I get asked alot about my “pizza pops” Its a recipe I have been using and making for about 8 years. Its also my go to low protein food. Every time I have a baking day I always always make 1 or 2 batches. I could say its my favorite low protein food that I make my own. I rely heavily on them. They are quick and easy to. I have shared the recipe before but I will share it again.  It is not one of my own but one that I adapted. The recipe I follow is from the cambrooke foods recipe section. The wheatstarch dough. It is such a universal recipe and can be used for many many items. such as the pizza pops, pizza, apple strudel, buns and more.

For the pizza pops I break the dough off in to handfuls of dough and form into balls. I then flatted the balls, and I spread 1 tablespoon or Ragu over the circle of dough. Then I add 1 or 2 tablespoons of Dayia cheese ( my favorite is the pepper jack its sort of spicy) depending on your tolerance you can add more or less or omit for low protein cheese. Then I add mushrooms, peppers, onions and garlic. just a little of each. I fold the dough over and press down the edges. Forming the pocket. If you add to much filling when you fold them over, it will fall out or seep out when baking.  I then place them on a cookie sheet or pan and bake for 20 mins, I coat with melted becel margarine for slight color otherwise they are very white. cooking time will vary depending on how big the pops are. I try to make 6 big ones a batch but I can make the smaller . So when cooking them I test the dough with a tooth pick.

My old friend Amanda J  ( the other pku Amanda) discovered if you put garlic plus seasoning in the dough before baking  , they hold flavor and color more and it tastes great!

To serve I like to heat mine in the microwave on high for one minute. They tend to be a bit harder once you freeze them to soften them up I put a teeny bit of margarine on them when I heat them up and they soften right up. I like to eat them plain just like that, or dip them in something. I have dipped them in mashed up avocado, or ranch dressing or even in my soup. They are great alone and very filling. Or as part of a meal.

Here is the cambrooke wheatstarch dough recipe below, and some photos of the batches I made today.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 loosely filled cups (350g) CBF Wheat Starch
• 1/3 cup (60g) Metamucil®
• 1 1/2 tsp (6g) yeast
• 1/2 tsp (5g) salt
• 3 tsp (15g) baking powder
• 2 Tbs (30g) sugar
• 1 1/4 cups (275g) warm water
• 2 Tbs (16g) vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup (115g) non-dairy liquid creamer, warmed

Oh also I don’t follow the directions on the original recipe.  so what I do do is add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl. Then in a liquid measure I add the liquid and the oil. I heat in the microwave on high for one minute, stir and add to the dry ingredients. Then I stir it quickly, with a tablespoon. I find a table spoon works best because you can scrap off any build up. Its harder to do with a wooden spoon.  The dough does stiffen. Once all the ingredients are combined and there is no more powder in the mixing bowl I take it out  onto the counter and kneed. After kneading I place back in the bowl and break off handfuls as I prepare each pizza pop.

Other alternations I do is,  For the  non dairy creamer I use almond milk or so delicious original coconut milk. I also use 2 tsp yeast instead of 1.5 tsp. For oil I use canola oil or olive oil.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. I would love any feedback from anyone who tries it and hear what you think!

as many of you may know I use mio to flavour my bettermilk formula. as well as some of the flavours of the nestle disani and crystal lights that do not contain aspertame. all of these squeezes or liquid water enhancers are made with surculose. they have no aspartame no protein no calories.  surculose can not be broken down in the body and is excreted through urine. well now there is a new product and nee flavours available that are pku safe. they are made by powerade. I found them today at my local grocery store.  I purchased the mixed berry and orange. they are cammed x ion powerade zero drops. + electrolytes.  per drop they have 0 calories 0 protein and only contain sodium and potassium. they where around 4 dollars canadian each. I am currently on my dinner break at work. I am drinking my bettermilk with the mixed berry. tastes just like cotton candy. I enjoy them and the variety they bring to my formula. look for them in a store near you. they work great with the mte amini acid mix and add ins as well.

I have my kitchen set up to best manage my PKU. The kitchen is the heart and soul of the management of PKU.
When you walk into my kitchen you know who out of cole and I spend the most time in it.

I have 2 pantry’s one for cole, and one for me. Mine is packed with all my baking goods and low protein foods.

Over my the microwave I have a stack of PKU Cook books, my recpie binder, my pku food list binder . I have bowls of fruit and a bowl of shallots, onions and potaotes. under the microwave is a stand alone counter full of all my baking sheets, measuring cups and spoons. Above the microwave is 3 rows of shelves that hold my formula, my sports bottles and my straws. Along the microwave itself is all my MIO’s and flavours for my bettermilk.
My stove is covered with seasoning, next to my stove is all my cooking utensils. You follow along the shevles and you will find crock pots, pressure cookers, canning pots, blenders, toasters and various appliances. including my yonanna soft ice maker. I also have 2 bread machines and a fruit dehydrator.

