Gluten Free Eating Just Got Cheaper!!

Gluten Free Eating Just Got Cheaper!! Aldi now has a full line of gluten free products! Aldi a German company has always clearly labeled their foods as gluten free (if they are) and that has made for easy shopping for me. I just glanced at the label and if it said gluten free I bought it. No more searching the ingredient list. The new US labeling laws have been passed but not yet implemented by food manufactures across the board.

Aldi now has gluten free Mac N Cheese, granola bars, cake mixes, granola cereal, cookie mix, pizza crust mix, cornbread mix, pizzas, brownie mix, baking mix, stuffed sandwiches (like Hot Pockets), lasagna, stuffed shells, pancakes, soft baked cookies, chicken nuggets and pretzels.

Now mind you these are not available in all areas and I also can't find the ingredients for these products to check for other allergens. Sorry about that, I will have to go to Aldi and I don't have one near me, but I will go check it out in the near future because chicken nuggets sure sound good!

If you have seen or tried these products let us know what you think.

Thanks,
Moe

Molly Crew REVIEW of Christi the Coupon Coach: Couponing Made Simple

All right thrifty coupon Mamma’s have I got a review for you! Christi The Coupon Coach Couponing Made Simple comes in an Ebook for just $4.99 or the paperback version for $18.00.

 



 

Since I’ve been down and out physically since Sept 2012 our grocery and household items budget has just been blown out of control. With my son and husband running into stores here and there for things it’s cost us a lot. Normally I drive an hour once per month and do all our major shopping in the big city. It’s much cheaper than shopping at a Mom and Pop grocery store. I was excited when we were given the opportunity to review the Christi The Coupon Coach book. Our son was the first one to read Christi The Coupon Coach. Right away he began going through my coupon stash to see what we could use and how we could use them to get the best deals. I used this book as part of our business math/home economics course study for high school, I think it would work for junior high aged also.

My first thought was Extreme Couponing, we don’t have nearly the coupons available to us in the middle of the woods…lol. We are just happy to just get a few of the Black Friday sale flyers in the Sunday paper before Thanksgiving. Since we live so far away from civilization they don’t include all the fancy stores. I have found a small gold mine for coupons though on rare occasion, our public library (in another town far far away...lol) has a small box at the front of the library that people can exchange coupons. I always check that baby when we are in town. I have also bought coupons from auction sites and just paid shipping. I have even spent time calling the allergy friendly companies asking for coupons (most will say DO NOT DOUBLE on them). I also belong to a coupon train (HI Cathy!!) (BTW ladies on that train who are reading this I will mail it out this week…lol). Here is a link to Christi's favorite websites for great coupon match websites to help you along in your quest for savings.

I liked the larger size of the font that she used in Christi The Coupon Coach. These homeschool Momma eyes are getting bad! LOL. I was able to sit down and read the book in about 2 hours (along with taking some notes). It’s a very fast read, not boring at all. Our son read it in about an hour, he loves coupons and is always on the hunt for fast food & Lego coupons.

My coupon file BEFORE reading Christi The Coupon Coach book.

I liked how she had a gluten free section and organic foods section since so many families are eating this way either by choice or due to allergies. That section was a blessing for our family since I am gluten free. I was elated with the information that Christi The Coupon Coach included about thrift stores and yard sales! I so did not expect this information to be in the book. We do have lots of yard sales and thrift stores near us. But as far as grocery store deals like stacking coupons (not allowed here), printed Internet coupons (not allowed here). Here is a link to Christi's favorite websites.

The book was very easy to follow along and was layed out out very well. I like how she guides you through the process, she truly is a Coupon Coach! I would give you more details, but you need to high tail it over to Amazon.com right now and buy a copy of Christi The Coupon Coach or get the Ebook to read on the go. (I’ve got an Amazon link right here on my site). The book as 132 pages long, but if you are not a big reader don’t let that scare you, it’s a very quick read, you wont get bogged down with this book.

