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Welcome
. . . to Frugal Abundance where abundance is a state of mind, not the
status of one's wallet. I'm Miss Maggie, resident wife, mom and
homemaker. You may know me as the original (and previous) owner of
Hillbilly Housewife. On my new Frugal Abundance website and it's
accompanying blog
I explain how our family maintains a gluten-free, casein-free diet
(GFCF) on a limited budget. Since cost is a significant factor for us
I build most of our meals on economical staples such as beans, rice,
cornmeal, oats, and
low-cost vegetables. This provides abundantly for our nutritional
needs as well as pleasing the palate. Even if you aren't gluten or
casein free you will still find some helpful tips and tasty recipes.
We gave up gluten and casein when we discovered it was one of the
best treatments for autism. My oldest son has Asperger's Syndrome and
my youngest has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), both
of which are on the Autism-Spectrum. I was extremely skeptical at
first, but the changes in my boys' behavior were amazing--literally
the difference between night and day. Now we are true-believers.
Going GFCF was good for me too. My skin cleared up, my seasonal
allergies disappeared plus I have more energy & motivation than I
have in years. The benefits were impossible to deny. The only
drawback was the cost. Specialty GFCF foods cost an absolute fortune.
Our grocery bill literally tripled overnight. Ouch! Especially during
these inflationary times that is something that we just couldn't
afford. So I put my apron on, pulled my hair back and got to work
figuring out how we could maintain our weekly food budget of $100
while accomodating all of the family's health conditions, including
the boys' autism, Fred's diabetes and my PCOS. A challenging task
under any circumstances and doubly so with a tight budget.
Our paychecks fluctuate by as much as 40%. We call this a Feast or
Famine lifestyle. One of the coping methods I've developed is buying
extra food during times of Feasting to see us abundantly through
times of Famine. Some easily stored foods require specialized recipes
and cooking methods which I've addressed in the section on Frugal
Food Storage. I've also tried to make room on this site for some
of my religious beliefs and hobbies such as sewing, wearing a
headcovering and dressing modestly. These can be found on my blog
and also the Biblical Womanhood page.
I've been through hard times. Cut corners, pinched pennies, made do
with what I had because that was the only option. Frugality is not
something I resort to in desperation. I simply consider it good money
management. The recession of 2009 is forcing me to redouble my
efforts, examining methods of saving money that I may not have
entertained in the past. These days we're having fewer Feasts and
more Famines, but we're still maintaining our dietary needs and
feeling better than ever.
A Few Notes About Ingredients
GFCF--What's it all mean?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, spelt and barley. GF
means Gluten-Free.
Casein is a protein found in milk, whey, cheese, butter, some
margarines and pretty much all dairy products. CF means Casein Free.
GFCF means both gluten-free and casein-free.
The ingredients I use are both gluten-free and casein-free. To save
time and space I do not specify gluten-free or casein-free for most
items unless the ingredient is uncommon or hard to find. For
instance, I do not write GFCF baking powder. Instead I assume you
know than any baking powder you use should be free of both gluten and
casein. Be sure to always read package labels (always) because
manufacturers are sneaky and we have to stay on our toes to keep
gluten and casein out of our diets.
Xanthan--What's the Point? (ZAN-thun;
rhymes with Van-Fun)
Xanthan Gum is often added to Gluten-Free baked goods to make them
sticky, stretchy and bind the ingredients together. I use xanthan
when I must, especially in yeast bread, but prefer to use it as
little as possible because of it's expense. Many of my recipes for
baked goods are xanthan-free. This automatically reduces their cost
and makes the recipes more accessible to ordinary cooks. Xanthan
cannot be omitted willy-nilly from gluten-free recipes. You must use
recipes specifically designed to be xanthan-free. Xanthan is a good
product, and has earned it's place in every gluten-free kitchen, even
the frugal ones. I like to avoid it when I can, but I don't try to
run my kitchen without it. I've recently been experimenting with Guar
Gum as a replacement for Xanthan. I've found it to perform flawlessly
and since it's 1/3 cheaper (at least in my neck of the woods) I plan
on making it my standard-gum-of-choice. I use it measure for measure
to replace Xanthan.
