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I havent been checked at all if I have celiac disease. All I know is that I feel like a superhuman when I go Gluten free(or gluten-lite)....I feel worse when I catch myself eating foods that are suprisingly high in gluten.
When you add the gluten free you are talking a totally different story. Most of us would have trouble suggesting to you how to stretch $50 into food for 10 days and know exactly what we are talking about unlees we have a family member who is on a gluten free diet or are in the medical field.
You can probably make a large kettle of soup, portion it off, and feed yourself for at least five days, then make another, different kind, and use that for the next five. Or if variety's not an issue, just make one huge one and freeze the portions, then you won't have to do it twice.
If you are sensitive to gluten, you don't have to put noodles, etc. in the soup. You can use a broth base (or make stock by cooking a chicken), add whatever inexpensive meat and veggies you can find within your budget...soups and stews are a good conduit for cheaper cuts of meat. Vegetables alone aren't going to be a great source of calories for you, but they make good filler to stretch out a soup.
People with celiac disease/similar issues typically are less bothered by corn...wheat gluten presents more of an issue. Since the cheapy standby of wheat pasta won't work for you if you have medical concerns like this, you might try making polenta (which is just cornmeal), and serving similarly to pasta. It's super cheap.
Great list! But I also don't do dairy at all either (except for the odd bit of cheese...)
Can the calories be filled with a large amount of vegetables? I know someone that has a great stash of veggies and potatoes I could get (and NOT robbing a garden lol)...
Sorry I missed this before now.
There are dairy substitutes, but they will cost you more, usually.
As has been pointed out, you can up the calories by adding fat and protein to the meal.
The veggies are packed with nutrients and fiber (good for the gut!) and will help fill you up.
Cooking is really not hard. It's really just kitchen chemistry.
I did not learn to cook until I got married. Although I had watched my mother cook, I really did not pay attention very well. I got her to write down the directions for a lot of the basic things she did.
If you need the visual input, there are whole channels on TV dedicated to cooking. Watch and learn some techniques. Or take some classes or ask to watch someone you know who is a good cook. Or find something online and take the computer to the kitchen!
For the most part, recipes are very forgiving. The amounts of ingredients are really just suggestions for things like soups and stews. You can be as creative as you want to be.
When you add seasonings, you do need to be careful. You can always add more. You can't take it out!
Baking is different.There really is an art to baking. Measuring ingredients is important, and you need to follow the directions carefully. I cannot make my mother's biscuits because she did not use a recipe. And her pound cake is still a mystery --- I have a thread about it!
The microwave is wonderful, and many folks only use it for heating stuff up. I like to steam asparagus and broccoli in the microwave. It's quick, easy, and lessens the risk of overcooking. You can cook a lot more in the microwave than just popcorn!
Crock pot cooking is great because you can start it and pretty much forget it until you are ready to eat.
There are things you need to watch while you are making them or you will get messes (things boil over) or burn things (the liquid in a pot boils dry or something in the oven burns.) You have to keep your eye on the pot and use the oven timer.
And you will get more confident after a while.
But we digress from the original topic. DM me if you have specific questions.
Here are a few of my favorite cheap recipes:
1. Spanish tortilla: ingredients potatoes, eggs, onion, salt, pepper, oil, spices (I like italian seasoning, thyme, paprika or any Mrs. Dash blend). Search for a recipe. If it adds more than these ingredients, feel free to ignore, because I never use anything else besides the list above. Brown the potatoes with some onion. Remove it from the pan, mix it with a 2 beaten eggs. Then throw it back in the pan (or in the oven) and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Cheap and pantry friendly. Estimated cost? Eggs are $.25 each, potato about $.50, onion is about $.50 and you only need half of that. Total is about $1 assuming you have oil, salt and spices. I eat this for brunch, lunch or dinner.