My scale sits under the medicine cabinet. It use to be a china cabinet it has glass doors and all my medications and vitamins are there. With my scale and more appliances.
My kitchen flows in a way that when I am cooking or baking everything is right there ready for me. I like having my things seperated. I get ask alot why I do not intergrate my low protein products into the rest of the kitchen and in with coles food. we use to do that but this works so much better for me and feels much more organized. I spend alot of time in the kitchen, specially in the fall .
My favorite thing to do oddly enough is to open the windows, turn on the music and bake or cook away for hours. I find it so relaxing. Sometimes though when I loose motivation its harder to get into the kitchen and really focus , but once I do im on a roll , baking enough to last weeks . I even have my own small deep freeze downstairs for my baking and cambrooke foods products.
Learning my way around my kitchen and being comfertble there has really helped me to manage my pku and maintain my levels. It is such a necessity.
I dont always follow recipes, I dont always use a cook book. Sometimes I try new things, I imporvise or I search what I am looking for on various websites. My favourite is cooks.com, Then I modify it to make it lower in protein and something I can have. I have found many of my favourite meals and dishes this way. I may not weigh or measure, I eye ball a lot but I know what I can and canot have and am trying to keep an eye on my portion sizes. I do not recommend managing your pku this way. It is best to weigh measure and record. So you can look back when you get your levels and see what you did or what you can change. As you get older is harder to keep up with that, so I recommend not falling off track and understanding how important it is to stay consistent. If you can master this, you will be a master of your PKU and it will be a valuable life lesson to carry with you!

Now off to my PKU kitchen to do some much needed baking! Happy fall everyone!

so my last soup did not turn out at all. That is ok though , it was after all my first attempt!

Tonight I wanted to try again after looking around online and talking with a friend from work. So this morning cole and I went grocery shopping and I came home to try another pot.

I baked a sweet potatoe, pumpkin and butternut squash in the oven for an hour,

mashed them all up, added 4 cups so delicious coconut milk, 2 cups organic chicken broth, sage from my garden,

1 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, and some fresh rosemary and basil.

i m slow cooking it in a pressure cooker with out the lid. I also caramelize some onions and garlic and added them in.

I have been taste testing it this time and also have gotten Cole to taste it and his friend Brad. Both have said its not bad and they would eat it.

I just tried a few tea spoons. Its pretty good to me. I will freeze it in portion sizes for work this week. I also need to make 2 more loafs of bread and a batch of pizza pops. That’s my plan for tomorrow as well as canning my pears!

Fall has defiently re motivated me to get back in the kitchen. I find it so relaxing to open up the windows, turn up the tunes and turn on the oven!

We have company over tonight to so while I was making the soup I also made us all dinner. Cole did some BBQ 16 oz t-bone steaks from his moms cow, and I made mashed garlic potatoes, roasted asparagus with lemon, garlic and onions, and broiled mushroom caps filled with honey, garlic, onions and my dayia cheese. Dinner was fabulous . Now to enjoy and relax with our company. Just wanted to share my adventures in the kitchen today.

All the best,

Amanda

Well finally found some motivation to get back in the kitchen this week., Must be the cool crisp fall air that is inspiring me to bake and have new warm meals for work. I am starting the night line again at work so wanted to make sure I had plenty on hand to eat.  So I did some more harvesting from my garden , picked some fresh pears and wow they where so sweet! I made 2 loafs of low protein bread and today tried my first low protein peanut butter and banana toast. I was not a fan of the PB,but a friend told me to try mixing it with honey. I will try that next time. I’m thinking I will try a PB & J sandwich. My sister in law is a bee keeper and had her first batch of honey , she gave us a jar and it is amazing so had to make some fresh bread to enjoy it with. There is nothing I love as much as baking bread, the smell it makes in the house and some fresh toast!! Yummyy!! 

Tonight I decided to try my hand and making some home made soup to take to work.  I found a pumpkin curry soup recipe on-line and modified it to make it more low protein. 

I use 2 cups of so delicious coconut milk

1 tbsp cinnamon, 

2 tbsp curry

1 tsp coriander

3 bay leaves

2 tsp black pepper

1 small pumpkin baked and mashed up

1/2 cup diced tomatoes 

1 hole medium white onion

simmered for an hour. 

Am taking it tonight in my Thermos so haven’t tried it yet but it smells fantastic!!  Tomorrow on my day off I am going to try to make butternut squash soup and maybe tomato vegetable. I also have to can my peaches! 

SO busy day but great to be in the kitchen again! What are some of your favourite fall low protein dishes to make? 

Well last weekend at the seminar I had my first ever sandwich, and I brought home a loaf of cambrooke homestyle bread. Its the first #Lowprotein bread I have ever had that I can stand non toasted. Most of the #Lowprotein bread is crumbly, tough, hard and can only be eaten toasted. So I am so excited to finally have a bread I can eat as sandwiches . You have no idea how exciting this is for me and how convenient its been this rotation of my night shifts.  I  have been experimenting with different ways to fill it and what toppings to use. The first night I had a lettuce, onion, cucumber and tomatoes sandwich with miracle whip. The second night I ran out of lettuce so I brought 2 slices of bread to work with me and a tupper wear with some toppings. I toasted the bread and used miracle whip, a cambrooke swiss cheese single, cucumber, onions , salt and pepper!! so good!!

