Budget friendly gluten free meals are ESSENTIAL, especially now that the holidays have passed and we’re all broke, right?
Just kidding (kinda). But if you are like us, you are definitely scaling back on “wants” and focusing more on the “needs.” With our lifestyle and active jobs, we definitely NEED to focus on REAL (gluten free) food to fuel us!
I often hear people say …. “but eating gluten free is so expensive!”
And you know what? It definitely can be unless you learn to shop right.
Once you know how to do that, making budget friendly gluten free meals is actually quite affordable! All you need to learn are a few helpful tips!
Tips like….
- Don’t (always) buy the prepackaged gluten free foods, just stick with real food first if you can. We still like to try out new GF brands and ready made meals from time to time (like when traveling) but we try to focus mainly on REAL food.Â
- Stick with only a few carbs and rotate them. Try rice, polenta, potatoes quinoa, squash, plantains, fruit, and beans as your main carb source.
- Use protein (like eggs) in various dishes.
- Recycle ingredients from a meal (more on this below!)
- Make your own snacks, and trail mix. Unless they are on sale at whole foods –> THEN TAKE ADVANTAGE! haha.Â
- Frozen veggies, use them, again and again!
- Support local. They usually have great deals on produce anyway. I always check out the local finds at my whole foods as well.Â
- Shop the outer aisles, like produce,  butchery, seafood, dairy, etc. And if you scam the aisles twice through, you might find some sales you missed the first time around.
- Extra fit tip –> I like to where my  fitness tracker (vivofit) to see how many extra steps I can get in at the store.  Hey, every little bit counts!
Okay, now let’s get to those budget friendly gluten free meals! All these meals have been posted before, except for one, which I will give the recipe for below. And all these meals have been used from leftover ingredients from previous meals. Meaning, the salmon leftover from one dinner was used the next day in another. Same with the veggies, turkey, etc. It’s best way (for us) to keep meals affordable but still delicious and nutritious!
This first one is great for a brunch or paired with soup.
Salmon Veggie Avocado English Muffin Bake
- 4 oz salmon fillet (sizzlefish for us!) -> cut into pieces.
- 1 gluten free English muffin
- red pepper hummus
- ½ cup shaved Brussels sprouts
- â…“ avocado, cut into slices
- oil
- balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- salt/pepper
- feta cheese crumbles
First, bake your salmon or use leftover salmon. I bake my salmon at 400F with 1 tablespoon oil/vinegar on top and fresh garlic pepper (1 tsp). takes 10 minutes.
Then toss the salmon (chopped) with Brussels sprouts and lightly saute until veggies are soft. Place on top of a toasted English muffin with 1-2 tablespoon hummus, avocado, and sprinkle with feta. drizzle with balsamic vinegar and season with a touch of pepper.
Not into fish? Here are few other Budget Friendly Gluten Free Meals to try:
Gluten Free Spicy Pasta Carbonara with Hard Boiled eggs.
For the Vegetarians and for those frozen veggies —> Everything But the Kitchen Sink SoupÂ
For the One pot Crock Pot meals (vegan option) –> BBQ Lentil StewÂ
For the Breakfast lovers and to use leftover meats/veggies —> Paleo Pumpkin Kale Turkey Frittata
See, when life hands you gluten free lemons, you make extra sweet gluten free lemonade! Okay, you get my point. Budget friendly meals can be delicious and nutritious, sometimes you just have to make the most with the BEST you got!
Do you have a budget for the groceries for your meals? What’s your plan of attack at the grocery store?
[bctt tweet=”Don’t Break the Bank, try these budget friendly #glutenfree meal ideas #pathToFit #fitfluential”]
Cheers,
The Sherpa Wife (LC)
- Email-Â [email protected]
- Bloglovin-Cotter Crunch
Shari
Invest in a pressure cooker and you can make oodles of different types of dry beans. India has this down pat. Find an Indian friend and learn how to cook all the different “dals” and beans. Wonderful and as you know, bags of dry beans are REALLY cheap! (NOTE: they’re not located around the outside of the store though) Organic dry beans are all the better. The pressure cooker saves on electric/ gas too because it cooks the beans fast.
Ambee J
Sometimes, we’re caught up in a situation on how to sustain our budget and still eat healthy. I have learned in http://www.Mealplans4thefamily.com/ the right meal planning to achieve budget free and healthy meals. The site contributes healthy family meal ideas enough to serve its purpose and as a good reference.
