I just received a call from Cambrooke rep Stephanie in Montreal asking If I wanted to try the new Glytactin RTD formula. I am so excited! It is pretty much a liquid bettermilk, pre made. They come in chocolate and regular. 10 and 15 mg packages.  I cannot wait to give it a try. I will of course blog my review after I have been able to try it.

For those of you wondering what it is, here is what the cambrooke therapeutics website has to say :

Glytactin RTD (ready-to-drink)

Glytactin RTD is the first and only whole protein PKU formula in a ready-to-drink format for the dietary management of PKU.

Glytactin RTD comes in two great tasting flavors. All Glytactin RTD medical food formulas contain Glytactin, the proprietary, advanced formulation of glycomacropeptide and essential amino acids.

• Two great flavors (Original and Chocolate) – you will not believe it is formula!
• 2 protein equivalent (PE) RTD formulas: 10g and 15g.
• A more neutral pH and lower osmolality RTD formula compared to synthetic amino acid formulas.
• Convenient RTD option makes it easy to drink on the go.

 

They also have a email waiting list to try samples so be sure to check it out!

 

I use to eat Brown beans in maple syrup when I was a kid. They are high in protein I know. But I loved them. I have not eaten them in years now and I have been missing them and craving them.

I recently got a copy of the ” Homestyle cooking Recipes the hole family will enjoy”

from the makers of Phenylade, complex msd and GlutarAde and found this recipe. I must say by the way I love this little cook book. SO many good healthy choices to make with every day food. Very little specialised products needed. Alot of it I already had!

I had seen on line many people who had tried this mock bean recipe and wanted to try it for myself .

 

The recipe is as follows :

3 cups water

1 cup mushrooms

1/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup onions

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 teaspoon dried mustard

2/3 cup dry low protein pasta ( small round shape) I used Aproten Ditalini

1: Mix water , mushrooms, molasses, onions, brown sugar, ketchup salt and mustard in medium size pan.

2: Bring to boil, stir occasionally

3: add pasta and stir, simmer until cooked ( about 15 minutes) adding more water if necessary ( I did not need any additional water) To bring pasta to desired consistency

4: Simmer until sauce has thicken and pasta is completely cooked. ( I don’t think I did this long enough, my sauce did not get very thick) Serve warm

Makes 3 cups

Nutrition per serving: protein 1.4 grams, PHE 40.5 g calories 317

 

My over all thoughts are that the molasses flavour is very over powering and I did not enjoy the dish. However I think I could have achieved the taste I was looking for if I added some maple syrup to tone down the molasses.

I would be interested in trying this dish again. I still recommend if interested anyone should try this recipe. My experiences are just that and yours may very. I would love to hear what you think if you make this yourself and hope that you enjoy it!

 

 

 

 

 

Following up on my experience with making low protein Chow mein I decided to give it ago with rice. I used dietary specialities rice. With sautéed  vegetables.  Mostly , Ginger, garlic, broccoli, carrots, celery and soy sauce. Simmer and then added the rice and low protein soy sauce. It was not bad. I am still trying to get use to all the different flavours I have been using. I have been working outside my comfort zone trying to push myself to try new things. Even though my body is craving my old favourites. It is a challenge but I am making it fun.

 

Next time I attempt this one I may try honey garlic sauce instead.

 

The same day I made the Blue berry muffins I also made another attempt at the banana muffins using mix quick. I have trouble with this recipe as It takes alot longer to bake then the time listed on the recipe.  Mine always end up being gooey in the middle and dont raise.

Low and be hold though, the rose and are a regular muffin size. unfortunately some of mine where still gooey in the middle. Disappointing because I baked them longer then required time and they where starting to burn on the outside.

 

 

Here is the recipe from cambrooke :

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups (200g) CBF MixQuick
• 2 cups (200g) mashed bananas (2 small ripe bananas)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix all the ingredients together with a wire whisk.
• Pour batter into greased muffin tins. Bake until the sides separate from the pan and the muffin tops begin to brown (about 9-10 minutes).
• THANK YOU! Vicki and Richard Racette for the recipe submission.

