Have you wanted to try a grain free diet, but were overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start?
A grain free diet has been amazing for our family.
When my daughter was three and had significant delays, I read about how a grain free diet (GAPS) could help with learning and developmental disabilities like autism.
I was overwhelmed, but I knew we had to try it. She’s my baby, and I wanted to give her the best chance possible in life. Since she has been on a grain and sugar free diet we have seen amazing improvements in eye contact, balance, ability to learn, speech, and emotional regulation. When specialists seemed to be at a loss for what would help my child, I was able to quickly see progress by using dietary intervention, which also allowed her to better use other therapies such as occupational and speech therapy. I can safely say that of all the therapies we’ve tried, dietary intervention has been the most helpful. No, we haven’t ‘cured’ autism- but I continue to see such progress with her, that I am excited to continue keeping her on this grain free diet.
It hasn’t been easy, but the results encourage us every day to stay on this diet.
I have always wished that someone could just tell me what to cook every day. I wanted to find a way to make it easier for other families to try a grain free diet.
More and more people are seeing the benefits of being grain free and want to try a grain free diet but aren’t sure how to start. That’s why I started the Grain Free Meal Plan.
My daughter has been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for autism for more than 2 years now, and I’ve thought the whole time that it would be easier if someone could just tell me what to cook every day!
Grain Free Meal Plans
Grain Free Meal Plans, a menu service, includes:
- Menu plans for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, plus snacks and sweets
- Kid-tested recipes
- Complete shopping lists
Meals are based on the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet and Specific Carbohydrate Diet diets.
The recipes serve a family of four, but can easily be halved or doubled as needed.
I’m adding in more months as I have them completed- the yearly menus will be done by January 2013, but for now you can purchase and you will get the months currently done. {if you don’t get updates, they’re likely going into your spam folder- email me if you need help and I can re-send!}
Click any of the following to purchase Grain Free Meal Plans to simplify your grain free life:
Monthly meal plans: Different monthly meal plans by season to add variety to your diet. Purchase the months you’d like, or purchase the entire year. The Full Collection contains all 12 months, Holiday meal plans, and paperback copy of The Best of the Grain Free Meal Plans Cookbook (US only)
The meal plans are all in digital/downloadable format. As you can see in the picture below, they are easily printed at home
and many of my subscribers hole punch them for later reference.
(The color coding is just to make it easier to follow what goes to what- Web Design is not one of my strengths, please bear with me)
| Winter 1 | $16  |
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| Winter 2 | $16 |
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| Winter 3 | $16 |
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| Spring 1 | $16 |
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| Spring 2 | $16 |
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| Spring 3 | $16 |
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| Summer 1 | $16 |
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| Summer 2 | Still in Progress | |
| Summer 3 | $16 |
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| Fall 1 | $16 |
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| Fall 2 | $16 |
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| Fall 3 | $16 |
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| Yearly- US | All 12 months + Holidays + Paperback copy of Best of The Grain Free Meal Plans Cookbook | $160 |
| Yearly- Outside US | All 12 months + Holidays + Cookbook in e-book format | $160 |
| Best of the Grain Free Meal Plans Cookbook | Over 70 recipes with full color pictures; favorites from Grain Free Meal Plans. PDF Format.(More Information and paperback version click here). | $10 |
| What Can I Eat Now? 30 Days on the GAPS Introduction Diet | This is the best selling ‘Intro Guide’ to the more restrictive but intensely healing GAPS Introduction diet. Read more here. | $20 |
| Just Holidays | Holiday Menus to supplement Grain Free Meal Plans. More Information Here. | $12 |
| Freezer Cooking Guide | Grain Free Meal Plans Freezer Cooking Guide. See More Information Here. | $18 |
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The Grain Free Meal Plan has:
- Food that can be made by busy families
- Packable lunches for busy schedules
- Child and husband friendly meals
- Nutrient dense foods including liver and fish at least once a week as recommended by the Weston Price Foundation
- Simple alternatives to expensive gluten free mixes
- Directions to remind you to soak, sprout, and do other preparations ahead of time
- Fermented foods to encourage the growth of healthy bacteria
- Cooking tips and tricks- all recipes have been tested multiple times in my own kitchen
Find Out More
- What the Grain Free Meal Plan is and isn’t
- Sign up for the newsletter and receive a sample
- Terms of service, privacy policy, and refund policy
Try before you buy: Sign up for the Grain Free Meal Plan Newsletter and a 3-day sample meal plan will be emailed to you upon confirmation.