2. Lentil soup (you can also add rice). Lentils are cheap, filling, and cook without soaking. Brown som sausage with half an onion (if you have some. Not necessary). Add some spices: thyme, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, saffron. Any combo will work. If you like spice add some cayenne or crushed red pepper. Then add about 2 cups of lentils, 6 cups of water (feel free to substitute chicken broth or add a bouillon cube). If available, add a can of tomatoes. Also you can add chopped celery and/or carrots. Simmer on low for about 25 minutes. Then add brown rice/potatoes and cook for another 10-40 minutes depending on the starch you add. (Or you can cook the brown rice separately and dump some in at serving time.) This is excellent to freeze. I have left it in mine for 6 months. You can also throw in some spinach/chard/kale at the last minute. Total price: Lentils about $1, rice $1, sausage $3 (assuming 2 expensive links), carrots $1, can of tomatoes $1, onion $.50, bullion or broth $1. Total price for 5-8 servings: $8.50 (you can omit the sausage or get cheaper sausage)
3. Curried lentils. Use the recipe above, but sub curry powder for the spices above. I like to use sweet potatoes as the starch. I omit the carrots and celery for this recipe. Works great with red lentils since those nearly dissolve. You can serve it on rice if you like. Lentils: $1, sweet potato $1.50, onion $.50, tomato $1. Total for 5-8 servings $4
4. A sausage sautee. Take your favorite sausage, 1/4 of an onion, and a little bit of oil. Put this in a pan with some oil and brown. Feel free to add thyme, italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and/or garlic powder. Then add a can of beans that has been rinsed, a teaspoon of tomato paste (the tube is the best. adds lots of flavor and keeps forever.), and a little bit of water. Heat up until the beans are hot and have absorbed some of the flavors. Serve with some rice. If you have some veggies, you can add bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, greens. Assuming you have the spices and onion, a can of beans is $1, a sausage link is $1.25 (if you get an expensive one) and the rice is about $.50. This is at least 2 meals for about $3. (maybe 3). You can get really fancy and buy fresh herbs -- parsley, thyme, tarragon for around $1.50. You won't need much.
5. Fish en palliote. I buy frozen sole, 4 pieces for $6. Might be cheaper elsewhere. Feel free to substitue any miler fish, maybe tilapia or cod. I sautee for about 5 minutes 1/2 of an onion, 1 bell pepper. Then take a big piece of foil, put the fish down and season with your favorite spice blend. Top it with 1/3 sauteed veggies, 1/3 of can of diced tomatoes (or fresh if available) and a bit of extra salt, a teaspoon of olive oil or butter for each pounch. Repeat 3 times. A slice of lemon if available. Seal tightly and place in a preheater 350 oven for around 15 minutes. You can serve with rice or beans (I like to use rinsed canned white beans or chickpeas, about 1/3 of a can) as a base. This meal is a bit more expensive, but not too bad. You can make lots of individual pouches at once if you like. I'll assumed you make 3. Tomato $1, beans $1, bell pepper $1, onion $.50, 3 pieces of fish $4.50. Total for 3 servings: $8.00 (definitely possible to make this for cheaper)
Notice almost every meal contains beans. They are hearty and cheap. Extra cheap if you buy dried. Lentils are the easiest dried ones to cook since you don't need to soak them.
Take all of the free veggies you can get! You'll need them for variety, antioxidants and nourishment.
Good luck. These are a few of my favorite easy recipes. There are about 16 meals here for about $25. (maybe more, those soups portions are really big). You can finish up all of the eggs and add 5 more meals for another $5. So, thats 21 meals for about $30.
i realize you are not vegan (or even vegetarian, for that matter) but you did mention avoiding dairy. there is a blog i love to read for veg*n ideas on $3.33 a day (even though i'm not vegan/vegetarian myself). she offers some gluten-free suggestions sometimes, too.
Breakfast: A box of generic cereal and ten bananas. $3.50
Lunch: A loaf of bread, a pound Braunschweiger, ten ears of corn. (Or the equivalent for variety.) About $8.
Dinner: Two pounds pork roast. $5
Two pounds carrots. 1.50
Five pounds potatoes. 2.50
Three pounds onions. 2.00
A few green peppers. 2.50
Total $13.50. Put about half of that in a covered roasting pan, set it on 350 for a couple of hours. It will last 5 days. Repeat. If you don't want pork every day, use a one-pound pork roast, and the second time, use a chicken leg quarter, even cheaper.
TOTAL: $25, which is only half your budget.
If you get hungry in between, order a pizza ($10), eight slices. Now you're at $35.
If you have a sweet tooth, buy a chocolate cake mix for $2 and throw that in the oven. Now up to $37.
You'll need milk, a few spices, mayo, etc. Call it $40.
What do you plan to do with the other ten bucks?
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