Monthly Archives: May 2012

Diner-style Dog Dinner

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Watch out for the Fangs of Drool – dinner’s ready and it smells super delish! The only problem with home cooking for dogs is that my kitchen floors get wet puddles on them twice a day…I remember having to coax Hank into eating his kibble way back when, sometimes it would take a few minutes for him to really believe that was all he was going to get. Now it’s happy dances, yipping, scrambling, and my least favourite, mega-drooling. But what a small price to pay for my super shiny, barely shedding, healthy babies!

Today, I’m sharing one of the staples in my arsenal of dog dinners. For The Boys, I consider this to be a very balanced meal. When we think of what constitutes a “square meal” for people, most of us think: meat/other protein, a carb and a colourful variety of vegetables. Well, its pretty much the same concept for a home cooked dog’s dinner. We just want to make sure we don’t use any food items that are toxic for dogs (such as onions), and you don’t want to add a lot of salt or cook things in a greasy fashion.

This dinner portion is perfect for my younger chocolate lab, who eats a meal like this twice a day. My older guy, Hank, gets slightly less, being a senior citizen who doesn’t expend as much energy as his lil’ buddy Miko. I know a lot of you who are new to home cooking for dogs want to be told precisely how much of what to feed them. Although other “experts” will provide charts, calculations etc., I won’t do that for you, because I think of each dog as an individual. For example, Miko loves fruit. Hank spits it out. (and then Miko eats it, yum!) Some dogs get tons of exercise, and some don’t. Certain foods work better for certain dogs…so at the end of the day, you do need to figure out what your dog needs based on the lifestyle you provide them with, and by assessing what works for them. I talk more about this in the Resources section of my website. If you’re more comfortable following someone’s meal plans & calculations for your dog, then perhaps start that way and then branch out from there. Once you get into it, I’m sure you’ll realize that it’s not all that different from cooking for ourselves!

I’m calling this a diner-style dinner because the “scoops” remind me of a big plate special at a greasy spoon…

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped cooked meat (this is venison, nice and lean)
1 small potato
1/2 cup chopped steamed veg (carrots and broccoli)
1 scoop of pure pumpkin (about 1/4 cup)
1 scoop of plain yogurt (about 1/4 cup)
*optional – tsp kelp, tsp flour

I had some venison leg meat in the freezer, so I browned it and then braised it in some water along with some small potatoes for about an hour. You could cook any meat you like, beef, chicken, turkey, etc. As an option, you can remove the meat & potatoes and quickly whisk some flour in for a “gravy”. You don’t really need to put gravy on their dinner, but I did it this time as an example for people with messy eaters – the gravy helps to keep the meat and potatoes in more of a “clump”.

I had some steamed vegetables left over from the night before – steaming is optimal, but you can cook them however you like, just don’t fry them in a ton of oil. I buy big cans of pure pumpkin, and use it in the dogs’ meals a couple of times per week, what I don’t use goes into their treats. I also keep a tub of plain yogurt for The Boys, and they get a scoop two-three times per week (not every day).

Add chopped vegetables, a scoop of pumpkin puree, a scoop of yogurt to the dog dish. When the meat is cool enough to chop, do so, and also chop the potatoes. Put it back into the pot with your “gravy” and mix ‘er up. Add the desired amount of the meat & potatoes to your dog dish, and save the rest for more meals. If you have kelp, sprinkle it on top.

This is also a great dinner for people (minus the pumpkin puree and kelp).

Laters, baby -

xo/J

P.S. This is what The Boys look like when you ask if they want a “Treat”!

I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist.  This recipe is not meant to replace a proper and balanced diet for your dog.  You should to speak to your own vet before trying new recipes or feeding any home cooked foods to your dog.

Grain-Free GoodBites

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Greetings, fellow passengers!

I know a lot of you are looking for recipes for dogs with allergies, so I’ve come up with this grain-free duck and potato treat. I did my best to stay away from other food items that some dogs are allergic to, such as eggs. Instead, I used some “no sugar added” applesauce in place of the egg as the binder in the recipe. It’s a sticky and wet dough without flour – but the results are worth it, especially if your little one can’t handle grains.