Testimonials:
“Thank you very much, Cara, for offering your menus. I will definitely pass them on.”
Margaret Beeson, ND and DAN! doctor
“I decided to do some blending of your meals as not to send my family into shock, so it is not a perfect grain-free kitchen; however, I felt really really good leaving the store with very little food in boxes/packages! :) “
Stacey in TX, mother of 3 and pediatric occupational therapist
Will I be able to adjust the meals to be dairy and egg free, or do you have menu plans for that as well? Thanks
Hi Susan, I only have this menu that uses both cultured dairy and eggs, and while there are quite a few dairy free recipes, this menu does use a lot of eggs, especially for breakfast. But if you’re just looking for ideas and don’t mind altering recipes, you may still find it useful :) Hope that helps!
How much almond flour does the menu use in a month?
My husband and I are praying about subscribing for the whole year and I was wondering if you plan on continuing it for more than a year? If there is any chance that you would not be able to fulfill your commitment (a years worth of menus), would you then offer our money back?
Blessings,
Emily
The menu uses about 8 items with almond flour in it a month, approx 10 cups.
I am planning on continuing for over a year, but in the event that I could not continue it for some reason of course I would refund! :)
Just a note, I’m having trouble with my software accepting payments right now- if you aren’t able to make your payment just let me know. I’ll be extending out the coupon codes for another couple days because of this too.
Do you have any ballpark figures on a grocery budget for a month on the plan?
Ballpark- 500-800/month for a family of four in the midwest using a mix of conventional and organic. It will end up costing a bit more at first as you buy coconut flour, coconut oil in bulk, almond flour, etc.
And there are more expensive things about once a week (salmon fillets, beef brisket, etc) that could be substituted with something less expensive like tuna or hamburger, but I won’t be able to provide recipes for such substitutions (not enough time to do all that!)
It will make a big difference whether you’re buying everything organic, and how much you pay for meat and eggs.
I hope this helps, I’m really hesitant to put a number on it because prices vary so much- for example, a friend of mine in another state pays 1.50/gallon for organic grassfed milk, I pay 7. At one store in town honey is $2/lb, at another it’s $6. I pay 1.50/doz eggs, but I’ve seen them as high as $6/doz.
I just bought everything in the 3-day menu sample, and it cost $70.00. Except the store didn’t have any chicken wings, so I didn’t get that. Major expense items were the coconut flour, the beef brisket, and the berries. I already had several of the pantry items on hand.
Thanks for sharing that Kristen, it’s helpful to see what others are finding expensive. Hopefully you had some leftovers from the 3-day menu too :)
Hi:
I’m wondering if I will benefit from using this program in Canada. Will I have difficulty finding items or will there be alternatives to these items that will prove as effective as your recommended items.
I want to purchase the one-year menu but will do so if I have assurance as to the availability of your menu.
Thanks,
Anna-Maria
Ont. Canada
Hi Anna, I hope so. I’m going to email you further. About the year, I am absolutely planning on going on longer than the year :)
As I also live in Ontario, I am interested in what you have discovered about availability in Canada for menu items. Can you fill me in?
Hi, on your three day sample, I don’t see any serving sizes. Are the recipes for four people?
That’s correct, the menu is written for a family of 4, but recipes can be halved or doubled as needed.
i am begining week three of GF, dairy and sugar free. Not alot of options out there. Will your menues be helpful for my needs? I’d like to try the 3 day trial.
Thanks,
Maureen
Yup, these will help too! :) You can download the sample menu to see what kinds of food there is.
