With the holiday season quickly approaching us, there has been much talk about how to keep family meals PKU friendly. Thankfully with all these new low protein foods and aces to treatments , the PKU diet is becoming more varied and its now more than ever possible to make low protein holiday dishes.  My family and Cole’s family have always made me feel included at family meals, and unlike some I love getting together at the holidays and look forward to all the amazing food! Below I will post what I usually eat at each holiday along with some low protein ideas . I will work on a recipe section to follow. 

Thanksgiving and Christmas  : Mashed potatoes, candied carrots , yam, sweet potatoes, squash, turnips, all vegetables,  egg less dairy free coleslaw ( mother in law makes mine separate and uses miracle whip. ) Corn, peas, Brussels sprouts, salad. I make my own low protein bread, or pumpkin pies, This is also a good time for the low protein carrot cake or zuchinni bread you can find on the cambrooke foods website.  cranberry sauce, or apple sauce .  I love making my pie with the cambrooke mix quick or wheatstarch crusts. Also I love sugar cookies and shortbread! I have my own sugar cookie recipe I will post at at a later date. I also have a butterscotch cookie one I love! 

Halloween/ Easter or Valentines Day: most hard candies are low in PHE or PHE free! My parents always sorted through my candy when I was younger, as I got older I learnt what candies I could have and which to avoid. My favourites where : Rockets, Popyee candy sticks, lolly pops, gum drops, jujube, jolly ranchers, cinnamon hearts, Jelly beans,  Gummy bears, star-burst, fuzzy peaches, and most clear or fruit flavoured hard candies.  NO CHOCOLATE!  though now we do have low protein chocolate! Vitaflo makes chocolate Easter bunnies, and Christmas avant calendars. 

BBQ summer ideas : Though summer ends this weekend I wanted to include BBQ season under holidays, as most kids are on summer holidays. it is also a time for travel, friends, family, road trips, and of course out door cooking, camping and summer sports. even fairs!! At our summer fairs, circus or PNE/ playland I usually get corn on the cob, candied apples, cotton candy, ice cones, sherbert icecream, pop corn and other low phe options available. However I could go on an on about BBQ. I did do a previous post in the summer with more detail so be sure to check that out too. . i will quickly list my favorite BBQ meals. 

Corn on the cob, grilled pineapple, grilled apples, vegetables in tin foil with spices and honey, grilled carrot fries, asparagus with garlic and lemon. Baked potatoe or sweet potatoe,portabella mushrooms with avacado. For low protein we now have the country sunrise spicy or mushroom buger mix, as well as the chicken nugget mix and the hot dog mix. They are so easy to make and all it requires is oil and water! Or you can go with many many pre made options by cambrooke such as the brooklyn dogs, camburgers, buns and more!

I know I am leaving alot out, but I wanted to be short and to the point to generate ideas and to give you all ideas on what you can do with each. I do not let my PKU take way my love of cooking, baking and trying new foods! i am always looking at what other people eat and thinking, how can I make that suitable for me? my favourite holiday foods are always Christmas! i love mashed potatoes with either carrots or turnip mashed right in! I love butter nut squash, yams and spaghetti squash with brown sugar and cinnamon. There are so many options and different ways to cook each! 

yum! All this food has me getting hungry! must be lunch time! 

I cant wait for christmas baking, cooking and canning! I love cole’s grannys  apple butter! I look forward to christmas goodies and all the canned goodies or garden goodies from Coles family!