If Ive learned one thing in the last couple months it would be that meal planning is essential for a gluten free lifestyle! I love planning. I have calendars for school, work, home, and exercise. Although Ill admit I probably spend more time planning some things than I need to...and sometimes dont follow through as well as I should! With that being said, this planning seems so much more intense than any other planning. First you have to plan your meals, than go grocery shopping (at multiple stores), than prep all the food. Its a multiple step process. I get so side tracked that I usually only get the first and second step done, but slack when it comes to the third. Which is probably the most important eh? All that work and I cant finish it up....sad isnt it? Or I do the steps but not to my full advantage. For example, Ill hit up the fruit and vegetable store, but never get to Trader Joes for the meat until a week later! Ugh! Ive always done better changing my eating habits when Im told what I should eat. I find that when Im trying to plan out these meals I am struggling a bit. Im still figuring out what I can eat vs what I cant, which replacement foods are working vs which arent, etc. Its a lot of trial and error trying to eat the right foods to keep me full and energized throughout the day as well. Is there a dummies book for this out there? :)
Well as I was browsing the gluten free community blogs I fell upon this website, https://www.gfreecuisine.com/index.htm. You purchase a subscription for $10 a month. Each week you chose your 5 day weekly menu from 10 different selections each week. They will provide you a categorized grocery list to print out. The grocery list follows the flow of the grocery store and the approved Gluten-Free brands are identified. The grocery list rolls up to specific package sizes in the store, and since Gluten-Free products tend to be expensive, they use the same ingredients frequently. The 5 dinners and sides cost less than $100 a week at the grocery store. Gluten Free bread recipes, freezer recipes, and gluten free deserts are also available on their website.
Something like this is VERY appealing to me. For a couple months at least! It takes the questioning out of it for me. And it would be so nice to only have to make ONE trip to the grocery store...now that would be lovely! I always find that I have to run up there for this or that because I didnt plan so well. I also think it could help a newbie like myself save money. I find myself buying into all the expensive items, and half of them go bad before they are even eaten! My only concern would be that there are only 10 recipes available.....so I wonder if I could find 5 that my husband and I both would like. Also than what about lunch and snacks. Than again I could just take dinner leftovers for lunch. And snacks are a lot easier to manage than an entire meal. For $10 what do I have to lose? Dinner seems to be the most challenging meal for me, so I could definitely try it out to see if it helps.
Ill be sure to post a review!