I am considering purchasing this menu plan. I’d like to start with one month to see how it goes. I was wondering how long you plan to offer both plans at the discount price, so I can plan when to purchase.
Thanks,
Melody
Hi Melody,
I plan on running the discount price at least until June. I’ll give everyone notice before I raise the prices.
Just started the GAPs diet a few weeks ago. Seeing some results. I’ve had stomach problems since I was very young and I also have Fibromyalgia. I’m hoping this will help with that also. My 3 year old grandson has shown signs of mild autism. My daughter has also begun this diet for her family. We are seeing a difference in him and my daughter is hoping this will help stomach issues she has also. It is hard to plan the meals so I was glad to see this about the meal plan. Thanks. Was wondering about the cocoa for hot chocolate. I saw on the site on facebook about making it with coconut milk. Is it okay to use cocoa on the GAPS plan and can it be made with the raw milk?
Hi Sharon,
Cocoa- If cocoa is included on the meal plan it is optional. Dr. Natasha says that it is okay once digestive symptoms have cleared. Raw milk contains lactose, so it is not allowed on the diet- but 24-hour yogurt would be.
Cocoa link:
http://gaps.me/preview/?page_id=32
Hi Cara, I am already signed up for your newsletter and I know you have sent me the 3-day trial. But, I was searching for it today, and can’t find it in my computer anywhere! Could you please resend it to me?
Thank-you!
Could you possibly provide a sample week so I know what it looks like? I’m doing more a of a paleo diet while the rest of the family does gluten free. Would it work for all of us?
Hi Sandy, if you sign up for the meal plan newsletter to the right, you will receive a free 3-day sample. I’d really recommend looking at the sample to see what you think :) Thanks for your interest!
Hi Cara, if I sign up for the monthly subscription, will the cost go up at some point or will I get “locked in” at $16/month? Thanks!
Hi Nicole,
I’m going to try to have you locked in, but the software I use makes it difficult to do that and I haven’t figured it out yet, so I can’t promise. Sorry I couldn’t be more help! I’ll give warning before raising the prices, so if you wanted to buy a yearly subscription at the lower price then you would be able to.
I’d love to have a week or 3 week for free WITHOUT signing up for the newsletter. I won’t sign up for it without knowing what it’s like. Would love some more idea of what it is. Thanks!
I meant to say a week or 3 DAYS for free without signing up first. Thanks! Or, possibly buy just one month, not a whole year.
Hi T, by signing up for the free newsletter, you will receive a free 3-day sample of the menu plan. The menu plan is available for purchase either monthly or yearly. Hope that helps!
Newsletter signup link: http://eepurl.com/b7735
Hi Cara. We are allergic to dairy and are about to start GAPS, are these more like the actual GAPS diet? Also are there plenty of dairy-free recipes? Thanks.
Hi Lia, March’s menu is actually mostly dairy free, most dairy additions are optional:)
Hi. I signed up for the newsletter recently but I don’t know if I got the sample 3 day meal plan. I may have gotten it and just not paid attention as I was only mildly interested at the time and now am considering going grain free. Could you please resend it?
Thanks.
Theresa
I sent it :)
Hi, Cara! Are these plans compliant with GAPS intro or just full GAPS? I’m thinking about starting GAPS this summer when homeschool is on break & I have more time available, but I want to start with the intro. That being said, I’d like to wait till summer to purchase the meal plans. I understand the intro price will be available until June?
Just full GAPS :) Eventually I’d like to do a few e-books for meal plans on intro GAPS, but I don’t think that will be happening very soon.
This is brilliant and so helpful! We have also been on the GAPS diet, it is difficult as you say but absolutely worth it. We are amazed at the results. My partner no longer has asthma or allergies and I have stopped getting migraines that devolved into cyclical vomitting syndrome. (Plus many other benefits that are too many to list here!)
I have started a Grain-Free Tuesdays Recipe and Resource round-up, and I would love it if you would link this post up with us there! I am also looking for someone to co-host it with me, and was wondering if you would be interested? Thanks again as it is so helpful to have menus like this especially when starting out and your body is dealing with all the toxins and you can’t think straight!