Serving size:  48 g   ( 1 muffin )
Servings per recipe:  12

	Per Recipe	Per Serving
PHE:	108 mg	9 mg
LEU:	156 mg	13 mg
Pro:	2.4 g	0.2 g
P.E.:	0 g	0 g
Calories:	960	80

 

 

 

 

 

Finally got some baking done. Here are the Blue berry muffins I made from a recipe from Cambrooke foods using their Mix Quick baking mix.

This is the best success I have had making these muffins. I think the difference is that the few times I have made these I tried to make the full pan and spread the dough out into the tin holders. This time I only did how many it says on the recipe. They raised perfectly. Are not to small and are nice and fluffy inside. I am very pleased with how they turned out. I also let it bake a little bit longer than it says on the recipe.

 

 

Here is the recipe from Cambrooke foods I followed.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups (270g) packed CBF MixQuick
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup non-dairy liquid creamer
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup (100g) blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl mix all ingredients except blueberries until well blended.
• Fold blueberries into batter.
• Divide batter evenly among 6 greased muffin tins or line with paper baking cups.
• Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Serving size:  118 g   ( 1 muffin )
Servings per recipe:  6

	Per Recipe	Per Serving
PHE:	48 mg	8 mg
LEU:	60 mg	10 mg
Pro:	1.4 g	0.2 g
P.E.:	0 g	0 g
Calories:	1860	310

 

So tonight brings attempt number 2. Going for that more “Chinese food flavour”

Tonight I sautéed Bean sprouts, Celery, Carrots, Onions ,Garlic and Ginger.

Added this low protein soy sauce my friend Claudia found for me in Vancouver.I cannot remember what store she said she got it from but it i has 0 grams of protein. It is made differently then real soy sauce. Real soy sauce crushes and uses soy beans, this soy sauce is from soy beans boiled in water. So it has the taste with out the protein.

I boiled my Aproten Spaghetti noodles again and then added them to the wok.

I have not eaten it yet. It is simmering in the wok while I wait for Cole to get home from his bike ride. I am optimistic that its going to taste really good!

Will post my thoughts after dinner!

 

I have been craving Chinese food the last couple days so I thought id give it a try but using my low protein spaghetti noodles. I called my mother in law Tracy and asked her what she usually does for her chow mein that she makes for Cole .

To make it PKU friendly here is what we did :

Stir fry vegetables : mushrooms, onions, garlic, ginger, celery and carrots.

Epicure Chicken broth ( can use oxo powder chicken broth or for even lower phe use the low protein George Washington broth)

Aprotein Spaghetti noodles

Corn starch

Soy sauce

So I started by stir frying the veggies in canola oil. Then I added the broth , soy sauce and corn starch to thicken. Cooked it all together for a few minutes and let it simmer while I boiled my noodles.

After the noodles where cooked I added to them to the pan and cooked it up a little more to make the sauce more sticky then liquid.

 

while it was good, It was not quit what I was looking for , didnt have that taste I was looking for when I use to cheat and eat real chow mein. Which i strongly do no recommend as I made myself very sick.

I am sorry I do not have the PHE as I did not weigh or measure or calculate. I eye balled the ingredients but i am sharing this post any-ways in hopes that it gives you an idea to be creative or to try your own!

 

My Common law Husband Cole celebrated his 30th birthday this weekend. For his birthday we decided to go camping at his family cabin on crystal lake. Located close to the intre-lakes of the Caribou region in BC. Approx 2 hours from our home in kamloops. We had such a lovely time and wish it could have been a longer trip.

