Living with PKU means a lot of different things, but it almost always means people asking me tons of questions when they initially find out about my condition. You can read all about my metabolic disorder and the questions I hear on a daily basis here.
One thing that comes up extremely often is holidays. Holidays are so centered around big meals and extravagant dishes. What does the girl with seemingly the world's most restrictive diet eat on the happiest days of the year?
For once and for all, I'm here to put this to rest. Here is a list of what I eat (and thoroughly enjoy, for the record) for every holiday in the year. I know some of this might seem strange to a lot of people, but to me its normal (as normal as it can be!) holiday traditions.
1. Easter
For Easter, my family usually cooks lamb. Since that doesn't really work well for me, my mom also makes sure to include plenty of vegetables. Some of my favorites are string beans, broccoli and mashed potatoes (because who doesn't love some mashed potatoes?!). Easter is relatively a boring holiday for me, to be honest. Lots of green vegetables.
2. Cinco de Mayo
This is totally a legit holiday in my eyes, because I actually love Mexican food. I usually eat some veggies seasoned with Mexican spices, rice and tons and tons of guacamole, chips and salsa. Not exactly a taco, but its a meal I look forward to consistently.
3. Halloween
I know this isn't exactly an "eating" holiday, but tons of people ask me if I ever went trick or treating, or if I can eat the candy my parents buy. I did go trick or treating every year as a kid, I actually still do most years. I can't eat the candy I receive, so I always used donate my candy to my brother and everybody was happy. To be honest, I think I was just happy dressing up and I didn't need the candy. The true saints on this earth are the people who put together goodie bags with juice boxes, bags of chips or fruit snacks. They were the real MVPs of Halloween for me.
4. Thanksgiving
This is truly my favorite holiday of the year, which seems odd to people because it is such an iconic eating holiday. My mom works super hard every year to make sure I have plenty to eat on the day where stuffing your face is encouraged. My family always start with stuffed mushrooms. I modify the recipe a little bit (omitting the cheese, using my own breadcrumbs) and I have that right along with them. Then for the main meal, my mom goes all out. Veggies as far as the eye can see. String beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with marshmallows melted on top (this is the ONLY way to enjoy sweet potatoes and I will fight you on this). I also make my own version of stuffing with my own bread, some chopped up mushrooms and seasonings. It's truly a feast, even for me.
5. Christmas Eve
I come from an Italian family, where Christmas Eve is considered a bigger holiday then Christmas. This holiday is a close second for my favorite and that is solely because of my Grandma's pasta sauce. She makes it every year for me and adds mushrooms because she knows I love them. It's possibly the best thing I ever ate and I don't mind that being my only meal, while everybody else usually has courses of chicken, pasta, and tons of seafood.
6. Christmas
Christmas is definitely a low key affair in my house. We usually stay in pajamas and play with our new gadgets. My mom usually makes raviolis and I have pasta with broccoli rabe, which is another favorite meal of mine. It's nothing too fancy, but always makes me happy.
7. New Year's Eve
This one is always a bit tricky, because I usually end up at a party or a friend's house. My go to game plan is to eat something fairly substantial for lunch, so when I go to the party I can munch on chips or veggie sticks, and not be starving. I also don't want my friends to feel bad if they don't have any party food around for me, so it's just easier for me to eat before for everybody.
8. New Year's Day
My family usually stays in and orders Chinese food takeout, a truly lazy and peaceful holiday. I always get steamed string beans, with white rice. Every once in a while, I switch things up and order bok choy and white rice, just to keep things fresh. Even people with PKU have to have some options ;)