This is great product. Was a little disappointed because we are starting the intro into gaps. Hope you come up with a meal plan for that soon!
My child is allergic to nuts, grain, dairy and potatoes. I’m thinking about getting the entire year but want to make sure there are recipes we can use. Thank you!
Hi Kimberly,
I think you may want to try one month first and see what you think. My menus are grain and potato free, most dairy is optional, but the nuts might present a little bit of an issue. Is it just tree nuts, or is coconut out too? I use a fair amount of tree nuts and quite a bit of coconut in the meal plan.
Hi Cara,
Your menu looks great! I am currently on Intro GAPS. Should I wait to sign up until I graduate to full GAPS or should I sign up now and tuck the menus away for later use? I can’t wait until I can eat all the scrumptious meals on your menu.
Hi Rebecca, I guess it would depend on how quickly you were working through Intro- you might find some of the recipes useful if you’re going through quickly, and you could put the menu in a binder for future use too :)
Hi Cara is coconut sugar allowed on GAPS?
Hi Kitsa, I’m not sure- I just stick with honey and fruit to sweeten on the meal plan.
Is it possible to use something else instead of almond meal in the recipes…coconut flour or flax meal? My DD (2 1/2) can’t have nuts or seeds and I want to try some of the items on the 3 day plan. She has major gut issues and we are eliminating lots of foods we have already been Gluten Free, nuts and cow dairy free for a long time but are now taking out grains and beans.
Hi Kim, I don’t know anything that almond flour can be substituted with- but I haven’t tried flax before. I know you couldn’t use coconut flour, it would be way too dense. You might be better off just skipping the almond flour recipes.
Hi Cara,
I read about your “Avoiding Grains” giveaway and I am leaving a comment in the hopes that I might win this book. I have a son that I adopted from Haiti 5 years ago. While he is thriving here, he does display characteristics of ADD. I have been studying natural health and believe this would be a wonderful addition to my library. I also would love to have it to recommend to others who are also trying to convert to a healthier diet.
Thanks!
Dawn
Hi Dawn, if you’re coming over from Frugal Granola, you’ll want to leave a comment on her site :)
I have been wanting to start GAPS for a while now. My four children have food sensitivities and I really believe the diet will help them. Also, my husband has ADHD and I have some chronic issues; after reading the book I’m even more determined. Most of my friends think I’m crazy, and so does my kids’ doctor. The meal plan sounds awesome!
We have a 15 year old who has been diagnosed with ADD and we have tried a huge variety of treatments. I truly believe that what it comes down to is her diet. We would love to try this diet because we know this has to be the root of the problem. Somehow we need to give her the tools to manage her ADD so that when she is out on her own, she will be able to help herself.
i suffer from ADD and chronic yeast, so i know i would benefit from the gaps diet/your meal plans. we’ve been cutting back on grains, and we feel better already! thanks for all of your hard work. :)
This looks really interesting. I’m getting ready to start the SCD with my daughter. Would it be possible for me to see a sample before I subscribe?
Nevermind. I just found the samples. THankS!
Cara,
I’m trying to find a GAPS meal plan for a month – do you have something like that? My hubby wants me to have a whole month of meals lined up before he’ll feel comfortable trying the GAPS diet. I’ve got several cups of homemade meat stock in my freezer ready to go and some homemade saurkraut in my fridge, but I’m not sure where to go from here. I have the book “GAPS Guide” but have not been able to get the original GAPS book by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride. Can you help? Thanks for your time and sharing your expertise.
Blessings,
Karen
Hi Karen, That’s what my meal plan is- 10 days before the month starts I post the meal plan for the entire following month. You may want to join my free newsletter and see a 3-day sample menu before purchasing :)
Also, you can purchase the GAPS book here
Just received your 3 day meal plan. Very interesting! Wondering if you knew of any replacement for whey/buttermilk/yogurt for acting as a culture? We have dairy allergies. Would natural apple cider vinegar work?
Thanks!
It does! Lemon juice too, or water kefir.
