Trying to be frugal, with special diets??

[aubrylyn]

Hello all!

Not sure where to start posting? Hope this is the right place!
Anyone else struggling with being frugal and keeping the grocery budget managable while dealing with special dietary issues?
My 11 yr. dd, has alot of diet restrictions she is lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, limited corn, limited soy and several other limits. A gallon of rice milk for her is $7.00, a loaf of bread is $5.00. Thankfully the rest of us aren't so restricted. But, I hate fixing seperate meals, so I try to at least keep dinner as a meal we all can eat.
It just seems that alot of the traditional meal stretchers are unavailable to us.
I plan on searching thru the recipes and seeing what I can come up with that I can adapt to our needs to help stretch the budget.
Anyone else have similar issues?
Look forward to learnig what I can!!
Aubry

[perSue]

well what kinds of foods does she like to eat?

try different grains, it'll spice up the rest of the meal for everyone & introduce new things... like quinoa, sticky rice (many different flavours available too!), millet, risotto... and there are others.

does she like beans? try adding beans to add bulk (and fiber) to foods... it's a cheap extender.

while everyone else has spaghetti... make spaghetti squash for her... using the same sauce.

visit bulk food stores... look into investing in some of the flours and learn how to cook with them and make your own bread... far cheaper than 5$/loaf!
(It takes a while to do/learn... but if you set aside a day or two a week to make and freeze foods, it'll be easier in the long run... it's getting started! )

she doesnt "need" bread on the side or pasta like everyone else... tho it would be nice to have a "uniform" looking meal... think of different ways veggies can be used... you can "grate" a potato on top of foods for texture or boil and grate for a different consistency.

nuts and seeds ok? buy when on sale... chop up small and add to dishes...
make everyone a primavera style meal.... spaghetti squash for her... add the veggies to a pan, use silk tofu, soy cheese or "fake" your cheese using other veggies... OR instead have a fruity primavera using a berry or melon sauce instead!

try starting with some things she likes... don't think of is as "she can't have..." think of what foods she likes (or would like) and think how you are able to make them... similarly.

[Squirt]

Meat/veggie meals work well. I tend to avoid potatoes, breads, pasta, and rice for other reasons (I suspect some intolerances), and once they're gone you just don't miss them. Same with milk. You don't have to drink it. Milk goes with cereal, most of which she probably can't have, so have eggs & bacon or oatmeal for breakfast. Different choices are there, it's just a matter of thinking outside the box.

I'm of the opinion that there isn't much use in trying to find imitations of food you can't or shouldn't have. Those replacements are always expensive. Just find something else to eat

[anna021]

I find for me, being frugal works hand and hand with our special diets, first we don't eat out, so if I'm cooking the meals I know whats in them. I'm on a low sodium and my DH must restrict his sugar and fat. The only bake goods we have I bake, I've learned to substitute apple sauce for oils, bake instead of fry, use low-fat instead of full fat items,lots of fresh veggies, and the biggest change of all, portion control. All these things are very frugal behavior. Saves us money and keeps us on a healthy track. You wouldn't believe how long food lasts when it's portioned, so right there your either buying less or it's lasting much longer. And of course stocking up on items when their on sale is always a money saver. I;m going to go out on a limb here and say, I think frugal people are probably healthier people.

[Starlight9803]

You've gotten great advice so far, but wanted to ask something. I know you listed lactose intolerance as one of the issues. Have you tried the Lactaid (reduced lactose) milk? I use to have to get this for DD (she is mildly lactose intolerant) and it was more expensive than milk, but no where near $7 - though that is before all the prices started rising. It is regular cow's milk, just with the lactose reduced, so shouldn't be a problem with the soy issues like soy milk would be. Also, I agree that beans, potatoes, and other veggies can be used as fillers. Try a few new grains to see if she can tolerate them, etc. Also, rice is a great filler/extender for all kinds of things!

[Squirt]

Starlight's post reminded me- you could also purchase lactase pills. Lactase is the ezyme that digests lactose. I don't know how well this works, as I am not lactose intolerant myself.

[GFNancy]

My kids and I have to avoid gluten. I have gluten intolerance as well as gluten ataxia. My kids have gluten intolerance also.

The way I look at it is that food isn't just food for us. Food is also medicine. It's a different category than most people. Think about how much money you'd willingly spend if there was a cure for all of the symptoms she had for all of her intolerances. If she could just eat whatever she wanted.

I'm not saying that you should buy her whatever she wants. Since she's 11, she should be able to choose a few favorite safe food items. Rather than trying to duplicate all sorts of things depending on what your family is eating, she may be happy with something she really likes.

Around here, we barely eat any specialty foods. The only specialty product I buy on a regular basis are the Ener-G Wheat Free crackers. They taste great and hold together really well. We use them as a base for all sorts of things. PB&J, tuna salad, BLT. Anything that you can put in a sandwich you can put on crackers. So that's what works best for my family. If your daughter has a safe pasta that she likes or likes rice, those are also very easy to work into just about anything.

If you ask her to choose three to five specialty items that she really likes, she may be happy to have some crackers with soy free peanut butter (Peter Pan doesn't use soy oil) or some jelly rather than the biscuits that the rest of the family is eating.

For carbs, we eat a lot of rice and potatoes. Maybe she'd be happy to have some baked french fries - just potatoes cut up and baked in the oven. Let her choose a few standard side dishes that she can have instead of what the rest of the family is eating. Maybe some easy things that she can learn how to make while you're cooking dinner. .

