While it can be said that I don’t like giving all my money to Amazon and potentially hurting my local businesses, I have to make my budget work each month. So, there are several gluten free items that I buy on Amazon because they arrive quickly and I can purchase in bulk and save money. Win-Win!
These products are not the only things I buy on Amazon, but they are my current favorite things.:). I will add to this post as I find new favorite things too. So check back every so often.
McCormick Seasonings– You can buy the larger “Costco” size of seasonings on Amazon and save a ton of money making your own seasonings like my Taco Seasoning.
These bottles of cumin and dark chili powder are ALWAYS cheaper on Amazon.
You can also get Montreal Chicken Seasoning in the large container which is my go-to favorite for seasoning veggies in the oven.
These are just a few examples. You can easily go to the McCormick Amazon store and order all your favorite spices. You might wonder how to fit these large containers in your kitchen…well, I have a very small kitchen. So, I keep the smaller containers, that I first buy at Walmart, etc, and refill them from the larger containers that I buy on Amazon. I keep the larger containers in my food room in my basement. What do you do if you have a small apartment? I would get a plastic bin that slides under a bed or couch. Keep your larger spices in that bin. No one knows they are there and you are still able to save money.
Tomato Sauce– I have recently discovered that my favorite gluten free Muir Glen tomato sauce can by purchased in a cases of 12 for the 15 oz cans. You can also get the smaller 8oz cans, and even their no salt tomato sauce– although the no salt one is not a great price in my opinion. I use tomato sauce all the time for making homemade lasagna and spaghetti sauce(recipe coming soon). I also use this for my kids favorite soup- Taco Soup(recipe coming soon).
Gluten Free Flours– I also buy several of my gluten free flours on Amazon. The links for those are in my flour blend post. I love the Anthony’s gluten free brand. It is a great price, and I have been happy with all the flours I have purchased.
GF Mac & Cheese– Every family that has kids, generally speaking that is, likes Macaroni and Cheese. Kraft’s gluten free macaroni and cheese is actually pretty good. My kids love it and it is easy for them to make themselves when I am at work. I buy it in the 12 box count. Right now it is just over $30 for the 12 boxes, which makes it $2.50 per box. This is a great price! My Walmart has a similar price, but is often out of stock. So this is where I buy it now.
Granola Bars– The last thing I will share in this post is Kind Simple Crunch Oats and Honey Granola Bars. You can buy this is an 8 box pack for $47.52. That is $5.94 per box which is the exact same price as Walmart-which in my case, is always out of stock. I like this granola bar because there is not a lot of “stuff” in them and they are not heavy like protein bars. It’s simple, and I think they are pretty good. My 13 year old son likes the dark chocolate ones best. These are also the cheapest ones at $5.47 per box on Amazon when you buy the 8 box pack. My personal favorite are the peanut butter ones. They are $6.43 per box, but totally worth it for me because they are my favorite.
My last recommendation is buying pancake mix in bulk. We love Birch Benders Gluten Free mix. But I change it of course. I just use it as my base. For every 1 C of mix, I add 1 egg and about 1/3 C of water. Mix and cook on the griddle. They are light and fluffy and delicious! My kids gf and non gf love these. I still prefer the paleo pancakes on here, but my kids love these.
I hope this post has been helpful to some of you who may just be beginning your gluten free adventure. There are good gluten free products that taste pretty similar to what you were used to before. Sometimes we just need to think outside the box to make things work for our budget though. I shop at so many more stores than I used to, but with gas prices they way they are, Amazon is quickly becoming my go-to for many of my grocery needs.
Have a wonderful day. Life is good, even one with no gluten.:)
