Tonight I was in the mood for a fiesta! So I decided on a low Phe PHE-esta with PH-ajitas! I loosely modified a recipe found on foodnetwork.com and made it PKU friendly. I was in and out of the kitchen in about 40 minutes – a little extra work, but my taste buds (and my boyfriend) were not disappointed!

Low Phe Fajitas:

Practically Free Cilantro Green Sauce:

1 cup cilantro, packed

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)

1 jalapeno (I didn’t have – so I used red hot pepper flakes and cayenne pepper)

1/4 cup lime juice (I didn’t have – so I used lemon instead)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

2 red bell peppers

1 medium red onion

3 CBF Tweekz

1 avocado

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

1/8 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

1/2 cup CBF Short Grain Rice

1 CBF Pita Pocket

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients to green sauce in blender and blend to a sauce consistency. (This made enough sauce for my things and marinade for a full chicken breast for my boyfriend). Reserve a quarter cup of sauce.

2. Cut up peppers and onions into half inch strips, toss in bowl along with Tweekz, pour remaining sauce over vegetables and Tweekz.

3. While marinating, mash up avocado and add 2 tablespoons of reserved sauce. Set aside.

4. Mix Miracle Whip, cumin, garlic powder and minced cilantro. Set aside.

5. Cook Rice as directed. Cover rice with last of sauce. Set aside.

6. Grill (I used a stovetop grill pan) veggies and Tweekz.

7. Cut Pita in half to make 2 circles, heat immediately prior to serving (toast, microwave or in the oven).

8. Put all components on plate and assemble as you go- all is missing is the sizzling pan!

The recipe might look ambitious, but so long as the ingredients are on hand, it is pretty simple! We happened to luck out with avocados, lime and cilantro left over from super bowl weekend guacamole making and just made rice earlier this week. Piecing together left overs to make all new creations is a time saver and a good way to not get sick of the same old thing night after night after night. In this recipe, the avocado ‘mock guac’ is relatively high and eliminating it is an easy way to bring down the protein or Phe (~100 mg with avocado, ~30 mg without avocado per serving). So, give it a try kick it up a notch and go for it! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed : )

Maybe because of its girlie pink color, or because of their sweet taste coupled with vinegar being the perfect pop to any salad, I cannot be sure. But I do know that my love affair with beets has recently been rekindled- and I couldn’t help but share my excitement.

Beets have this great earthy, sweet but not heavy flavor that goes great warm sauteed with onions, roasted with olive oil salt and pepper or chilled and pickled on a salad the way my Grandma used to make them. They are great for livening up a plate adding a bold splash of fuschia to an otherwise blah meal. And we all know that where there is color there are BIG nutrients hiding in there! And, ladies gents, do not fret- beets do not disappoint! They are high in folate – a vitamin helping keep our cells healthy and oxygenated also  super important to women of child bearing age since without it their baby is at risk of serious neural tube defects like spina bifida. They are also contain potassium and over 1.5 grams of fiber with less than 50 Calories per half cup. What’s even better for us? Only 1.42 g Protein (and ~40 mg Phe) per half cup! And – if your allowance allows it, cut up the greens that come with the root veggies and saute it like spinach or collard greens and add calcium, more fiber and other nutrients!

So, next time you want to jazz up a green or pasta salad try adding some beets to change things up, add a sweet and savory taste and incorporate some rich color onto the plate! When I studied abroad they had a burger with a slice of pineapple and a slice of beet on it- which I tried out for myself with a CamBurger was not disappointed! Try this simple and easy (and my favorite) way to make beets:

Simple Roasted Beets:

~4 Beets, tops cut off

~2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

~3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees farenheit. Poke beets with fork and double wrap in foil. Roast for ~1 hour until beets can be pierced with a fork. Let beets cool enough so they can be handled, rub/peel off the skin and cut up into bite sized pieces. Drizzle olive oil, salt pepper and vinegar over beets. Keep chilled and ready to throw on top of a salad or keep on hand for a small side dish for lunches and dinners.

