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- Meaty Mystery Treats

Max is involved in a gift swap and is sending goodies to two lucky dogs next week. I can't disclose all of what will be in the package but we're making treats tonight. In an effort to be a little sneaky, since this is a public blog, I'm just going to post a picture of the "before" but I promise to post the recipe after everything's been securely tucked into the mail.

Meaty Marinade

I'll give you two guesses, given my recent methods of treat-making, what I'm doing with this meat. It smells so good!

We're part of Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop hosted by Sugar the Golden Retrieve and Kol's Notes. Check out the other blogs for more tasty ideas!

Tasty Treat Tuesday- Fall Cranberry Fruit Treats

It's fall and for us and the Maxter that means time to make pumpkin and cranberry treats. In fact, we're up to our ears in pumpkin puree at home. Max loves the pumpkin but I'm still working out the perfect treat, though Max doesn't mind eating the "mistakes".

Since I'm still experimenting with the pumpkin with mixed results, I thought I'd share another fall favorite. Cranberry fruit leather is becoming a fall staple for us. I buy several bags of cranberries each year when they go on sale and freeze the bulk of the bags.

This recipe couldn't be easier and is so tasty!


Puree 1 lb of cranberries with 1/4 c. of white sugar.










Mix the puree with 1/2 c. unsweetened apple sauce, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger and zest from one lemon.









Spread the mixture onto a pan lined with a baking mat or parchment paper.
Place into a low oven,  I used the "warm" setting, and leave the door open for 6-8 hours until you have a leather.
Peel the fruit off the paper or mat and cut into strips or pieces for training treats. I cut mine with scissors but a pizza cutter would work well too. Don't forget to sneak a treat for yourself!


UPDATE: Several folks asked me about the white sugar out of concerns for calories or processed sugars. I made a second batch and used juice from 1 naval orange instead of sugar with close to the same results. For that batch I also zested the orange instead of a lemon.




This week we're part of a blog hop hosted by Kol's Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever. Check out the other tasty goodies this week!

Tasty Treat Tuesday- Pumpkin Chews

The weather here has cooled off and pumpkins are all over! The Max-monster loves pumpkin and it's so good for him so I've been playing with different recipes for treats. I bought a pie pumpkin I'm using for today's chews and Aldi's had cans of puree for $1 each so I picked up 6!

Pumpkin is a funny thing. First I tried to make a shortbread style cookie but there were some challenges. There's so much water in canned puree that my first attempt at cookies was a disaster! I used garbanzo bean flour and had to add a ton to absorb the water for not a lot of flavor. Max ate them but Sweetheart and I didn't think they were worth the work.

After much frustration I decided to get back to basics. The pie pumpkin needed to be used and Max needed treats. I turned, once again, to oven dehydrating. Oven dehydrating isn't hard, it's just more about process and "low and slow" to turn something fresh into something shelf-stable by removing the water. Let me be the first to encourage you to grab your food dehydrator or consider investing in one. Mine melted so I'm using the oven.

First you want to peel your pumpkin. I used a peeler but you could do it with a knife if you're good like that.







Then cut the pumpkin in half and gut it. Keep the seeds for human treats if you want.

Quarter your pumpkin and then slice it thinly. Lay the slices out on a baking tray, preferably on a rack. You can dehydrate without a rack, it'll just take a little longer. I sprinkled mine (Max's) with cinnamon and sugar.

Let the slices sit in a very low oven (about 150 degrees or "warm" setting) with the oven door cracked for 4-6 hours until the slices are very leathery but not brittle. Store airtight on a countertop. If you have a silica packet to absorb any leftover moisture, feel free to throw it into the storage container. 

That's all there is to oven dehydrating and you can make all kinds of snacks that you and your dog will both love!




If you enjoyed this recipe, check out the rest of the Tasty Tuesday posts with Kohls Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever!

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!
 

Tasty Treat Tuesday- Baked Turkey Treats!

Training is hard work! Time for a nap!

In light of all the pet food recall's and the crazy issues with jerky treats made in China, I'm starting "Tasty Treat Tuesday" to help people be confident in making treats for their pets. It doesn't have to take a lot of time or be expensive. All you need are some basic ingredients your dog loves and some imagination. Max loves turkey and tomato so that's what I go with.

Here's what we do:
2 lbs ground turkey (or beef or chicken or pork)
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 c. chopped parsley

• Mix it all together like you would for meatballs. 
• Kick the dog out of the kitchen
• Section the mixture into 1/2 lb. batches. 
• At this point you can freeze these raw and thaw to bake or bake them all and freeze so you can pull them out as you need them.

• If you're baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
• Take a lump of the meat mixture and roll it thinly between two sheets of parchment paper. I've also made meatballs and meat sticks but your cooking time increases with those shapes.
• Kick dog out of the kitchen (again)
• Score the meat with a pizza cutter (or do it after)
• Transfer the meat to a baking sheet (you can keep it on the parchment paper if it will fit. Just slide the whole thing on.)
• Bake for 10-20 minutes until the meat is done but not dry or until the dog races to the oven timer.
• Cut the meat into small training treat sizes.

You'll want to store these in the fridge just like any other meatball. Ours don't stay in the fridge long because Max loves them so be prepared to make plenty!