INGREDIENTS:
1 duck breast
1/4 cup no sugar added applesauce
3/4 cup instant potatoes. Look for the ones with as few additives as possible. Try to use the granulated ones (they look kinda like sugar) as opposed to the flaky ones. I had the Paradise Valley brand from Costco. I believe that the Idahoan Originals are granular too.
Tsp Rosemary
Tsp Parsley (fresh/dry)
1/4 cup to a cup of chicken broth or water.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If you have a food processor, (I lived a full & happy life without one, but I bought one 6 months ago and man, I wish I had gotten one a long time ago!) roughly chop the duck breast before putting it in. If you’re going manual all the way, chop the duck breast into little bitty bites.

Either in the food processor or in a big mixing bowl, add the chopped duck, the potato, the applesauce, rosemary and parsley. Pulse or mix together. As you go along, slowly add as much water (my preference, to keep them lower in fat/sodium) or broth if that’s what you think your dog would prefer – as you need to get them to a spreadable consistency. You shouldn’t need very much at all. This is a wet dough – it’s without flour after all – so don’t worry if it looks like a big brown blob. It’s supposed to!

Spread onto a parchment lined baking tray. I get right in there with my hands rather than using a spatula. Use a knife to cut squares in the raw dough. I cut big squares for The Boys, you should make them the appropriate size for your dogs.

Bake them at 400 for forty minutes. I like to leave them in the oven for an extra hour or so to dry out even more as the oven cools down. When you take them out, you can flip them over on the parchment to let the bottom dry out even more as they cool on the counter.

Store these GoodBites in your fridge for 3-5 days, and freeze the rest. I have taken to keeping all of my treats in the freezer because this way, my piglets eat them in two bites rather than gulp them right down the hatch without tasting them :)

I’m going to experiment with other meats as I know a lot of you are looking for grain free goodness for your pups! FYI – this recipe didn’t work as well with a chicken breast, I will have to play with the ratios and come up with a lovely grain-free chicken GoodBite.

xo/J
* Please note that I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist, so it’s advisable to consult with your own authority when trying new foods, and also to ensure that your dog’s home cooked diet is balanced & includes all of the nutrients that are necessary for your dog’s health.

Dehydrated Divas

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Now aren’t these some fancy looking bites? Only two ingredients and five minutes to prep them – you must try this at home! I’ve been doing a lot more dehydrating since I posted about the potentially tainted chicken and duck jerky treats on the market. I might be obsessing a wee bit.

My nephew gave me wild duck and goose breasts a couple of months ago, lucky girl that I am. Wild game is super fantastic for dogs, by the way. Lean, mean, and full of good stuff. If you don’t have a supplier nearby that sells it, or a nephew that loves cammo and ammo, you can use beef. Don’t forget that when dehydrating meat, you want lean cuts. Beef top round steak, flank steak and rump roast are the best cuts for this. And be aware that farmed duck and geese are not nearly as lean as wild ones.

INGREDIENTS:
2 large sweet potatoes
1 gamey breast or equivalent portion of beef.

Lightly oil a baking tray and set the oven to 200 degrees.

This is so simple. Grab a sweet potato and a sharp knife. Cut the nubbies off of each end. That’s right, I said nubbies. Now – carefully – cut thin slices lengthwise. Like really long potato chips. Repeat with the other sweet potato.

Now it’s time to slice the meat. Do your best to cut thin and long strips, but don’t lose a finger over it. Place the sweet potato slices on the baking tray. Place a strip of meat or two (depending on the size) on top of the slice of sweet potato. Basically you are adding one layer of meat on top of each one. If you have extra of either sweet potato or meat slices, just place them on the tray and dehydrate them on their own.

The meat will meld right into the sweet potato as they “cook”.

I put these ones in for about 4 hours. I flipped them at about the 3 hour mark to dry out the SP more. You could leave these in longer, mine were chewy – but I have very little patience! Still a great result as you can see. If you want crunchy, you need to dry them longer.

Once they are cool, you can slice them up all pretty-like.

These should last in the fridge for up to a week. The drier they are the longer they would last is my guess, but nothing lasts that long around this place!

Just a heads up re: the latest pet food recalls – in case you haven’t heard there is a recall on a bunch of Diamond Pet food brands including: Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Country Value, Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge, Professional, 4Health, Taste of the Wild, Kirkland Signature – (Costco brand). So please check to see if your food is on the list. There is also a Purina cat food recall that was in the news today. Scary stuff.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there – I dedicate this recipe to my mom, who would most certainly appreciate my Asian flair in presenting these little Divas.

xo/J

I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist.  This recipe is not meant to replace a proper and balanced diet for your dog.  You should to speak to your own vet before trying new recipes or feeding any home cooked foods to your dog.