Every so often the occasion arises when it is time to celebrate! And, lets face it, sometimes that means a nice dinner out on the town! Eating a diet low in protein doesn’t mean you have to sit on the sidelines… thank goodness. But it ALSO does not mean you are forced to order a garden salad, side order of small fries. Every. Single. Time. While some restaurants may be a bit hesitant to use substitutions (due to food safety concerns), many are willing to bend over backwards for their patrons (or at least they should be!). Some rules and tips for figuring out your Out-To-Eat Feast:

1. Educate yourself ahead of time

Check out the menu online. Make sure the restaurant has reasonable options that are potentially modifiable. (I.e., anything with “steakhouse” or “fish” in the name might suggest to steer clear).

2. Pick a dish or two from the menu that interests you

Look for dishes based around something you can eat or that you can easily substitute a low protein food. For example: pasta and vegetable dishes, fajitas with veggies or a portabella burger.

3. Call ahead of time

Ask the hostess for information regarding a dietary restriction. When you talk to the manager explain that you have dietary restrictions affecting the total amount of protein you can eat each day. Explain it is not an allergy and there isn’t concern of cross contamination creating a severe reaction. Tell them the dish you are thinking of modifying (For example: “Pasta primavera with a garlic wine sauce instead of a cheese sauce and no extra cheese added and using your Penne”). Answer their questions politely! Clarify that it is not the same food and issues as gluten-free diners.

4. Prep ahead

Throw on a pot of pasta as you are getting ready and bring a container of pre-cooked pasta (or rice, or presliced burger bun etc) to the restaurant in your bag/purse. This way you can assure then that the food is precooked and they would just be subbing your pasta in for their pasta. In other words – very easy.

5. Express your thanks! (I’m going to say it again) Express your thanks!

Acknowledge the extra service if and when they accomodate. Though we may think it should be a given, restuarants are not forced to accomodate special needs and when they do they deserve credit. Whether it be in giving a little extra tip, or telling them “thank you so much, I look forward to coming back” a little goes a long way. Plus, then once you have found a restaurant will accomodate you, you can skip calling ahead next time. Just explain to the hostess or your server that “I have been here before and the chef…” which makes things much easier!

 

This is at an Italian restaurant near my house. Aproten Spaghetti with chunky vegetable ragu (eggplant, capers, olives, shallots, peppers and onions in red wine tomato sauce).

So good luck, be creative, don’t be shy, and BE POLITE! Keep in mind you don’t have precise control over what they are serving you, so be even more cautious of serving sizes and keep extras for left overs if you think there is a lot of extra PHE (like from broccoli or soy sauce, etc). And even if it doesn’t say it on the menu, verify with your server that there is no cheese, eggs or meats in the dish and if there is, to please hold that item.

The other night I ventured to a Hibachi grill for the first time and brought along some pre-cooked CamBrooke Short Grain Rice, (no ahead of time phone call) and they were able to make fried rice (hold the egg, light soy sauce) right on the grill in front of me! It was very exciting : )

Turns out little green trees do a body good! While broccoli may be on the higher side for protein in veggies, it sure packs a big punch overall nutritionally. Wondering what makes broccoli so great?

• High in vitamin C – known to boost your immune system, help healing and keep your skin healthy and young!
• High in folate – especially important for young women of child bearing age to ensure healthy fetal development while pregnant also helps in the production of red blood cells which carry oxygen throughout your body.
• Also contains calcium, iron potassium and other minerals
• HIGH in fiber, LOW in calories (a fill-er up-er!): A half cup contains only 22 Calories and a gram of soluble fiber.
• Modest in protein and phenylalanine (1.2 gram protein, 35 mg phe per half cup)

Listen to this easy way to add broccoli to your meal- when you are boiling pasta, one minute before it is done, throw in a serving or two of broccoli to blanch it. Strain pasta and broccoli as usual, add some olive oil, salt, pepper and season of choice and there you go. Some fiber, color and flavor added to a bowl of pasta with barely any extra effort. Not to mention a satiating addition to your bowl of pasta.

