Homemade Dogfood for health & savings!

Here’s a great idea for pet lovers! My dachshund started developing some sort of allergy – scratching a lot and whatnot – so I started thinking about what she was eating and researching dog foods, etc. I found that a lot (MOST) dog foods - especially those you typically find in grocery stores - contain very little nutritional value and lots of “fillers” that can’t be digested by pups and can cause allergies. This makes them cheap to produce, but can really harm our 4-legged family members. I decided to start making homemade dog food, and found that it’s not only healthier for them, but much cheaper than buying commercial brands!

Here’s my basic recipe:

Ground beef, chicken, turkey, pork - whatever is cheapest depending on the week – check the “soon to expire” section of your grocers meat section. It’s still perfectly safe to eat, and MUCH cheaper! I mix a pound or so of whatever I happen to find on sale each week.

1 can of store brand carrots

1 can of store brand green beans

1 can of store brand potatoes (whole or diced is fine)

1 tbsp minced garlic or garlic powder (helps keep away fleas and great for their immune system and more!) Click here if you’ve heard that garlic is poisonous for dogs – that is ONLY in large quantities – which we will not use for dogfood.

On sale, all of this together can cost less than $5!

* Brown the ground meat in a big pot
* Rinse canned veggies to remove any salt that may be added
* Combine veggies with the browned meat
* Cook on medium heat until the veggies are mushy
* Mash it all together using a potato masher, spatula, whatever you have on hand.
* Remove from heat and add garlic (when cooked, it loses a lot of it’s health benefits)

You can also dry your eggshells and grind them up to add for added calcium, which is great for your pup’s bones! Add ½ teaspoon per pound of meat.

Put in an airtight container and store in your fridge until mealtime! My dogs really LOVE this recipe and the allergies have disappeared! Our older pup (slighyly overweight – shhh, don’t’ tell him I told you!) has also dropped a few pounds since I started making their food and is more energetic and playful!

Tasty Tuesday!

Reposting this for Tasty Tuesday since I just remembered it (from last year) and it's sooooooo good!

Last night I made my first ever batch of homemade granola! My sister (who used to have the nickname "Granola" because she was a serious tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, no-sugar-eating fanatic!) gave me a few tips, and combined with a basic recipe that I found online...well, I have to say - it's FABULOUS!!! I will never buy pre-made granola in bags/boxes at the grocery store again.

I really wish I'd thought to take pics of the making of the granola, but it was late and I just didn't think about Tasty Tuesday being today...so please forgive me for only having pics of the finished product.
My recipe is a version of the one found here.

I used maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup, ladies!), vanilla extract, canola oil, steel cut oats, thick cut oats, large unsweetened coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries....(you can even some semi-sweet chocolate chips if you like - and who doesn't?!) YUMMMMMY!! And all organic for around $6.00 a batch (and it's a big batch!)! I got my ingredients in the bulk section of Earthfare - I now want to LIVE in that store, btw. No need to get a huge bag, just get what you need for a batch at a time since it's all organic and doesn't have all those nasty preservatives. BTW, I saw some tiny bags of pre-made granola there for $3.89 and up...puhlease! No way! Not when my house can smell that good while it's baking - and the homemade stuff taste SO much better!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together except for the dried fruit. Set the dried fruit aside.
2. In another bowl mix the sweetener, oil, and extract together.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The liquids will be absorbed and the granola will become darker and shinier.
4. Spread the granola in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for ten minutes. Use a spatula and turn the granola on the baking sheet. Place the granola back in the oven and bake for another ten minutes or until fairly dry and starting to brown. Remove the granola from the oven and stir in the fruit.

Tips

1. Granola will become crispier and crunchier as it cools.
2. Because of the oil, granola will not stay fresh long. Store in an airtight container and use within two weeks. Freeze for longer storage.

Yummmm...breakfast!

Click over to Balancing Beauty & Bedlam for more amazing recipes!

Is your tummy green?

If you're trying to eat healthier, and make better choices for the environment, check out Mambo Sprouts coupon booklet - mailed 3 times per year (or pick up at your local Whole Foods). Great savings on earth & body friendly organic foods!

You are entering a...

Ok, I'm taking the plunge! I'm going meatless for a month. Ok, let me rephrase - I am going to TRY and go meatless for a month. It's going to be hard, especially since there are cookouts coming up that *I* am hosting, but that also means that I can prepare yummy, meatless munchies for myself to enjoy there. ;)

As I've said before, I'm just not digging meat products lately. After reading a lot at HelloVeggie and other sites, I'm excited about this little "test" I'm giving myself, and hoping it turns into a lifestyle that will continue on. (a nice bonus will be if I can drop about 20 lbs before beach time...but I won't hold my breath for that)

Wish me luck!

Memorial Day Meat?

This is a strange post for a day that is traditionally celebrated with cookouts featuring moist hamburgers, perfectly grilled hotdogs, thick steaks, and so on... But I'm just not in a meat mood lately. I'm seriously considering going vegetarian. Not vegan, I can't begin to imagine giving up cheese! But using beans and other high protein foods in place of meat-filled meals, and eating lots more fresh fruits and berries and veggies. Perfect time for that, right? With the gardens about to overflow with fresh produce!

Sometimes just the texture of meat turns me off - I've been known to spit out a bite when the thought crosses my mind "This is something's flesh I'm chewing!" (don't worry, I do spit it out in a napkin, and have mastered the art of making it look like I'm just wiping my mouth) It's funny, I called my sister today to ask her a question about making homemade granola and she told me that she has been feeling the same way lately about eating meat. Not that it's a protest against animal cruelty, or even for health reasons (though that is certainly a benefit!) - but just cuz it seems ....well....gross lately. Maybe it's age? Anyone else change your eating habits for no apparent reason the older you got? Please share!

Anyway, I went to Earthfare today and got some really yummy, organic stuff to make my granola. And I got my very first wheatgrass shot! I had seen some show on tv where the people were drinking it and gagging and like it was just the nastiest thing EVER. But I was pleasantly surprised. It was kind of a ...well...grassy taste. LOL Fresh, not bitter, went down very easily - and I got a little psychological boost for doing something "healthy for my body" (even though some people debate the claims of many "wheatgrass pushers", one thing is for sure - it's packed with vitamins and minerals by all accounts).

I've also been drinking green smoothies for a few weeks now, and I can REALLY tell when I don't have one in the morning. I didn't have time today, and after running my daughter and her friend all over the place shopping, I was a little sluggish by the time we got home. I'm almost certain if I'd had my green smoothie before we left, I'd have had a lot more energy. My favorite smoothie is just a combo of mixed frozen berries (blueberry, strawberry, blackberry), a little OJ to help it mix up, and all the spinach I can stuff in it. I use my Magic Bullet and it makes the perfect, single-serving every time. Blend the fruit and OJ first as a base, then just keep adding organic spinach and blending until you have a full serving. Sound like it would be pretty nasty - but it's one of THE best smoothies I've ever had - and a lot cheaper than buying one at some expensive smoothie bar! Try it yourself and play around with flavors you like - I bet you'll be hooked. :) Oh yeah, don't be alarmed if your berry green smoothies don't turn out green - they still taste great! (I've had a couple that were more like a brown...but they were also the yummiest!)


Anyway, not really sure why I felt the need to share all of that here...I guess I don't really have much else to report these days. Been a really busy weekend, but nothing very interesting. So...for Meatless Monday - I'm

Melinda, signing off and going to make some granola! :)