I’m not sure if this is where I sign up to win but I’d like to win because before having my son I did low carb and no sugar/white flour for years and it was great for my body and I’d love to back to that but can’t seem to be motivated to do it and hope this would help. plus I’d like my son and I to eat healthier, get the sugar out and I’m not sure how to do with that with a preschooler…his main meals seem to be pasta – mac n cheese!
I have the book nourishing traditions and I love it but it is such a change from “normal” that I find it hard to incorporate into my life but looking over your meal plan sample I think I really could do this! My husband has expressed an intrest in eating better and the rest of us need to as well. So I want to talk things over with him and see if he really is intrested. By the way I live in Billings =)
How cool! Shoot me an email if you’d like to meet sometime this summer! :)
Hi, I want to make the zuchini muffins you have on your webpage but my son is allergic to the world almonds included. Would brown rice flour work?
Hi Danielle, I haven’t used brown rice flour before but I’m pretty sure you could substitute 1/4-1/3 cup coconut flour for the almond.
I’m about ready to sign up for the monthly meal plans with a monthly subscription. I was on GAPS intro, but am mainly doing grain free right now and I am at a loss for ideas. :) Will your meal plans repeat throughout the year? Are the plans downloadable for repeat use?
Thank you for all the work you put into this to make it easy on the rest of us!
Hi Rebecca, Some of the meals repeat, but there are new meals every month too :) Yes, the plans are downloadable. So glad to help! I want others to experience the success that we have with GAPS :)
Hi Cara,
Do you have a set day every month when the new month’s meal plan becomes available? For example, if I would like to purchase your meal plan for July should I purchase it on July 1st or will you have it posted sooner?
Thanks,
Erin
Hi Erin, it’s posted the 20th (or sometimes a day late) for the following month :)
Hi Cara,
I tried to sign up for the grain free meal plan using my paypal site and the paypal site said that there was a problem and to contact you.
I want to try again w/ just my credit card.. but dont want to get charged twice.. I also used the coupon code summer25.
I used my husband’s paypal account under Matthew Payne.
Thanks for looking into this for me.
Kim Payne
Hi Kim, It looks like it worked the second try :) Sometimes there’s just a glitch in the checkout process, sorry about that!
Hi, I would love to see the sample of the meal plan again. It won’t let me because I already got it but i can’t find it (it was months ago). Could you email it to me again? Thanks!
I emailed it to you :)
Hi Cara. I signed up for your newsletter. I have actually been receiving it for a while now. But I think my husband deleted the free 3 day meal plan. Can you please send it again? Thanks so much!
I am wondering, if I go for monthly payments when does the money come out? Or, do I have to order every month?
The monthly payments come out automatically on the same day the account was set up, so if you signed up on the 5th you’ll be re-billed on the 5th :)
can i eat beans and potatoes on a grain free diet? thank you
You can, but it’s not GAPS. Many people are just grain free and find benefit from that too.
Hi Cara,
How seasonal are your meal plans? I’m in Australia, so I’m thinking that it might not make sense for me to be following the monthly meal plans if they’re using seasonal fruits/vegetables.
Would it be possible to be mailed the meal plans with a 6 month delay so that they would fit with the Southern Hemisphere seasons? ie. Start off with the March plan in September?
Thanks!
Hi Grace, I think I might start doing that, since I have over 6 months’ done right now. I had someone else asking about it today as well :) I’m going to make it so the plans from 6 months ago are available on the site where you download them, if you need any help just let me know :)
Oh great, thank you!
I’ve just looked at the March menu and it looks fantastic! I’m pretty sure I can get all the ingredients on the list in season now. Thanks for doing all the work to put this together. My family is semi-paleo (we eat a bit of dairy and a few legumes), and I’ve reached a point where I’m at a loss for what to cook, so this is great!
That is really interesting, You are an overly professional blogger. I have joined your rss feed and sit up for looking for extra of your wonderful post. Additionally, I’ve shared your site in my social networks
Our family of four is seriously looking into going grain free in an attempt to deal with some intolerances. I am interested in your meal plan but am curious as to how inexpensively it can be done. We have a very limited budget and $500 on food just isn’t an option for us right now. Are there anyways to significantly and consistently cut the expenses of this plan? We live in Alaska and are not able to grow or locally buy very much of our produce, even in the summer. Any thoughts?