We went with Cole’s brother Chris, his wife Rae-Anne and Cole and I. Everyone worked friday but I was home so I was doing the packing and cleaning. When Cole got home he let it be known he thought I packed way to much. We all know travelling with PKU can be challenging but I think I had it handled pretty well! I had packed 2 sets of clothing for both of us, first aid kit, shower travel kit, small sewing kit, flashlights, blankets, pillows, and food!

I always go over board on food , never knowing what you will feel like in the moment and of course id rather have to much than to little. I had cut up all our produce in the fridge and portioned it off into Tupperware in our cooler. I packed carrot sticks, celery, cucumber slices, mushrooms, pepper, potatoes , watermelon, dried fruit, apple sauce,corn on the cob, low protein cookies, Cambrooke Camburgers and buns, Cambrooke meatballs, Marshmellows, juice, lots of water! A box of my bettermilk, . For cole I added his mixed nuts, sausages, yoghurt and protein bars. I also brought paper plates, plastic cultery, plastic cups, and then my country sunrise egg mix and burger mixes. So that needed oil, and my low protein cheese. It sounds like alot but in the end, we ended up using everything!!

We arrived at the cabin very late on Friday night so just had time to unpack and set up our beds inside the cabin. We got to bed around 1130pm , we were all to tired to stay up for the metor shower that was expected around midnight.

Saturday morning of Coles birthday we got up and Rae-Anne made pancakes and bacon while I made a low protein omelet. It was my first experience cooking on a wood burning stove. I was not sure what to expect with my low protein foods since they cook so differently and usually are messy and sticky. But I am surprise to report, once you cook on a wood stove, nothing else compares! I am a new fan! Best food ever. Just adds something special. I was so please with how my eggs turned out. Normally at home they are fairly runny and stick to everything! They where so light and fluffy, thick and filling on the wood stove! They formed together so well, did not fall part and looked like a real puffy omelet. I had real maple syrup on them!

We did presents after we where done cooking but before eating. Then after dishes and everything was put away we loaded up some snacks and lunch munchies and headed out on an adventure. This was a good time for the dried fruit, my cambrooke restore , chips and low protein cookies!

We explored wells grey park and the intre lakes. We drove past many pastures, lakes, rivers, and country landscapes. I had a great time with my camera! When we got to the trail for mahood and canim falls we got out our bikes and biked 2 k there and back to mahood falls and canim falls. WOW! I am so impressed by the majestic views and the power of those falls. I have shared a photo of canim falls above for your viewing pleasure. We hiked around the trails and took lots of photos. Once back at the truck we loaded up the bikes and drove down to mahood lake. We saw a sign for deception falls and decided to track them down. After some off roading and 4 by 4ing we found the trail and hiked the 20 mins in to the falls. I am happy to say they really do stand up to their name. You cannot hear them from the road or the trail so when the valley opens up and you catch the first glimpse of the falls they really are jaw dropping! the power and the height of deception falls are remarkable.

After a day of exploring we made our way back to the cabin and met up with Cole’s Granny and Grandpa. We made a full course dinner right on the fire! luckily I had gotten cole a grill in his birthday presents so we used it right on the fire. Rae-Anne and I prepped the food and Chris manned the fire.  I wrapped up the corn on the cob in margarine and epicure spices. wrapped in tin foil and thrown right in the fire.  I also cut up all the veggies I bought. Sliced them into chuncks seasons with Little Italy epicure spice, wrapped in tinfoil and onto the fire. Rae-Anne pealed the potatoes and cut them up too. We seasoned them with little paris epicure spice and onto the fire with those too!

Everyone else also had the farmer market sausages I brought , and the baked beans and bannock Cole’s Grandpa willie had. Amazingly all the food was fabulous. Cooked to perfection, not charred and nicely smoked. All that was missing was the cake. Which of course I forgot!

This was my favourite camping trip as far as the food. It was the easiest for me, and I felt really included. All my meals where great and I didn’t feel left out or stressed out about being able to eat with everyone else!

