Cool Summer Fro-Yo Treats

Have you seen doggie ice cream? Several different companies are making it. They even sell it next to ice cream in the freezer case at my local grocery. Max loves the stuff, but have you seen the ingredient list? Blech! Max has a sensitive stomach so we whip up our own which is incredibly easy and cheaper too!

What you need:
Fruit or flavors your dog loves (Max loves strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon... you get the idea)
A large tub of plain or vanilla yogurt with as few weird ingredients as possible

What you do:
Process your fruit into a puree' in the blender or food processer
Add your yogurt and blend some more
Pour the whole mixture into cupcake liners or ice cube trays and freeze.
Once the yogurt is frozen you can pop the cubes or cupcake liners out of their trays and put into a baggie for storage.

I know it's not rocket science but really, your dog's gut will thank you for not having all the weird ingredients and you'll feel much less guilty about not sharing your fudge bar in the heat of the summer. Stay cool dog friends!

*Quick update: I used muffin liners but after seeing what a pain they are to get off the fro-yo once it's frozen, I wouldn't recommend them unless they're somehow waxed. Next time I'll just pour directly into the muffin tin.

Dog Food Sunday

So now I'm that lady, the one who makes her dog's food. The lady who calls the butcher and orders 80 lbs of roasts and 60 lbs of heart for the dog, who sources ingredients like I'm hunting Carmen San Diego and not only tracks what goes in but also what comes out. It didn't start out this way, I swear but he's so worth every bit of the process.

Max eats like we should. 

It took a good long while to get to this place in dog food-land. Max has eaten everything from grocery store brands (at previous adopter's homes) to high-end kibble and, most recently, commercial raw. We've done fish, chicken, turkey and finally beef, we've done grain and grain free, potato or not, Chinese herbs, probiotics and most anything else we could to get him to be not-itchy.

We thought we had a winning formula. We were feeding a commercial raw beef diet along with probiotics and fish oil. Max's coat was never great but the sores stopped erupting on his belly. The vet considered it a success and we stayed in our secure routine.

Then disaster struck. The pet food store stopped carrying his raw food. At first we got a warning saying they were going to stop in 6 months or so, then Sweetie went in for our monthly buy and we were told they had actually stopped immediately and were just selling off what the store had in inventory. Eek! The store blamed the company, the company claimed ignorance, I really didn't care. We needed something for him to eat. We found one other store in the Kansas City metro that carried his food with regularity and getting there was a hassle.

Sweetie and I had been batting around the idea of making Max's food but wanted to make sure it was done right so we contacted Sabine at Better Dog Care to design a diet that would meet his nutritional needs. There were two lengthy forms to fill out to help formulate his specific diet so this was no generic "cross your fingers" cookbook recipe. We got the new diet last week but had to run it by Dr. Awesome. Once she was on board, Sweetie and I went shopping.

First we went to the butcher for organ meats (who also just so happens to have awesome tacos on Saturdays too). Then we were off to the natural food store for some supplements, then to our grocery for meats and veggies. I've never bought that much beef roast at one time in my life and the meat counter guys thought I was a little strange for asking all my questions. Last week I called around and grabbed a better price from another butcher but that 80 lbs of roasts and 60 lbs of heart? Yeah, that's really happening. Thank doG for a deep freezer!

We bought every roast they had in the cut we needed!

Sunday night we started prepping. Sweetie did the veggies and fruits, dairy and supplements, I did the meats since she can't handle raw meat (literally and figuratively). There was some arguing as we worked out the best way to get this all accomplished but, 3 1/2 hours later, we got it done. I am now fully appreciating the food processor and grinder we got as gifts for Christmas. I don't think I would have wanted to grate all those veggies by hand!  Now we have almost a month's worth of dog food sitting in the deep freeze and I don't ever have to worry about the pet food store running out again. What does Max think of it, you ask? He whined over the good smells last night and ate with gusto today so I think we're on the right track! Do you fix your dog's food or add tasty bits now and again?

We're part of the Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop hosted by Kols Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever. Don't forget to check out what's happening on the blogs!

Tasty Treat Tuesday- Roasted Chickpeas

The days are getting shorter and walk times are too! Normally Sweetheart and I take Max on 2-3 miles of formal walk a day but late last week it got really really cold. We decided to forgo the standard trail walk in favor of something a little closer to the warm car. We ended up at a local park with tennis courts and baseball diamonds. These are the best spots to exercise Max when we can't do the long walk. They're enclosed, fairly clean and well lit. What more could you ask for? What? You want video proof? Here's the Maxster at the baseball field. He'll chase but rolling in the grass is way too enticing to ignore.

Sooner than I want, it will be too cold or dark to do much walking and indoor activities will become our life. Indoor activities means I need lots of small treats of lower value. Even better if the treats are shelf-stable and cheap. With that, I bring you Roasted Chickpeas. These remind me of soy nuts or peanuts but are infinitely customizeable for your dog and take 2 minutes to prep and about 45 minutes in the oven.

Baked Chickpea Treats

1 can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
Some kind of oil spray (veggie, olive, canola, etc.)
Seasonings if you want them.

• Drain the chickpeas and rinse them well.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the beans out onto the parchment  in a single layer
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until the outsides are starting to dry but the peas are still slightly squishy.
• Remove the chickpeas from the oven and lightly spray with your oil spray. Roll the chick peas around to coat them in the oil. 
• If you're adding seasoning like garlic powder, cinnamon or sea salt, do that right after the oil is sprayed.
• Return the tray to the oven for another 15-20 minutes until the chickpeas are crispy through the middle. 
• Let the chickpeas cool on the baking sheet and store them in a plastic bag away from humidity on the counter. If you bag the chickpeas before they're cool, condensation will build up and make the treats soft but you can return them to the oven for 10 minutes or so to re-crisp them. 

This week we're adding our voice to the blog hop at Kols Notes for Tasty Tuesday. Check them out for many more treat ideas!