My personal favorite combination? Three cherry tomatoes diced up with garlic powder salt, pepper and basil with blanched broccoli and Aproten Penne (available at CamBrooke Foods).

Life can get busy. Good intentions for making a delicious, healthy and fancy low protein dish can be interrupted by schedules, work, school or last minute situations that need immediate attention. It happens to all of us, but there are easy ways to throw together a quick and easy but still satisfying meal in no time. Check out these tips to help you through your next quickie meal:

1. Find an easy formula 

A Premade formula can make life SO much easier. Grabbing a pouch or box of formula on your way out the door when your snooze button was hit a few too many times is a complete lifesaver. But it also leaves you more time to focus on your FOOD for the upcoming meal instead of using precious time scooping, weighing, measuring, shaking and serving your formula when its go time. Check out the variety of flavors Cambrooke offers on their Camino pro_®line (Fruit Punch, Pina Colada, Lemon-Lime with Glytactin and Tangerine with Glytactin).

2. Use your freezer

Having frozen produce on hand is a healthy and easy way to always have something to eat! Frozen berries and fruit make a great smoothie when you don’t have the energy to wash, cut or dice up fruit. Frozen produce can be thrown in a microwave or in a pot of hot pasta to add some color (and nutrients) into an otherwise ‘blah’ bowl of pasta! Fresh is best, with intact nutrients not yet destroyed by freezing or cooking but if chopping, dicing, peeling or tearing gets in the way, frozen is a great alternative (and the food won’t go bad!).

3. Spice it UP!

Jazz up a plain salad or bowl of rice or pasta, or even a grilled cheese with a shake of seasoning mix. Low/No sodium blends can be found in any grocery store’s spice aisle. Try steak seasoning, grill rubs or anything else you can find. (Make sure to read the ingredients to avoid things like Parmesan cheese or sesame seeds if needed). Turn tomatoes and rice being the only thing on hand into a spicy fried rice with a Mexican blend or shake of taco seasoning.

4. When you have the time… USE IT!

When you do find the time to cut up veggies for a salad or fruit for a smoothie, cut up extra! Keep in containers in the fridge so next time you want some strawberries or a salad, it is all ready for you. At the beginning of the week, pre-portion things like bell pepper strips or pasta salad so that you have containers made up that you know the protein content of and are ready to go when you are running out the door.

5. Check out new products

More and more products are available today. Easy premade food items like personal pizzas and Macaroni and Cheese are now available- just to name two. These are foods that you can count on when you feel like you don’t have a creative bone in your body.

We at Cambrooke are coming up with new ideas and bringing them to life every day. Keep updated on our Facebook and Twitter pages for opportunities to take part in the development of these products. We aim to create healthy, appealing and delicious food, so whether it be at a tasting event taking place, suggestions you share online, or at a conference or event, we greatly value your input.

We know that these diets can be overwhelming at time. But we also know that with great products, support and an open mind, they can be tasty, healthy and easy leaving you time to spend with your friends and family or doing your favorite activities or hobbies!

Happy New Year everyone!

As the new year arrives, we all can’t help but hear talk of new and ambitious resolutions to loose weight, work out more, save money or stop biting fingernails. This year, I offer a challenge to you: explore your health and listen to your body.

So much of the foundation to compliance with an inborn error of metabolism is built upon objective data: blood levels, mg of phenylalanine or other amino acids, grams of protein, milligrams per gram of food, ounces of formula taken, ounces left to go… the numbers are endless. But, ask anyone close to someone with an inborn error and they will tell you that it goes beyond these numbers. They are tough diets, tough lifestyles, but we make them work for a reason. While these numbers are helpful, necessary objective goals backed by hard work and years of research and data, they were ultimately all developed to make us feel and be the very best that we can be every day. The truth of it is, when we are compliant, we feel better, think clearer, work harder, and maybe even act nicer!