I like how she explains all the couponing terms and how she shares real life ideas with her readers. Many of the tips and tricks were familiar to me, I’m just not implementing them, but I think that  Christi The Coupon Coach would be a great read for even the seasoned couponer, sort of a refresher course. The book would NOT be overwhelming to a newbie at all. Plain and simple Christi IS the Coupon Coach! She knows how to explain things in plain and simple terms.

A new idea to me was the ability to print out additional sets of coupons using a different computer in your home (we only have 1 computer and none of our stores accept Internet coupons, so this is out for us). I have resurrected my coupon accordion file from that funny financial radio guy and I’ve been saving here and there. Remember though, we live in the sticks, don’t get many coupons in our Sunday paper, can’t use printed Internet coupons and can’t stack coupons. So this book and system might be just the thing you need if you have better access to coupons than we do.

My coupon file AFTER reading Christi The Coupon Coach

I have saved around $50 so far since starting this TOS review and I plan to keep working at this, it's a bit tougher in my area, but even I can save some. An update to my review, I have found that the Target and Meijers store in the BIG city (about an hour away) do accept printed out coupons from their store website ONLY, so I have found another source  :O) So don't think you can't save just because you live in a rural area. My main savings were in the area of household cleaners, trash bags and things like that. Hey it all adds up!

Come check out what the other Molly Reviewers had to say about how they used & how they saved using Christi The Coupon Coach: Couponing Made Simple.

 

 

Corn FREE & Gluten FREE products

Corn FREE & Gluten FREE products

I do need to add a small disclaimer here, this product does contain Xanthan Gum & Citric Acid, which can contain corn and can cause allergy issue with those that are very sensitive to corn products.

Awhile back I was at the Amish Salvage store and I came across a jar of Grandma Hoerners All Natural Pumpkin Butter, it was 18.2 oz for $1.25. The ingredients looked safe, but with corn you just never know, so I bought it figuring my guys could eat it if I was wrong. I called the company the other day and they were very quick in getting back with me. I spoke with Matt Beyer and asked my normal corn questions.....lol. Since I call so many places and they are clueless about corn allergies and tell me "Why would we put corn in our product?" They are thinking corn as in corn on the cob........hahaha.  Well Matt knew exactly what I was talking about and even shared some other corn free products that they sell. I did a little happy dance while on the phone with him, I'm sure he thought I was bananas
(oh wait, I can't be bananas since I'm allergic to those too!). Here is the website to check out the products Grandma Hoerners carries, now they do have some products that do contain corn, so make sure to read the ingredients.

Tomorrow I will do a review of the Grandma Hoerners All Natural Pumpkin Butter. I plan on making some cupcakes and then using my Cuisipro Cupcake Corer that I bought from Amazon.com. Love that thing! It really perks up gluten free cupcakes!! I will bake the cupcakes and then core out the middles and fill with the pumpkin butter, sounds good? We shall see.


Have a blessed day and remember what the Easter season is really about.
Moe

How to save money when eating Gluten Free (or on any special diet)

I got this listing from a gluten free group that I frequent. Some great ideas here! Sometimes I know we feel like a prisoner to our required diets, so I thought this cartoon was cute!
Moe

Here are some tips from Teri Gruss on cutting costs while eating
gluten-free.

How To Cook Gluten-Free on a Budget - Cut Gluten-Free Food Costs Now!
By Teri Gruss, MS

Here are 6 practical tips and resources to help you save money on the
extraordinarily high costs of gluten-free foods. Plan ahead and you
really can save on your monthly gluten-free food costs- and at the
same time eat delicious, healthy gluten-free foods.

1. Focus on cooking with foods that are naturally gluten-free

Fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy products, nuts and seeds, meats,
poultry and fish are all healthy, delicious, gluten-free foods. Focus
on planning a gluten-free menu based on these naturally gluten-free
foods. Pound for pound these foods offer a lot of nutritional value
for the buck, compared to refined, processed gluten-free products.