Hayley@healthyregardshayley
I am making the Paella tonight! Will take some pictures for you (:
LCCotter
oh yay!! keep me posted!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Love that salmon and brussels sprout stack! I definitely will be making the recipe for breakfast tomorrow.. thanks for sharing it.
Athletic avocado
love the sound of the brussels sprouts and salmon english muffin bake!!! Perfect way to use some sizzle fish!!!
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero
Being gluten free on a teach budget I LOVE this post.
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
Ahhh, repurposing meals is one of my favorite ways to get creative. The fact it’s budget friendly is just icing on the cake. Great tips, great recipes my friend.
Sarah Pie
Love this!! People forget how inexpensive REAL food is, no matter what diet/lifestyle you follow.
LCCotter
so true sarah!
Jessie
I wish I could just eat this whole page. Each recipe – especially the Salmon Brussel Sprout English Muffin bake (YUM!) sound fantastic!
I swear making a grocery list before hitting up the store will save you tons of $$$.
Arman @ thebigmansworld
Excuse me as I go pin crazy on here. Stellar recipes. To be honest, I found going paleo expensive, but now I’m off it, I actually see how it could have been so easy to do- Also GF too (especially with more recipe development in that area!)
LCCotter
i think it’s all the paleo nut flours and butters. LOL! But thank goodness for oats —> CHEAPO and good.
Heather @ FITaspire
Love your tips – especially recycling ingredients for future meals. You are the gluten free on a budget expert!!
Cassie
Great tips… I’m trying to cut down on grocery expenses and use a lot of these!
Kim
Wanna come and go to the grocery store for me?! Just think of all the extra steps:)
LCCotter
haha I like your thinking!
Jess @hellotofit
I don’t specifically eat GF, but I’m always looking for more ways to eat less rice/pasta/bread 🙂 I love that you highlighted the use of real foods over pre-packaged GF items, and those recipes look great!!
Lauren
Great roundup-I definitely want to try the BBQ Bean and Lentil Stew-yum!
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment
Anything prepacked is expensive and the portions are typically small! I like to have some things on hand, but I find that if you focus on fresh/real food the cost differential is not that bad. I shop around and you learn what to buy where. Have a great weekend!
Jody - Fit at 57
YOU ARE AWESOME & AMAZING!!!!!
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf
Love your tips and your meals!! They look amazing and hooray for budget friendly!
Cat @ Breakfast to Bed
Holy yes. Plan, plan, plan.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl
That Salmon Brussel Sprout English Muffin Bake sounds SO good! Now that I am eating fish again, I get really excited when I see new recipes. Do you have a certain brand of baslalmic vinegar that you love?
LCCotter
we have a local fig balsamic that is great! I get it at farmer’s market. But If i don’t get it there, i think the Whole foods one from Italy is fabulous too!
Livi @ Eat, pray, work it out
Shopping gets me so many steps haha! No shame, it all counts!
She Rocks Fitness
I think I’m going to make that lentil BBQ stew again for the week ahead…So cheap and so good…HAHA…my style!
LCCotter
try it on a bed of rice or steamed greens! so good
Marcia
These all look delicious! I am so making that frittata!
LCCotter
i think caveman will like it too. 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Nothing is expensive if you cut all the processed crap! Haha!
Susie @ SuzLyfe
I think that people like to claim healthy eating is beyond their financial abilities as another excuse for not committing to the lifestyle. GET OVA YASELVES
Kirtley @ The Gist of Fit
Very needed–so great!
My fav tip is using the cheaper carbs. That’s what we’ve been doing and gosh, cooking is WAY fast and WAY cheap, and totally flavorful.
Have an awesome weekend!
LCCotter
totally! what’s your favorite?
Shashi @ runninsrilankan
I couldn’t agree more – learning to shop right is key to healthy, gluten free, budget friendly eating! As a single parent, I am ALWAYS on a budget I so appreciate these tips and these eats – I need to focus more on frozen veggies – specially in winter! I love shopping in the fresh veggie aisle and very often neglect the savings and nutrition in the frozen veggie aisle!
Happy Friday friend!
LCCotter
i hear ya! i love fresh, but gotta stock up on frozen for more main mail dishes in order to save, ya know?
AmyC
I don’t know where to start 🙂
LCCotter
ahh you already got this, you’re great at eating well to start!
Heather (Where's the Beach)
As always, great tips my friend. Frittatas are a great budget friend meal – love to have them on the weekends AND you can load ’em up with veggies too 😉 Hope you have a great weekend my friend.