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A Real Dog’s Breakfast

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Hey there! What a fabulous Sunday morning it is as I write this post. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I’m going to meet one of my best friends for all-you-can-eat sushi. We’ve made a pact to wear our “loose pants”, as in our yoga pants. It takes very brave girls to wear them out to lunch.

Ok, so as it turns out, a lot of you are quite literally looking for Doggie Breakfast recipes. My very first recipe posted here was Breakfast of Champions, and I think its time for another. This is truly a dog’s breakfast – a smorgasbord of dog-friendly food items. The beauty of it is that you can probably make it out of leftovers. Or at least, you probably have the right stuff kicking around in your fridge. What I’m going to do here is tell you what is in this particular bowl of fun, and I’m also going to offer you other options/substitutions. This is a great every day meal, but dogs do need you to provide a variety of foods, so you just have to change some of the elements up every couple of days. Simply switch up the meats, carbs and veg. Don’t worry, this is not complicated!

This particular Dog’s Breakfast is about 1/3 meat/protein, 1/3 carbs and 1/3 fruit/veggies. You can play around with the ratios and tailor this recipe to suit your own dog. Some like more veg, some don’t eat carbs, etc. etc.

I used leftovers from our supper the night before: just toss ‘er into the dish. No need to make it pretty like my picture.

INGREDIENTS:
One cup of baked salmon.
One cup of cooked brown rice.
2 hard boiled eggs. (No yolk for my senior dog)
1 grated carrot
1/2 of an apple, chopped.

Sprinkle with parsley if you have it, it’s great for their breath. I sprinkle a bit of bone meal powder (from health food store) or ground egg shells for calcium supplementation.

You could simply cut the ingredients in half for a smaller dog, or serve it two days in a row. It tastes great at night too, breakfast for dinner and all that.

SALMON SUBSTITUTIONS:
One cup salmon = one cup of leftover rotisserie chicken, chopped turkey, beef, lamb. What did you have for supper last night?!

BROWN RICE SUBSTITUTIONS: 1 cup of cooked rice = one cup of cooked barley or even better a cup of cooked quinoa (a seed, not a grain).

CARROT SUBSTITUTIONS: 1 carrot, basically this is a cup when grated. You can use finely chopped spinach, or a cup of steamed/lightly cooked dog-friendly vegetables – there are lots to choose from.

APPLE SUBSTITUTIONS: 1/2 apple = about a 1/2 cup – try pineapple, strawberries or other fruits that are good for dogs.

Eggs are great for dogs, and very affordable. Very nutritious, high in protein & fat which dogs need. As I mentioned, use egg whites for older or less active dogs.

Happy Sunday!

I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist.  This recipe is not meant to replace a proper and balanced diet for your dog.  You should to speak to your own vet before trying new recipes or feeding any home cooked foods to your dog.

Chicken Jerky Treats – Safe For Your Dog?

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Hello to you and hello to the month of May!

For those of you who don’t know me well (or at all, for that matter),  the main reason I’ve created My Dog’s Breakfast is to inspire people to consider home cooking for dogs, by way of providing a variety of recipes that just might coax the wary into the kitchen, and to share recipes of interest with other home cookers.   I try to create recipes that are either easy, affordable, fun, festive, or a combination thereof.  The purpose of my website isn’t to slam the pet food industry and to chastise people about feeding their dogs processed food.  That’s not my way.   But today, be warned, I have to put on my serious face and talk just a little bit about shoddy pet food labels & pet food standards. Don’t even get me started on the topic of the stunning lack of regulations when it comes to pet food industry in general.  Even right here in Canada.

Over the years, people have become used to packaged and processed meals for themselves, and while lots of people are heeding the call to move back to cooking whole foods from scratch, that movement hasn’t really hit home yet in terms of how we feed our pets.  As an aside, I’m almost finished reading “Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture” (thanks for the recommend, Aunt Daphne), and the book reports on and analyzes a broad spectrum of goods, including food. You might want to pick it up, it’ll get you thinking.

The specific product I’m going to talk about may be cheap, but will it come at a high cost to you?   Continue reading →