I don't know what your frugal living story is,but if you are living a frugal life out of choice rather than necessity, think about making her specialty foods a different area of your budget, apart from your food budget. That's how I think of it. That way you can keep an eye on that part of the budget without letting it get out of control, but still allow your daughter to have some of the specialty foods she likes.

If you're living a frugal life out of necessity like we are, the only thing you can do is cook from scratch. Go back to basics. Let her choose one or two specialty products that she can have occasionally and that's it. Fresh meats, fresh veggies and fruit, rice, beans, potatoes. People lived on that for thousands of years. It may be boring and frustrating, but it works.

I hope some of this helped.

Nancy

[Maine Girl]

I follow a gluten, dairy and egg free diet. I buy quarts of almond milk for $2.29 I try to pick one up each week i grocery shop. I use almond milk for my cereal and cooking and drink chocolate soy milk. I know that some grocery stores have their own brand of rice milk. It took me a long time to get situated with this diet and what i can afford to buy. Can your daughter do Spelt? I do spelt bread i get it at whole foods for $3.89 a loaf. I buy four at a time freeze the loaves i am not eating.

[MomToTwoBoys]

We tried a GFCF diet with my oldest autistic son and we found that there were a ton of recipes out there for people with special diet needs.

http://gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringautism.org/

Try that website out and see what you can do. It has recipes and it's tailored to being on a budget.

I understand about the lactose intolerance thing. I'm lactose intolerant and I started using generic lactaid chewables with my food and milk. I don't drink soy milk or rice milk because that's for the kids. I found that after using the lactaid tablets, I was able to have things with dairy in them again. I'd give that a shot and see how it works.

[aubrylyn]

Thanks for the replies everyone!
I'm frugal our of necessity so that is what is making it hard.
I do need to start making her some more things from scratch. Thru the summer when we were working our way thru a diagnonsis, I was buying her alot convience things. Now that we know, I need to invest in some bulk flours and such. Unfortunately around here, I can't find them unless they are severely overpriced. We have no bulk or whole food stores. I'm in the process of searching the internet, to find the best price. I just haven't had the cash to get them yet either.
We do use the lactaid pills for some things. But we didn't have success with the lactaid milk, it still bothered her. I hate to use the pills very often, as she has to use a double dose for it to work for her. So we just try to avoid it if possible.
I have been trying to add beans to more things, but with her and my dh GI issues, I can't use them as often as I would like to.
I think I need to sit down with her and decide what she likes and wants, and how I can make those things.
One good thing I have found is Amazon, she loves the Envirokids, gluten free cereal bars. Those I will continue to keep on hand, as when all else fails she will always eat those. She is also underweight. Amazon has them much cheaper than the grocery store and as long as I order $25, it is free shipping.
Thanks!
Aubry

[GFNancy]

I wouldn't buy anything out of the bulk bins. The cross-contamination issues in those things is unreal. People use the same scoop for different products, the bins get filled by the same store employees at the same time and it's not like people wash their hands before they get stuff out of the bins. There are just too many potential issues.

[shoiji]

I have to stay away from nightshades which are tomatoes, potatoes, peppers., etc. Needless to say I have to stay away from food I really like but have found alternate ways of eating foods I love. I pretty much make most of my food. Apparently modified food starch is from potatoes. So processed foods are pretty much out. Sometimes I slip up.

My diet has changed but I think for the better now. I am eating much more vegetarian food now. I also try to stay away from as much starch as possible. You might want to try the chinese bean threads or rice noodles. Both types of noodles I can get in the ethinic isle of the grocery store. Which is basically skinny noodles. You might want to look into ethnic foods and what is available. I love trying different types of food. If you family likes peanuts try Pad Thai. You can use rice noodles for the noodles.

[GFNancy]

Modified food starch can actually be made from a variety of different things, including gluten-containing grains, potato, corn and tapioca. If you have food intolerances, you can call the product manufacturer and they should be able to tell you what the source of the food starch is.

"Natural flavor" is another ingredient label catchphrase that you have to verify with the manufacturer. Natural flavor basically means anything edible that isn't artificial.

Keeping to a natural diet is the easiest and healthiest way to go, but double checking with a manufacturer might open up a few products to you.

Nancy

[zakity]

If you live in the area they ship to, check out azurestandard (http://www.azurestandard.com/). Make sure you get a customer number and then look at prices because the prices are cheaper. I know a friend who is GF buys a ton of stuff from there.

Also, Bob's Red Mill (http://www.bobsredmill.com/home.php) will ship things and they have a whole different warehouse section for GF foods. We went on a tour through Bob's when they opened their new warehouses. It was really cool that they keep the GF stuff away from the stuff that could contaminate it.

[GFNancy]

i cannot for the life of me figure out what things are gluten free and things we would normally eat, so, instead we have just stuck to a completely natural diet, with ingredients we can read, and basically eat like toddlers.

We get four different things on a plate. LIke one day we will have 6 thin slices of natural jack cheese, 6 thin slices of natural sausage, 6 lightly sea salted rice crackers (only 5 ingredients!), and some fruit. I may also stick something like a natural yogurt, or a tiny bowl of soup, or a boiled egg on the side. With it he drinks juicy juice. Dh feels like a toddler, but his tummy is MUCH better, among other things. Now if only we could cure the stress part of it, lol.

Steak and potatoes dude!

Not the most frugal of meals, but I can imagine your husband's reaction would be priceless.

There is a great message board that you can go to - http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/ There are tons of great people there with enough recipes and meal ideas to keep you busy for a year. It's a great place to go to learn how to navigate the GF diet.

Nancy