Last night I had lettuce, pepper, onions, swiss cheese single, and alfalfa sprouts and brought the same tonight.

You see this is a pretty big deal to me! I still remember box lunches as a kid. I had “cracker sandwiches” with jam and butter, applesauce, fruit snacks and my “pink” phenyl free formula in a thermos of Troll or Disney , maybe little mermaid and lion king.  My formula was pink because my mom flavoured it with nestle strawberry quick.  I was not aloud outside to play until all my lunch was eaten, and sometimes If I didn’t like it I would miss a hole lunch hour and play time. I was teased because of my lunches and not sharing . Then this one time in grade 1  , while all the other kids where playing outside, I hit my thermos over with out the lid on and my pink milk spillt all over the “pod” of desks I was sitting at. I remember how thick and filmy it was. as well  how bad it stunk. The duty monitors helped me clean it up with paper towels and they had to call the teacher. I was horrified . When all the kids came back in from lunch hour,  the room stunk so bad and everyone was asking what that smell was. The teacher had to tell them my “special milk spilt” and they had to clean out there desks cause some of my milk spilt on there rulers and erasers. They had to throw them out.  Needless to say I cried. The rest of my early elementary school memories are foggy. After my parents divorce, I  changed schools in grade 3.  To this day if I run into people that I went to school with in grade 1 they ask me if I still drink that “stinky pink milk” and they called me the pink milk girl. Some of them even ask me why I had to drink that milk anyways.

So needless to say, taking lunches to school was traumatizing and inconvenient. I stopped taking lunches all together in highschool and was cheating so would eat  vegetable sushi or rice and even chow main from the mall.    later  on with the high level symptoms and my hole stint with not eating,  I skip breakfast and lunch all together. Only  eating when I got home from school. I also was pouring my milk down the drain by then too.

It was not until I grew up and started working and later in  college , that I began to take lunches again. I also started eating breakfast again after I  was admitted to hospital and didnt have a choice.  Taking lunches as an adult was even hard to because I have to set a day aside for baking and cooking for the week, if I do not than I dont have good choices to take to work and end up taking higher foods. Soup was easy to take but higher in phe, least the ones I like are.

So, having these sandwiches on night shift has been so cool! I love them and they taste great. I am out of bread though so tonight will be my last one until I have some extra money for a #Lowprotein food order.  There are alot of pre made foods I am wanting to order this time around from cambrooke , to make my life easier and not have to worry if I don’t get my baking day.

I really love how far low protein food has come thanks to companies like cambrooke foods. They really make the diet easier , well when you can afford them that is. I still dream for the day when I have unrestricted access to all the foods. To feel normal just being able to pull something out of the freezer or fridge and not have to prep and bake everything from scratch. TO have more variety of foods.  Its weird to think , but I dream of a day where I can have a deep freeze full of #Lowprotein food , and not have to rely on lower phe regular foods , and fruits and veggies to fill me up. I want to be able to go to the freezer pull out a loaf of bread, cambrooke camburgers patties, corny dogs, low protein chicken nuggets, pitas, muffins, bagels and more . To have them taste like real food and to enjoy food!

These sandwiches are just the beginning!

I have heard many people with PKU Stress about the summer weather and BBQ season approaching us.  Stressing about what to eat on the BBQ however for me I do not worry. I love the opportunity to grill out doors in the summer months and on the fire when camping.

there are so many great ways to make low protein BBQ dishes.  Above are photos from our Dinner tonight.  My Low protein dinner tonight is shishkobobs made with mushrooms, peppers, strawberries, apples and tomatoes.  Sprinkled with olive oil and roasted pepper seasoning, then coated with alfalfa honey while on the grill.  Secondly I grilled a portabella mushroom with Dayiah cheese and pineapple grilled with cinnamon and brown sugar.  And I finished of the dish with 1 Cup low protein cambrooke sticky rice , thai sweet chili sauce and applesauce!

Normally I do sweet potatoes on the grill with a veggie basket.  When I make a grill basket I chop up veggies into wedges into a glass bowl and sprinkle them with oil and seasonings, then wrap them in tin foil and put them directly on the grill.

Another thing I like to do is cut up carrots , potatoes and asparagus into “fries” with oil and lemon spice and lay them on the top shelf of the BBQ.

I have never felt left out at a BBQs cause not only do I have these dishes I can make, but BBQs usually always mean my favorite corn on the cob,  fruit platters, vegetable platters , juice and freezes or Sherbert.  I have also made my own potatoe salad its basically mashed potatoes with raw onions, peppers, celery and spices mixed with miracle whip.

Then of course thanks to Cambrooke foods there are more options for low pro BBQ food, such as the cambrooke camburgers and buns, corny dogs, and other pre made meals or chips and cookies.  As well the country sunrise chicken nuggets, hot dogs and burgers. I make my own buns though with the wheatstarch dough recipe. much better texture than the pre made buns, they always taste to tough to me.

To finish off a good BBQ there  is nothing like a nice tall glass of Lemonade and some ice!

Yes, I love BBQ weather and I am looking forward to trying some new meal ideas and more fruit on the grill this season!

So Bring on the sun and the heat and pull up a chair along my pool side :)