope it's not that because the diet seems so restrictive!

I was doing some research into gluten free foods and the scandal surrounding the food companies plugging expensive "free from...." products which are actually naturally gluten free! Tomato and basil soup being one example. 50p for a regular tin of soup as opposed to £1.50 for the "free from" range. Both gluten free.

If you think you have medical issues with gluten, you need to continue to eat a gluten containing diet and seek medical advice so you can be tested for coeliac disease. The tests won't work unless you continue to eat it.

Going gluten free will not help you lose weight. Replacement products are packed with extra fat and sugar to replace the wheat etc.

My sister has just been diagnosed as coeliac after months of testing and being hospitalised, so on balance I decided to try going gluten free after talking to her about how I was feeling and her commenting we share some symptoms.

There is a big enough improvement for me to think it's worth continuing, and when I do eat something with wheat especially now I have a very bad reaction. I'm not too bothered about getting it confirmed if it means going through weeks of feeling rubbish. I wouldn't consider the things containing gluten as essential to a healthy diet, so I don't think I need to bother the Dr's with it when I've already made the change and feel better for it 😊

I haven't replaced normal bread with gluten free bread, I've stopped eating bread. Gluten free bread is quite hard to eat (in my opinion) so I'd rather just not have it.
That said, there are meals that I love like lasagne, tuna pasta etc that I'd like to find a gluten free workaround if possible so I thought I'd ask for some inspiration 😊

If your sister is coeliac the chances are that you are too. Don’t randomly exclude gluten - get a proper diagnosis. Undiagnosed coeliac disease increases your risks of osteoporosis, some types of cancer and other auto immune diseases such as thyroid disease.
Get tested but keep consuming gluten until you do to ensure you get a proper diagnosis

If you think you might be Coeliac then you need a diagnosis. Being Coeliac is not just about avoiding gluten. There are a lot of associated illnesses and conditions which you need to be monitored for. Have a look at the Coeliac UK webpage.

Please, please, please go and get tested. Coeliac is a serious disease and you need to be properly diagnosed, get check ups, manage it properly etc. It's so much more complicated than cutting out bread and pasta. And if you do cut it out before testing, your levels won't be accurate.

Coeliac is so much more dangerous than just getting a dodgy tummy when you eat bread. There are long term possible complications and if your sister has it, there is a much higher chance that you do too.

This is not something to mess around with or shrug your shoulders. Go and get tested.