Gluten-Free Shopping Without Going Broke

If you haven't been paying attention, I had a baby about two months ago. I was a very adept housecleaning machine. I love to cook. I could spend HOURS on a really good dinner, that would no doubt be enjoyed for an hour, possibly with a glass of wine, and definitely with a good episode of our favorite show: Bones.


Hey! I'm new here!

Enter, The Little One.

I am a very adept milk-making machine. I love to cook. I could spend MINUTES on a possibly edible dinner, that will definitely be enjoyed in segments, possibly while breastfeeding TLO, and definitely after a diaper change.

It's not that I'm a different person; I'm just... well, I'm tired. Also, keeping TLO happy and in love with me is far more of a priority than making sure the home looks like something on Pinterest at all times.






So, instead of giving you a s-ton of recipes with ingredients you'll never find in the store, let alone will actually use; here are a few of my staples.

Gluten Free Pasta: Heartland makes a great fusilli, penne, and spaghetti. The fusilli can make a mean mac n' cheese. The penne is great for salads. And spaghetti is Jesus' perfect food.

Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix: I've yet to actually make a cake with this stuff. I have turned into muffins, coffee cake, and corn fritters.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix: Makes a damn fine cookie.

Gluten Free Wraps: Usually found in the bakery with the deli meats. These things double as flour tortillas. So you can use them as flour tortillas. Yes, it actually tastes pretty close to a flour tortilla. For those of you who haven't gone a full year without a flour tortilla, you have no idea how excited your Celiac counter-part is right now. So, I'm going to say it again and let you bask in it: Flour Tortilla.

Corn Tortillas: I make them into chips, tostadas, and taquitos.

Things To Watch Out For:

* Very, very few of those pre-packaged spices are gluten free. The rest that are, are usually not dairy free. McCormick makes some that are in a clear package that literally are just spices, and they're wonderful. You will have to make your own taco seasoning, as almost all of them contain whey.

* Barbeque sauces are also tricky. Head Country barbeque sauce is our go-to. And it's amazing.

* The cheap tomato sauces sometimes contain gluten, and frequently contain dairy.

* Lunch meat: get it AT THE DELI from a brand that advertises gluten-free meats. Most of them will also not have nitrates and other fillers/chemicals as well.

* Bratwursts are best purchased at a grocery store with an actual butcher. I use the Homeland by our house, because their brats are actual meat: no fillers, spices, or 'extras' that can be found inside a casing.