September 2022 Grocery Challenge

El_Scot

LadyWithAPlan said:

@EI_Scott  - apologies for my long post for those who arent DF GF 
I am GF and DF and have extended  family who are also severely allergic to soy, oranges etc (one even onions etc as she on the FODMAP diet) so it can be a nightmare when I cook for 6 with 2 lots of allergies
It is a pain as often reduced food and TGTG or Olio stuff is not GF.

I have found some really good GF sausages in Lidl - often reduced and they are free range as well. More and more stores now have GF on their packaging for meatballs, burgers etc - I do think Lidl is better than Aldi for GF by far.

Also I have bought some GF oats in Poundland before so you just have to start looking - (they had a sale and I stocked up). I always look in the FREE section of places and if flour etc is reduced  I grab it.

I have been making potato crisps thanks to @goldfinches
 recipe she gave me on here - using YS organic potatoes and they are super cheap and definitely GF as I cooked them myself. I have been using the microwave rather than deep frying them,

Proper corn Tortilla flour - the Masa flour where they soak the corn with lime is GF and makes loads of tortillas - its expensive  to buy upfront but lasts forever and makes huge quantities of tortillas so great for wraps and mexican food rather than super expensive ones or El Paso. Plus you can freeze
https://www.mexgrocer.co.uk/food/masa-harina

In terms of GF  bread making I am just starting but my family has a new Panasonic bread maker I tried which has GF settings and the GF bread is amazing and easy and works out about £1.30 a medium size loaf . You literally put the ingredients in, stir once and 90 mins later out comes perfect GF risen bread! You do need to slice what you dont eat that day and freeze as it gets stale quick the next day but all the kids love it.
Plus you can use for GF breadcrumbs for meatballs/fishcakes etc.

The Panasonic  also does GF cake (though thats easy to do) - I tried a banana and apple and it does  GF pizza bases as well - but bread is where it really wins.
Of course you have to buy one - they £200 but I will get one myself anyway as given GF bread is normally over £3 then you break even pretty quickly. Plus it takes all the kneading etc time out - it is literally dump ingredients =- press the programme, stir once or twice then come back later and its perfect. I then slice and freeze.
https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/home-appliances-learn/home-appliances/easy-gluten-free-baking-using-a-breadmaker.html

I tried the GF Doves seeded bread mix- lovely but expensive and mine didnt rise well  (did by hand not machine) but I was experimenting with cooking times.

I have a 6 in 1 pressure cooker  as I won one a few months ago - never had one before and was always scared but it has  changed my budget and my cooking. It is very safe to use and makes everything so quick too cook. I haven't used my oven since nor my slow cooker. The pressure makes soup stock super quick - chicken bones in 20 mins and just veg stock is 5 mins  which is great for a GF budget life plus beans in a few minutes. It also sautes.  I have also a halogen oven and that also really helped 

I make fabulous GF DF meatballs from pork, beef or turkey mince - with chopped herbs, mushrooms, onions GF oats, flaxseed to bind - I pressure cooker in batches for 5 mins then shallow fry or saute for a few and they are crispy, cheap, delicious and GF. 

nb Linseed/flaxseed is great for GF cooking as it holds things together and full of vitamin b - they sell it cheap in Aldi 

I batch cook a lot so freeze so I can grab healthy and quick GF food - as eating GF in restaurants or on the run as GF sandwiches/food  are  difficult, expensive or a hassle.

i am still cutting down my budget by £10  a month but apparently Asda do great and cheaper GF flour than the doves brand so I need to check that out. As always making stuff at home is much cheaper - I look at the cost of all the genius gf sausage rolls and GF DF pizzas - and even with GF ingredients being more you can still save a fortune and have fun experimenting.

Homemade oat bars or at flapjacks  for snacks are great as well. I eat very well and full of delicious healthy food - it does take a mindset of having to find time to cook in batches  but then the budget is much easier.

I have over the last few days been making GF and DF toad in the hole and inspired by @badmemory
and @Suffolk_lass a sweet version of the Yorkshire pudding batter as GF DF apple  toad in the hole so as a dessert. Both were delicious.
The GF version of yorkshire pudding batter is very easy, hard to get wrong and you dont feel like you are missing out.
The trick is to leave the batter in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking (GF seems to need that whether it is pastry or batter or cookie dough) and of course hot oil

There is a great Leon recipe for GF DF fried chicken using sparking water.

Cornbread is also a great dish for GF - Leon cookbook has one using corn (so you can buy tins of corn when cheaper)  I turned into GF. but it can take ages.

Also I make amazing oat blueberry or oat lemon cookies - just google oat cookies and replace with GF ingredients. Blueberry muffins come out great with GF flour - using either frozen or fresh blueberries
Again shop bought gf df stuff is super expensive so home cooking, batch cooking and freezing helps.

kayannie said:

@El_Scot. I have a  daughter who was diagnosed with coeliac over 50 years ago. I don't bake GF as often as I used to, but when I make sweet pastry, I use GF SR flour, but substitute 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour for sieved icing sugar, then put the pastry in fridge for about 30 mins before rolling out. I never put an egg in the pastry mix, just the flour, icing sugar, trex or cookeen (we're vege) & water. I never have a problem with the pastry breaking  when made this way.
However, I don't get on very well making GF bread. If I buy it, I find W@rburtons the best.
KA

I will try the icing sugar  tip !

The Schar GF bread is delicious - that I can recommend but again £3.50 a pop.