A lot of parents of younger children have asked me what to do if and when their child will want to try foods they aren’t allowed or if they hate their formula and can’t get it in. Well, there are many answers to that question but the big picture answer is that (at least in my experience) once you reach an age where you can feel a difference in yourself things just fall into place almost effortlessly. I’m not saying there aren’t better days than others, but something just clicks and you understand what all of this is for. I believe that day will come for everyone and supporting kids by involving them in their diets and being open to talk about how they feel are good things to start with.

After all, this is what all of our hard work is for. Not just getting a good blood level, but getting the reward of how we feel when our levels are low- and hanging on to that as long as we can! Learning to pay attention to our bodies and listen to them is a huge accomplishment for anyone, and extra beneficial to someone with an inborn error of metabolism. As you become in tuned to the refreshed and focused feelings that you have with low levels you will naturally want to do whatever you can to feel like that all the time. Feeling so good and recognizing it will make you seek this instead of the foggy, crabby, worn out and exhausted feelings you may have if levels slip up. If you begin to notice that you feel differently than usual it is also a way to acknowledge, “OK I feel different, something is up” and figure out how to pull your levels back down asap.

But lets not think our condition is the only thing we need to stay in tuned with our bodies for. In our protein avoiding, amino acid counting, food weighing inborn error metabolism lives and in our sports playing, hard working, gym going, friend-shipping lives we should learn to hear from our bodies and work with them not against them. After all what is all of our hard work for if we put the rest of ourselves as a second, third, fourth or worse priority?!

So give it a try, paying attention to how your body is affected by both diet and non-diet related choices that you make day to day . Listening to your body and working with it is bound to be a beneficial relationship because as you continue learn what your body likes you will begin to avoid the things that it doesn’t! You might find drinking extra water helps you when you are hungry or saves you from getting dehydrated at the gym, or that making that extra hour of sleep a priority keeps you on your game at school or work tomorrow, or that keeping a diet record does end up helping you keep on track during tough situations (vacations, holidays, etc). Whatever you learn in this challenge about yourself may lead to resolutions really worth working towards that will help create long lasting and helpful behavior changes fine tuned to what you and your body really needs and wants.

So… here’s to your new relationship for 2012… with yourself : ) Happy New Year!

For the New Year I am trying to be a bit more adventurous with the types of food I make! I love my classic Italian pasta dishes, but I want to venture out of my comfort zone and explore the French, Mediterranean, Spanish, Thai, South American… (etc etc) cuisines.

As a head start to this New Year’s Resolution, I decided to test the Spanish/Latin American waters. Ever heard of the dish Arroz con Pollo? In Spanish it means “Rice with Chicken.” In learning a bit about the dish I realized that many believe it originiated in Spain but has become a traditional meal in many Latin American countries- great for me! Two for one? So, being a newer culture and cuisine to test out and per request from my family combined with my wanting to try out a new Christmas present (a dutch oven!), it was the perfect meal for this windy, chilly December night- I made Arroz con Pollo for them and Arroz sin Pollo for me! Typically, rice is browned and seasoned and then cooked/boiled with added veggies and chicken in the same pot. It makes for a delicious flavorful rice and a filling and exciting one dish meal. I of course had to switch things up a bit to make things work for my diet, but it ended up being delicious.

Arroz sin Pollo (Rice withOUT Chicken!) Makes 4 servings

2 Tablespoons olive oile

1/2 white onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced/crushed

7 ounces (half a 14.5 oz can) diced tomatoes

half a can diced green chilies

1 cup dry CamBrooke Short Grain Rice or Aproten Chicchi

2 teaspoons CamBrooke Chicken flavored Consomme and Seasoning

2 tablespoons green peas

7 stuffed green olives, cut in half

half a can red Spanish pimientos

4 1″ slices of eggplant

1 Tablespoon olive oil mixed with seasonings:

a dash each of salt saffron, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne and turmeric (or whatever you want)

Prepare rice as directed but add 1 teaspoon of Consomme. Brush both sides of each eggplant slice with the oil and seasoning mixture and bake at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes one each side. (Eggplant should be tender but able to be picked up with a spatula without falling apart).