Fresh Soymilk
I use soymilk in these recipes. If you prefer, feel free to
substitute rice milk, oat milk, potato milk, or almond milk. If you
aren't on a casein-free diet, then cow's milk would also be fine,
either fresh or reconstituted from dry. All of the recipes are tested
with soymilk prepared in my SoyaJoy
Soymilk Maker. It also makes rice milk and nut milks. Automatic
soymilk makers, or electric cows as they are sometimes called,
are the cheapest way to get soymilk. This homemade soymilk costs half
as much as powdered soymilk, and a quarter as much as refrigerated
soymilk. Fresh homemade soymilk doesn't taste the same as
store-bought soymilk, but it works the same in all applications. To
make our homemade soymilk more familiar tasting we add sweetener,
vanilla and a little salt. Our Soyajoy is over 6 years old and still
going strong.
Dry or Powdered Soymilk
Even though soymilk powder is more expensive than soymilk from my
electric cow, I still buy it for homemade mixes and food storage. I
use 2 types, NOW
Soymilk Powder and Better
Than Milk, Soy Beverage Powder. NOW Soymilk Powder costs
less and is good for savory dishes, main dishes, baking and homemade
mixes. I consider it the more versatile of the two. Better Than
Milk, Soy Beverage Powder is better for puddings, custards and
drinking. As a matter of fact it tastes so good that the boys like it
even better than fresh Silk, which has long been a family favorite. I
mail order both from Vitaglo, where
I found the best prices. Reconstituted Better Than Milk must be
shaken briskly before using.
Dairy-Free Margarine
I use casein-free, vegan margarine in these recipes. Regular
margarine or butter, both of which contain casein, may be used if you
aren't on a casein-free diet. I like Fleischmann's
Unsalted Margarine best for cooking and baking because it costs
the least and tastes the best. When necessary we use Willow Run
by Shedd's Spread because it is more widely available. Earth
Balance is our favorite spread, although Spectrum
makes a tasty spread too. Buttered
flavored shortening works very well for baking and may cost less
than vegan margarine. Compare prices to be sure. If you're looking
for a light spread Smart
Balance 37% Light Buttery Spread is casein free and tastes
really good.
Cheeze Pleaze
When shopping for vegan cheese be sure to read labels very carefully.
Many vegetarian cheeses contain casein which makes them melt
more readily, but also crosses them off of our edible list. My
favorite vegan cheese is Vegan
Gourmet. It contains no casein whatsoever. We use their Cheddar
and Mozzarella flavors most often. Sliced vegan cheese is also
available under the Tofutti brand name. Tofutti also makes a nice
vegan cream cheese and delicious dairy-free sour cream.
Broth, Stock & Bouillon
I don't use canned broth or stock because it seems a foolish waste of
money to me. Bouillon cubes and broth powders are much cheaper and
serve the same purpose. I prefer broth powders for homemade mixes.
Broth powders dissolves more readily and have less sodium than
bouillon cubes.
Rolled Oats--Gluten-Free or
Not Gluten-Free. That is the Question.
Oats themselves are free of gluten. However, conventional Rolled Oats
are not gluten-free. Since most oats are grown near and processed
with wheat and other grains, they become infected with gluten through
cross-contamination. Special Gluten-Free Oats are available from Cream
Hill Estates and Bob's
Red Mill. We started out using expensive Gluten-Free Oats when
we first gave up gluten. After a couple of months we experimented
with conventional rolled oats to see if they caused any problems for
the boys or I. None of us showed any reaction to conventional oats,
so that is what we use now. Strictly speaking the oats we use are not
100% gluten-free, we think of them as 98% gluten-free. If you have
celiac disease or zero-tolerance for any amount of gluten then you
should use Gluten-Free Oats exclusively. Recipes have been tested
with conventional old-fashioned oats and Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free
Oats. Tolerance and sensitivity to specific foods is an individual
matter. Your mileage may vary.
What Kind of Flours do you use most often?
To save money we have limited the number of Gluten-Free flours and
specialty products we use. Our Favorite flours include . . .
Our Favorite convenience products include . . .
-
Instant Mashed Potatoes
- Conventional Cornflakes (contain malt which may
contain gluten--GF cornflakes are available in health food stores)
- Cold Cereals--Puffed Rice, Toasty-O's, Rice
Crispies, Rice Chex & Corn Chex
- Prepared Corn Tortillas
- Prepared Taco Shells
- Store-Brand Rice Cakes
- Oriental Pasta--Rice Noodles & Bean Threads,
found in the ethnic section of most supermarkets
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