Sunday morning , I made my omelet again and fried up some cambrooke meat balls on the wood stove. The boys went fishing . Rae-Anne went kayacking and I explored with my camera. Relaxed by the lake and enjoyed the sounds of nature . Rae-Anne made it back to camp before the boys so we set out a lunch of watermelon, fruit and veggies with epicure dips. When the boys got back we set up the grill over the fire again. They made hot dogs and Cole grilled me a camburger right on the fire. With some dayia cheese. Man was it ever the best cambruger I have ever had! I normally really don’t like the camburgers. But cooked on the grill is a whole other experience. I used dayia cheese , onions and sweet chilli sauce on the burger. On my bun I had a little miracle whip! The burger looked so normal! and tasted wondeful. I was yet again surprised. With my restore lemon lime, watermelon and low protein cookies I was very statisfied.

We cleaned up and headed home just after 2 pm. I left feeling content and very happy with our first camping trip of the year a big success and Cole having had a wonderful birthday!

One thing I get asked alot this time of year is what it is like camping with PKU and what foods I bring and how do I cook. Well now you know from my experience this weekend , that not only is it doable but it is totally enjoyable! I cannot wait to go again. I have never taken this much low protein food with me camping or had these many options! Normally I end up taking a box of dried fruit loops, fruit and veggies, and of course my milk!

having all these new options made this trip my favourite! I look forward now with excitement to our next camping trip and hopefully it will be a lot longer than just a weekend. I know my list of what I brought with us sounds like a lot but it was really manageable and like I said its best to be prepare for anything and have to much than to little!

Bring on the summer fun! Camping and BBQing. I am ready!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well yesterday ended up being a truly beautiful day and we got so much done. After working in the garden some more we decided to have a BBQ. By 4 pm it was 21 degrees blue skies and so sunny. It was great weather to fire up the BBQ.

Normally when we have BBQ I end up making myself vegetable kabobs, corn on the cob, and baked potatoe . Also I do a vegetable grill basket. Yesterday I decide to do something different.

So I got to work in the kitchen and I made some low protein wheatstarch buns from the recipe on-line with cambrooke foods.  For the buns I used the country sunrise mushroom burger mix. Tripled the recipe and formed them into 2 patties. We grilled it on the BBQ along with everyone else and I put Dayia Cheese on it to melt. I added miracle whip, purple onions, lettuce and tomatoes to my bun and had a burger with everyone else . I had everything done to early though and my burgers ended up sitting out for 2 hours before I got to eat them and they rose and became to hard and crumbly. If I had of put them on the grill right after I made them while they where still moist I think they would have tasted much better.

While I was preparing the buns I also made a low protein potatoe salad. I peeled and boiled russet potatoes ,drained and mashed. In a separate bowl, I finely grated, carrots, celery, pepper, onions . Then I added sweet relish, miracle whip, mustard, sugar, and fresh parsley. I mixed this together in a small bowl and added it to the potatoes. I chilled the salad for 2 hours.

I also made a regular garden salad, and fresh guacamole .

I think the BBQ was a lot of fun. We had great company and a few drinks. I was sipping a peach cider and enjoying the low protein meal I put together. I had not tried to BBQ this way before and I learnt a few things and know what I will change next time. I am happy because now I have more options too. Though I did miss having some good old corn on the cob!

I look forward to the next BBQ , and hopefully it will be a little earlier in the evening, warmer and have more fruit. Nothing tastes like grilled Pineapple on the BBQ. or even strawberries on the vegetable kabob’s. A few of my other favourites is grilled carrot sticks and asparagus sticks!

Before I used the country sunrise burger mix I would use a portabella mushroom as a burger pattie and I would season it with lemon juice and mashed up avacado. I think I will try one of each next time on my wheatstarch buns and let you know what one I like best :)

I just love summer and BBQ season! Dont let your PKU hold you back from enjoying summer get togethers and picnics! There are always options :)

Happy Grilling!