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Once tender, add tomatoes and green chiles. Add cooked rice and continue to saute until rice crisping up a bit/sticking to bottom of pan. Mix remaining 1 teaspoon of Consomme with about 1/4 cup water and add to pan. Continue to cook about 5 more minutes. Place eggplant on top of rice and arrange green olives, pimientos and peas on top. Turn heat to low and cover for 5-10 more minutes.

It is a beautiful, aromatic, appealing and delicious dish. Enjoy! and Happy New Year!

Per serving: 240 Calories, 1.95 g Protein (65 mg PHE)

We decided to have a pomegranate and tangerine salad, prime rib and twice baked potatoes for our mini holiday meal this year. The salad was great, but the prime rib and potatoes? Obviously WAY to high for this girls PHE tolerance. My creative juices started going and I was able to make a pretty successful makeover that I just had to share. Enjoy the holidays and try out this meal if you are out of fun ideas!

Salad: The salad was fine as is- as usual : )

1 head Boston bibb lettuce

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 tangerine sectioned and cut into bite size pieces

1/3 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons tangerine juice

2 Tablespoons shallots, minced

Combine lettuce, tangerines and seeds in a bowl. Combine olive oil, juices and shallots with salt and pepper to taste in separate bowl and whisk. Dress salad and serve as is!

I made it to make 3 servings. The entire recipe makes 425 kcal, and 3.6 g Pro (130 mg phe). Change serving sizes if you want it to be higher or lower.  : ). You could also add diced apple to stretch the salad (adding one apple would make this a 4-5 serving salad). Fuji apples are recommended.

Next up: Twice Baked Potatoes. I have a pretty low tolerance so I definitely had to fiddle with this recipe. I have learned to love using turnip in place of potatoes. I prefer Rutabaga thanks to its sweeter taste, but unfortunately that was not available. I took a family recipe and basically substituted everything. So here is my recipe for Twice Baked Turnips!

1 medium to large turnip, peeled

2 Tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup CamBrooke mozzarella shreds

2 Tablespoons sour cream

2 Tablespoons chives, minced

1 teaspoon paprika (and some for garnish) *if you can get smoked paprika, when heated it smells and tastes similar to bacon which is great in this dish*

Boil turnip until a sharp knife can easily pierce in through to the center. Place in a bath of ice water to make it tolerable to handle without burning your hands. Take your knife and draw an outline around the top of the turnip. Make hash marks inside the circle to help scoop flesh out. Once flesh is taken out, mix with the rest of the ingredients, saving 1 tablespoon of butter. Microwave remaining butter with paprika, salt and pepper. Spread onto outside of turnip with brush. Sprinkle with paprika for garnish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

I had a very large medium turnip, so I divided it into two servings. The entire recipe makes 350 Kcal, 2.8 g pro (110 mg phe). Divide as you wish. To make it lower, take out sour cream and substitute with Miracle Whip or make servings smaller.

Lastly, the prime rib OBVIOUSLY just wouldn’t do. I had a lot of ways I could have substituted something in for it, but I ended up going with eggplant quickly seared with some oil, soy sauce and Montreal Seasoning.

2 1″ slices eggplant, peeled

2 Tablespoons La Choy soy sace

2 Tablespoons canola oil

Steak seasonings

Put the oil in the pan first and let it get hot. Add half the soy sauce and some seasoning and put the eggplant in immediately. Flip and while eggplant is on spatula add rest of soy sauce and more seasoning.

Careful! Too much soy sauce and seasoning can make this way too salty! I found about a tablespoon of soy sauce per slice worked well. Two slices of eggplant cooked as above total 290 KCal, 2.9 g protein (83 mg phe). I ended up having one slice due to the higher phe content. If you want to lower it further, try balsamic vinaigrette in place of the olive oil and soy sauce. Or just season with steak seasoning and olive oil, forgetting the soy sauce.