2. Make your own gluten-free foods rather than buying expensive,
processed products

Savings can be substantial when you make your own gluten-free foods,
especially breads and snack foods. Another advantage in making
homemade gluten-free foods is better flavor and healthier ingredients.

3. It is convenient to keep a few packages of commercial gluten-free
mixes on hand. But you can save a lot of money by making your own
mixes. Measure, mix, package and refrigerator or freeze and you have
created your own fresh convenience mixes. Along with saving money,
when you make your own gluten-free flour mixes, you can customize them
to your own tastes and nutritional needs.


4. Join forces with other gluten-free families and friends to lower
costs. Websites like amazon.com and Shop Gluten Free Grocers sell
gluten-free foods in multi-pack cartons, including pastas and flours.
Amazon's Shop Gluten-Free Groceries website offers free shipping on
orders over $25. Bob's Red Mill sells 25 pound bags of several of
their gluten-free products, including tapioca flour and all purpose
gluten-free baking mix. They also sell 4 bag cartons at discounted
prices.

5. Join a local support organization. You'll meet other people, who
like you, are battling the high costs of gluten-free foods- join
forces, buy in bulk and save money.

6. Use coupons

Nancy Lapid, About.com Guide to Celiac Disease recently blogged about
a website that offers printable coupons for gluten-free products.


Tips:

Once a month prepare your favorite gluten free convenience mixes. I
like to make 3 pound bags of all purpose baking mixes. This amount
generally lasts for several weeks. Use it to make homemade breads,
pancakes, waffles, cookies and pizza crust. Making mixes ahead of time
is SO much more convenient than making mixes every time you need a
gluten-free flour blend for a recipe.

Once a week bake your favorite gluten-free breads, wrap them up and
freeze. Remember, making homemade gluten-free bread is like mixing a
cake batter. Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat. Pour in a
bread pan, let rise and bake. Homemade gluten-free bread is faster and
easier than making traditional wheat-based yeast breads. So don't
shudder at the thought of making gluten-free bread every week. It
requires less time than you think! The savings, not to mention
superior taste and texture make it worth the minimal effort!

Make gluten-free cookie batter and refrigerate or freeze to use as
needed. There is really no need to buy expensive, ready-made mixes.
Mixing and storing cookie dough, like making bread is faster and
easier than you may think.

Make and freeze gluten-free pizza and pie crusts, which become
economical convenience foods, ready when you need them. Use a food
processor and this task is very fast and again, much easier than you
imagined.

Develop a dependable gluten-free recipe file. This will save you not
only money, but time and disappointment. I have a constantly growing
"favorites" recipe file- my "go to" recipes that I know work and taste
great. This not only saves money, it's healthier.

What You Need

Dependable, favorite gluten-free recipes
Gluten-free raw ingredients- purchased in bulk if possible
Homemade gluten-free flour blend mixes
Motivation
Shop with a grocery list and don't shop when you're hungry!
Consult with an accountant to see if you can deduct a portion of your food costs

Shopping again

I ran to Aldi and got a few things, spent around $21.00 and can't find my receipt to itemize it for you.
broccoli
cauliflower
mushrooms
yogurt
almond milk
dry pinto beans (going to try to make refried beans from scratch-share your recipe if you have one)
several loaves of high fiber bread for my guys (they were cheap)
Stolen (clearance & impulse buy!)
fancy cookies (clearance & impulse buy!)

Food sure does add up even when you are at Aldi!! $72.09 for the month so far on groceries for a family of 3, with me being gluten free/dairy free and now on low sodium. YES!! Saving money can be done even on a special diet.

I start my wonderful upper/lower scope prep today, drinking that wonderful drink that sends you to the bathroom time and again (I know TMI). I drink 1/2 of it today and 1/2 of it tomorrow. I would appreciate prayers for my scopes tomorrow, that all goes well and that the doctor sees what he needs to see so that he can fix the issues.

Hebrews 13:5b
"and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Moe