NSD again so 10/16 - will need to get some food in morning as snacks as friend coming around but have taken some YS veggie sausages out freezer (will try my first  veggie toad in hole)  and may make some soup as well as have loads chicken stock in

Thank-you, this is great!

I already found the Masa flour, and have a tortilla press  I just find it a bit fiddly - they take so long to cook. We've been trying crepes as an alternative, they're really good with savoury fillings too

Unfortunately I really struggle with Lidl and Aldi Aldi gluten free products made my partner (coeliac) ill 5 times, and when we tried to flag the products, they said it was my fault - I must not be taking enough care to avoid cross-contamination at home, so I just don't shop there anymore on principle. Lidl are definitely better, but do need me to have a surplus of GF things in the cupboard.

I actually just picked up flaxseed in Lidl at the weekend, so I'll give your meatballs a try. How much do you add?

Sorry, I can't reply to each point individually but thanks for all the tips

El_Scot

Also thank-you to everyone for the GF ideas. I'll join you for October, as I realised there's just one week left in Sept!

goldfinches

Welcome to all the new joiners and thankyou for all the links and tips for GF baking and cooking, very useful to hear how others manage.

I did a quick top-up shop today as I realised I have a money off voucher for Waitflower as well as a gift token that I can spend there so shall be doing a bigger shop there before the voucher expires on 25th.

I spent £7 in Sains on olive oil, 4 x soap which I bought to put in the cupboard and sun dried tomato paste. I then crossed the road to M*rks and spent £6 on cucumber, frozen green beans, tomatoes, 4x milk, lettuce and a roll for lunch. That makes my new monthly total £70.79/£120 and my average daily spend £3.53.
The Baking Budget spent £2.20 on caster sugar which makes my new total £25.14/£20 + £20.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning GC'rs

spends to report.  Went to MrS and MrA whilst LG was at club last night.  MrS had very little YS'd, but that was OK, as I picked up a couple of tins of chopped tommies and a hand of bananas.  Am I alone in being frustrated at how battered and bashed tins and cans are in the valoo ranges across all the supermercados.  I inadvertently picked up a tin in MrS which would have been virtually impossible to open.  Thankfully a restauranteur was in the till queue before me, buying up half that store, so I had time to wander back to select a better tin.  And I can only believe I was shopping at the same time as Ginmonster as I too noticed an 'end aisle' promo display of auld mother 'ubbard products.  

Then onto MrA.  No YS'd stuff - which was no problem, but also it looked like the rest of the store had been cleared out in anticipation of a snow day or something.  Strangely enough though, my haul consisted mostly of bright yellow packets and packaging 😉 And, for balance, I did have to dig through the tinned mandarins to get an unbashed tin.  Annoyingly, the store had finally put out stock of the JE tinned grapefruit segments (they had been stored up on the top shelf in shrink wrap for at least the past 2 weeks), but a) people had selected to purchase them (surprise!) and b) the two remaining tins were........... bashed and dented 🙄

In total £5.77 spent across both stores.  £176.24/200.

Greying X

FrugalThymes

I said I'd add on meals out and takeaways, and last night slipped up a little and bought food in the pub and then snacks in the co-op. That plus a £5 top up at Lid1 means we've overspent but still CONSIDERABLY better than any other month for the past few years, and still all tracked.

£221.85/£200

diminua

More veg - sweetcorn, potatoes, carrots and beetroot. No broccoli in JS for some reason and the courgettes looked bashed. Dry soya from H&B, milk (there seemed to be a run on milk too) marmite, tinned mackerel and tuna, pesto, tinned tomatoes, orange juice, coffee. I had yorkshire pudding, roast veg (finished off the butternut squash and carrots) cheese and gravy on the Bank Holiday, and another tea bread has been made. I'm going to need bread and milk before the weekend. 

SausageDogSandwich

A few spends here, Sunday went to ald1 to get milk and things for an easy afternoon tea as I haven’t been well enough to to do anything much. Spent £22.20 in there but did buy expensive items we never have other wise, like sea salted block of butter, corned beef slices, breaded ham etc which will last the week for school lunches aswell. Yesterday was our 10th wedding anniversary and as we know how to live  we went to Morrisins to get our fav frozen pizzas as they were two for £5 and picked up a bottle of squash whilst there £6.29. 

Making my total £104.87/150 spent. 

Not planning on spending anymore until Saturday when husband is off work, however he and the kids have all got colds which always impacts spending so will see how we get on.

Soontobeoap

Just nipped into sainsburys and got 420 tetley tea bags in the clearance section for £3.75 (they had loads) also 500g of "free from" fusilli pasta was 85p a bag as opposed to tesco where it is £1.05. Might be worth a look if any of you are near Sainsburys. Bought all of the bits that I need to take on holiday. £13.77 spent. 

Dansmam

First update as my month starts on the 16th. Morries spend of £39.32 for basics, plus top up of £10.95 yesterday 149.73/200 to get me to 16 October 

EssexHebridean

Not caught up with the thread yet (and truthfully, very likely won't - you should SEE the state of my bookmarked threads!) but the usual thank you to @elsiepac for looking after things here, and a confirmation that

we are in again this month at £200 please! 

Truthfully this month shouldn't prove to be overmuch of a challenge again - some of what we are going to be eating is stuff that will have returned from holiday with us, we're starting a week late effectively thanks to the holiday, and the calendar tells me that I only have another 3 weeks shops to cover from the budget.