Updated shopping list August 2018 – £50.32 = £3.59pp per day

This challenge is a bit different from my usual; instead of a whole days food costing just £1, it’s a bit more as it’s Gluten Free. I have put in brackets in the shopping list the usual, non-GF price.

Gluten Free (GF) can be very expensive compared to similar non gluten free products. For example The cheapest regular bread I can buy costs just 36p compared to GF bread that is smaller and costs a whopping £2.78. Another example is the porridge oats, a cheap hearty breakfast to set you up for the day on my normal challenges. But at £2.50 for a smaller bag instead of my usual 75p, that makes a big dent in my budget.

As I usually do I have set out a shopping list for the whole packet or tin etc. as I’m sure the retailer won’t be pleased if you were to cut a lemon in half as that’s all the recipe asked for. Therefore although this list is a bit more expensive a lot of the leftover ingredients can be used again in future recipes.

Also in this weeks challenge we used the chicken for 3 meals; firstly we used the breasts for chicken kievs, then we used the legs for Chicken in orange sauce, lastly I boiled the rest of the chicken and once cooled picked the meat off for the stir fry.

I have tried to include recipes this week that Gluten Free people may think they can’t eat, but with a little tweaking they can eat similar meals to the rest of the family. It’s much nicer and easier for everyone to all be eating the same food.

I think that in some countries if you are celiac, your doctor can give you coupons to help with the cost of non wheat products, but I think that is if it’s a life threatening disease not just Irritable Bowel Syndrome bought on by wheat. But do check these facts out, I’m just going on what a family friend told me.

As before I will give you a list of usual stock cupboard ingredients for the weeks dishes to check before you go shopping that they haven’t run out. Be aware though, that some mixed spices and stock cubes have flour or gluten added to them, and soy sauce also has gluten. You will also need to buy Xanthan Gum to help make the bread and pasta more manageable. We didn’t use it to start with, but it’s much better if you do.

The extra stock cupboard items to check that you have are: dried oregano, sweet chilli sauce, balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar, tomato puree, Rogan Josh curry paste, chilli flakes, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, Chinese 5 spice, dried yeast, gluten free baking powder, olive oil, Fresh Parsley, Fresh mint leaves, vanilla essence, icing sugar, tea, coffee and sugar. Most of these ingredients are usual items found in most cupboards, but you’ll use them time and again, and they’ll last for ages if stored correctly.

I also always have some natural yoghurt (45p) in the fridge, which is a great ingredient to stir into curries, for breakfast  or on top of stewed fruit. I buy the cheapest own brand as when I taste tested compared to other premium brands we couldn’t really tell the difference.

As I have mentioned before, I’m not a dietician or a nutritionist, I’m just a mum that tries to feed her family well on the smallest amount of money I can. I’m also not Gluten free so please check label correctly before using them. If you think I have got anything wrong please let me know, so I can correct it.