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Part one was too long, it was rejected. I’ll resend and add part 3, since I’ve gotten a few responses that these hints were helpful.

Wow! Thank you all (at least 2 dozen of you) for all the hints and suggestions! I will forward this same information to her! It’s one thing for me to mention hints to her, but a completely different story when lots of people are going out of their way to help. I hope this convinces her once the second child has his endoscopy. (celiac suspect) Before anyone wonders- the children are brothers which they have adopted, so they aren’t being tested themselves. Several also replied that they would be willing to offer personal help if she wants to email them. I will pass that information along also. 
I’ve compiled advice first, websites and cookbooks at the end.

Thank you everyone!
Cathy

Cathy, I don't think I spend any more than anyone else.

Breakfast:  one cup of the many gluten free cereals and 1 boiled egg for protein.

Lunch:  Toast 1 slice of g/f Udi's g/f bread that I get at our local Wal-Mart.
I toast the bread slice and put plenty of peanut butter on it, a banana and flavor
it with honey.  I grow vegetables so I usually have a salad.

Dinner tonight:   1 Hillshire farm hot link.  A portion of Quinoa or sometimes it is 
brown rice and another salad or sometimes I eat an ear of corn cooked in the microwave, I have a 
great recipe for that, if interested, now that corn is cheap here in the south.  I then eat a 
good portion of watermelon as I have diabetes also.

Translate to a person like myself who survives on Social Security, and not much of one.  I eat lots of vegetables, rice, corn tortillas and an occasional loaf of GF bread. i cook chicken, buy canned salmon, sardines and tuna, cheese and milk for protein.  Sometimes I can splurge and buy a package of microwave popcorn (Orville Redenbacher's is my favorite) or a GF brownie mix at Trader Joe's.

With us, the whole family went GF, and eventually CF too. The food bill went up 
briefly, as I tried out all those GF mixes. Then I gave up, and our food bill went
way down. The thing is to not get addicted to the "bread/pasta" based diet that
we grew up with. Which isn't very good for you or even that tasty, when it comes
down to it.

Most of our meals are based on rice or potatoes (both cheap!). Loads of vegies,
many of which I grow. Lots of tortillas and beans too. Noodles: Thai noodles
are great, but I get Tinkyada too. Rice and yam noodles are cheap at Asian stores.
GF soy sauce is cheap by the gallon at Costco or restaurant-supply stores.

So you have meals like:

Stir-fried vegies (and chicken/beef/fish): celery, onions, greens, whatever is available. Over rice.
Soups (anything!).
Tacos
Steak and potatoes
Casseroles
Baked potatoes with toppings
Hamburger Goulash
Meatloaf
Sausage and kraut over potatoes
Potato salad, watermelon, and oven-fried chicken
Fried rice (with lots of stuff in it: it's a family favorite)
Eggs and bacon
Frittatas
Omlets

I do make pizza on occasion, using Jules flour mainly. Pizza crust is pretty simple. We also buy Canyon bread, a loaf or two a week, because my daughter likes to take sandwiches to school. For snacks, we have whole fruit or smoothies usually. Once or week or so I make some fresh-baked cookies or a crisp.

The trick is to learn how to cook fast, tasty meals. The best help for that is, I think, YouTube and HowToHeroes ... real chefs who show some very simple and fast meals. Restaurant cooks do NOT spend a long time making a meal: they can't. By learning these techniques, it not only is healthier for the whole family, but you are also teaching your kids better eating habits. Losing the "prepared food habit" is a GREAT thing for anyone's health, and it will do wonders for your budget too. The staples ... rice, potatoes, tortillas ... are among the cheapest foods. Vegies and fruits are cheap too. Meat/chicken/eggs/dairy is very reasonable if you buy in bulk at Costco (invest in a freezer if needed). Investing in a good blender is a good thing too: most kids like smoothies and you can make soups in blenders too. You should look at your current eating habits, esp. the "favorites" that everyone feels they need, and convert those things first.


Like mushroom soup. This one is REALLY good:

http://youtu.be/AFZ1N8A6YZY

I didn't use the dairy-free cheese. Only takes a few minutes to make, it it tastes a whole lot like the stuff out of the can, and is cheaper to make (some recipes use other nuts, or tofu, instead of the cashews). I don't blend it until it's hot: just until the ingredients are blended, then I cook it a bit on the stove, or add it to other ingredients for a casserole.

I buy Pamella's flour on Amazon.com it comes in 5 lb bags on auto ship. You can make almost anything with it.  Also, there is a really good cookbook available thru Harriet carter (I don't remember the name, but I bought it for a friend for 10$}
 	Several like ordering from Amazon:
Order online. If bulk bins make you squeamish, order your gluten-free flours and grocery items online. Amazon gives a discount for repeat orders (and no tax), and you can also find great deals on gluten-free foods via Bob's Red Mill (http://www.bobsredmill.com/).   Know the standard rates of gluten-free groceries and comparison shop for the best deals.


I guess a question is whether the family currently eats lots of breads, pastas and processed foods and whether they can make a shift away from grains other than rice and corn in general. It's the gluten replacement foods that get expensive, not the naturally occurring gf foods. It might help the girl feel better if she can see that she can eat lots of foods that are perfectly regular.

The cheapest way is to eat naturally GF food and avoid the GF specialty items, including things like bread. The next cheapest is to  
make as much of your own stuff as possible. Other than that, it isn't  
cheap.

Lentils are gluten free..soup can be made very cheaply as long as you use fresh vegetables and herbs....and don't use barley or corn.  I am the only one in my family of 5 and we all eat gluten free often.  Fresh/frozen unprocessed meats are normally gluten free.  We eat a lot of venison and have steak a vegetable and a fruit for supper.  I make gluten free Chili. I buy all of my spices freshly ground from an organic market and mix them up from recipes I find on the internet.  I don't eat bread.  Its too expensive gluten free and doesn't taste even close to the wheat kind.  Tuna is gluten free and fairly cheap.  I eat tuna over spinach lettuce drizzled with fresh parsley, olive oil, and salt.  My daughter will eat it with me.  Its trial and error.  My kids still love their chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, and corn dogs. If you buy bobs red mills gluten free flour mix you can coat anything with it...make homemade chicken nuggets & corn dogs.

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