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Hi Cara, we have tried some of the recipes on your 3 day sample plan. We LOVE the “taco meat” although I did some tweaks with adding onion and fresh garlic. And I’ve tried a few of the recipes that are posted online. I’ve been on full GAPS for about 8 weeks, my daughter has been on full GAPS for a little over 6 weeks. We are getting ready to start the Intro Diet over winter break, so that by the time my daughter starts back at school in January, she will be into Stage 4. She starts back at school on a Wednesday, so we’ll only have a few days of school to deal with on Stage 4, and then by the time she starts back the first full week, she should be into Stage 5. Anyhow, I had tried a lot of other people’s GAPS recipes over the last several weeks and find that your recipes are tasty and have a fairly simplified ingredient list, which makes them a lot quicker to make than some of the other recipes I had tried. Due to that, I took the risk in purchasing your 30 Day Intro cookbook guide and as I scrolled through it, I’m really quite pleased at the variety of recipes that I had not thought of making (such as the beef strips that are boiled). I’m considering purchasing some of the meal plans once we are through the Intro Diet! Thanks for all of your hard work at coming up with recipes that are not too time consuming (as far as GAPS recipes go), and that are tasty and also appeal to kids.
Question – do you sell the paperback cookbook separately, or can I only get it if I purchase the meal plans?
Thanks.
Hi Pam, you can get it separately, http://healthhomehappy.com/cookbook
Hi Cara,
I am looking forward to starting the GAPS diet. I just received the book by Campbell-McBride and will be reading it in the next few days. I also just signed up for the 3-day sample diet.
My challenge currently is to get enough protein in my diet. Are you looking at protein content of your meals? Do you list the protein per meal? I am not so concerned with those meals that have meat in them as their protein content is likely to be sufficient, but meals that have no meat in them might fall short.
Looking forward to hear from you!
Il mio commento è che soffro di atrofia muscolare progressiva di tipo Charcot-Marie-Tooth, e vorrei sapere se c’è stato qualcuno con la mia stessa malattia che ha avuto dei risultati posi.
Perchè se quanto si dice risulta è una cosa straordinaria. Contattatemi! nr03@libero.it
Hi
I’m interested in your meal plan but can’t see anywhere on your site a full list of grains/foods you exclude from the plan. I need to see this list first as I am aware that there are different interpretations of grain-free out there. For example I can eat the non grasses buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth (pseudo-cereals) but no true grains/grasses/cereals eg wheat, rice, corn/maize.
It would be helpful if you publish the excluded list on your “What the grain free meal plan is or isn’t” page or in “About being grain free”.
Many thanks
Good idea! For a quick summary from what you listed – it doesn’t include wheat, rice, corn, buckwheat, quinoa, or amarath. It also doesn’t include potatoes, but does include beans (navy beans).
I ordered the yearly program in November, but have not yet received my paperback copy of the best of grain free. Can you please let me know when to expect it?
I just received my copy of the book and it is incredible. My family has been enjoying the recipes in the meal plan…they are easy to make and my kids love them!
Hi I am Jolene
I am starting the gaps diet with my family 2013. I have a 5 year old soon to be 6 in feb,
and a 2 year old soon to be 3 in Jan. I am EBF my 8 month old, and needed to know if u have any tips. I have read that breast feeding women need to skip the intro and just do the full gaps diet. So I figure I will just put all of us on the full gaps diet. Will we still all heal? Where should we start? I just don’t want baby to yet rapid die off. But want to heal as well.
This post, “Grain Free Meal Plans | Health, Home, & Happiness” shows
that u fully understand everything that you r writing about!
I totally am in agreement. With thanks ,Jeannette
Do you believe the gut and autism can be healed on more of a SCD diet, but not 100% GAPs?
Also, do your meal plans include packable lunches for school-ages kids and menus for vacation? thx!