This might be a splurge for someone with a lower tolerance (if you are counting phe, about 140 mg, ~10 exchanges based on the serving sizes I used) ringing in at 4g pro. There are ways, as I mentioned, to make this higher or lower if need be. It is a nice treat to have a similar meal as everyone else, especially during the holidays. Enjoy!

…YOU better watch out! Cookies are not just for you during the holidays!

Low protein cookies are a delicious and very low treat for those of us on a low protein diet. (But lets still be mindful of our wastelines!) Making cookies during the holidays is a fun and creative past time that certainly makes my holiday season all the more enjoyable.
A great way to crank up the fun a little bit on this holiday tradition is to invite other families that also cook low protein products in your area to have a cookie swap or, if your area organization or support group already throws a cookie swap, GO! There you can try new treats, meet new people, catch up with old friends and if you are lucky (which I am sure you would be) you could end up with secret recipes and tips, tricks or short cuts in other people’s low protein kitchen. No fellow low protein chefs around? Bring your cookies to a work or neighborhood cookie swap – they are huge crowd pleasers to virtually all taste buds! In fact, growing up many of my friends actually preferred my cookies over their own! Do make sure you bring extra low protein cookies to eat yourself since other options will likely higher in protein- plus they might go quicker than you think.

How to Host a Cookie Swap: Have everyone bring two batches of cookies: half in prepackaged servings (like a sandwich baggie with ribbon, saran wrap, etc), and the other half on a platter to share during the party. Guests go around and take a baggie of everyone else’s cookies to take home with them all while enjoying the cookies put out on the platters while you socialize. Depending on time, space, and cleaning crew restrictions, you could add a decorating table with sprinkles, frosting, etc at the party, if you are feeling ambitious!

What to bring? CamBrooke has a super easy sugar cookie dough that comes premade and comes in a resealable tub so you can make a few dozen or just a few cookies whenever your heart desires! Each tub makes 4 dozen cookies that are 2 mg PHE and 0.2 grams protein each! All that is left to do is roll and cut out, bake for 10-12 minutes, and decorate to your liking and you are good to go.

I usually whip up a few colors of frosting (my grandpa’s recipe) that is incredibly easy (trust me… it has been my job since I was about 3 years old):

Confectioners Sugar

Water

Start with sugar and add water by the tablespoon until you get your desired consistency. Add a couple drops of food coloring and decorate however you want! No need to worry about protein in the frosting, it is completely free!

Happy holidays, worry free baking, creative decorating, and cookie swapping!

If you have a dietary restriction and you love to cook, your diet might could put a damper on the culinary experience. Everywhere you look there are recipes but often it might seem hard to get through without finding one or two (or maybe 10) ingredients that won’t work into your dietary allowance. Don’t lose interest! While we have many recipe resources now to make a wide variety of low protein food that are available online, in recipe books or shared among friends,  you can still explore! If you want to open up a magazine or cookbook, there are often endless opportunities if you think creatively and are willing to switch things up.

One of my go-to substitutes is eggplant for chicken. I can bread it and use in place of a cutlet, I can saute it in stir fry’s, I can grill it in place of wings, or I can bake or broil it in place of chicken breast. Check out this recipe (adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis’ Everyday Italian). Originally a chicken recipe, all the other ingredients were a-OK protein wise, so I dove right in. The results were delicious!

Balsamic Blackened Eggplant

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

3 cloves garlic, rushed or minced

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1″ slices

fresh minced parsley

lemon zest

(1/2 package low protein pasta- I used Aproten Fusilli))

1. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

2. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Transfer into a large Ziploc freezer bag.

3. Add eggplant to bag, marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping eggplant once.

5. Collect extra marinade into small saucepan and boil down until sauce slightly thickened.

6. Spoon sauce over eggplant, sprinkle parsley and lemon zest on top. Serve with your favorite low protein pasta.

Makes 8 servings (plus extra sauce)

1 g Pro*      60 mg Phe*        165 Calories*    (*Without pasta calulations)