Taylor @ LiftingRevolution
I am so over spending money at the grocery store! I went last night and wanted to faint at the end. ugh. Budget friendly is always a plus!
Maureen
People NEED to be educated about food. Our budget is thisfreakingtight, but I still plan nutritious, inexpensive meals. Love this post! 🙂
Lisa @ RunWiki
You just reminded me that I need to make the BBQ lentil stew. (ADD) I find that making my own gluten free bread in the bread machine saves a lot of money, plus it has much better ingredients. What I have found is that now that GF is a way of life for many, there is a lot of garbage sneaking onto the shelves. I always read labels, eating vegan meals, and making as much as you can in your own kitchen is key. I freeze veggies that I don’t think I can use up, or make a kitchen sick type of meal– but sadly, I am not good at sticking with a budget inside the grocery.. especially when I’m in Whole Foods– my favorite store. Great tips Linds! Have a wonderful weekend!
jennifer f
I hate that argument that healthy eating is too expensive — yeah maybe if you go in an buy the pre cut up fruit or other convenience items or don’t know how to shop sales and meal plan. Even if it can be a teeny-tad more, it’s money well spent on prevention, performance and feeling good. Stepping off soapbox
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table
I love salmon with hummus! And Brussels with anything. And Whole Foods.
Jen
Such great tips and recipes. I love seeing how you take leftovers and make them into a meal that looks equally as delicious as the original. Going to try some of these! 🙂
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
Brussels sprouts AND salmon – yes please!! Two of my fave foods for sure. I found out I’m gluten sensitive about 2 years ago, but cutting it out of my diet really wasn’t that difficult at all because the foods I eat are primarily fruits and veggies with moderate amounts of protein (animal and plant based) and small amounts of grains. I’ll buy packaged GF products occasionally like crackers, but aside from that, if I’m having grains it’s usually cooked rice or quinoa. GF really isn’t that difficult to do if you avoid the packaged stuff!
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
I think all that packaged stuff is great for people who are just starting out on their journey and need a little buffer zone to help make the transition easier, but you’re right — it’s expensive as heck and usually leaves something to be desired in the realm of nutrition. That’s why we need your kind of wisdom 🙂
LCCotter
oh i agree! like udis cookies. haha they saved us! but it’s not ALL the focus, is what i meant.
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables
yup…. it seems like the common misconception that GF HAS to be expensive.
LCCotter
We need to change that! hehe
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious
I seriously wish people would stop buying the low fat, no fat, GF, paleo or whatever else pre-packaged food. It’s not real fuel and so expensive!!! I’m trying to teach my Mom this. Even her cardiologist told her to eat the no fat stuff. Seriously disturbing.
LCCotter
i know! so much confusion too!
misszippy
What’s better than a line up of your recipes, especially if they’re budget friendly?
Karen Loves to Run (@karenlovestorun)
I think there is the same common misconception out there about eating clean and organic as well. It definitely can be expensive but once you get the hang of it and know what to look for, it’s not so bad! Everyone complains about how expensive Whole Foods is (and I know there are a lot of things in the store that are!) but their organic free range meat is much less expensive than a “regular” grocery store. I always love finding a good deal 🙂
Karen @karenlovestorun
Liz S.
Ooh, LOVE these meal ideas!
mollie k
Happy Friday! The BBQ Lentil Soup is on my list of must make soon!! I was wondering if you have polenta recipes or can post some in the future. I have only had it a few times (at restaurants) and am so nervous to make it myself for some reason! Thanks 🙂
Have a great weekend!
LCCotter
totally! I have a really old polenta recipe I can repost soon or i can email it to you today!
mollie k
Thank you!! xo
Tess
Pumpkin,kale and turkey frittata….YUM! I’m trying this this weekened! Whole foods are the same price for every one and I’ve found most all WHOLE foods are GF!! Happy weekend :0
CARLA
(((SHARING)))
people are CONVINCED it needs to be so so hard and pricey!!
MiChele @ paleorunningmomma
There’s a real misconception about gf and paleo being expensive, and it true that if you go “trendy” it really can be! But if you do basic meal planning along with sticking to real food it can be more affordable than standard groceries. Avoiding packaged stuff is key!
LCCotter
totally!! ps did you get my email about the whole food gift card?
Michele @ paleorunningmomma
No, strange I did not! Maybe try through my contact form if my email isn’t working for some reason? Hope I didn’t delete.