30 Days to Easy Gluten-Free Living: Gluten-Free on a Budget

This post is part of the 30 Days to Easy Gluten-Free Living event. Check out all the other great posts here.

There is a misconception that maintaining a gluten-free diet is really expensive. If you buy all of the fancy baked goods and gluten-free bread that costs $8.00 per loaf, yeah–living gluten-free is going to be really expensive for you. But there are so many healthy, whole, and naturally gluten-free foods that are wonderfully budget friendly–in fact, you might be surprised just how many!

Fruits & Veggies: Fresh fruits and vegetables are naturally gluten-free. Everything from apples to eggplant to parsnips. Fresh herbs too! So don’t worry about what might be in that instant mashed potatoes box, boil and mash up some on your own.

Grains: Some of my favorites are rice, quinoa, and millet. Invest in a rice cooker for your grains if you are worried about leaving your microwaveable rice behind–it cooks itself.

Proteins: Fresh proteins like fish, poultry, meat, and tofu are all naturally gluten-free. They’re also versatile–you can do so much with them! Grill, bake, roast…the possibilities are endless!

Here’s a cheap and easy recipe for baked Mahi Mahi. You can eat it over a grain of your choice with a side of steamed veggies, and cut up that extra piece into cubes and toss it into a salad for lunch the next day! The smokiness of the paprika adds and extra bit of richness (it’s also a spice worth investing in). This recipe would also be great with tilapia or any other fish of your choice.

Baked Tomato & Garlic Mahi Mahi

Ingredients:

1 lb mahi cut into 4 oz. portions
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1 lemon
2 cups cooked rice
steamed broccoli

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
2. Combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of fish with seasoning and place on baking sheet.
3. Lay 2-3 tomato slices on each piece of fish. Drizzle oil over tomatoes.
4. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes until fish is cooked through. Finish each piece with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve with rice and steamed broccoli.

The cost:
Mahi: 6.99
tomatoes: .29
pantry items: <1.00
rice: .50 (2 cups cooked)
broccoli: 1.99

Grand total for the full meal: $10.77; $2.69 per serving (4 servings)