Acorn Squash Sweet Treat!

I made some acorn squash for ME but did not put any oil/butter or sugar because I am trying to stay away from those ingredients and I just did not like it without the sweetness so instead of composting it, I just made some treats for the dogs!

1 cooked acorn squash *
1 apple peeled
1 teaspoon blueberry flax seed
1 egg
1 T peanut butter powder
dash of cinnamon
1/2 cup frozen cherries (defrosted)
sprinkle of pumpkin seeds

Put everything in food processor (but not the pumpkin seeds) and blend until well mixed.

Put on a tray lined with foil and spray with coconut oil.

Sprinkle ground up pumpkin seeds on top (you don't have to do this)

Cook at 375 for 45 minutes

*  cooking acorn squash:  have someone strong cut in half and take out the seeds.  Spray some oil on the flesh and cook at 375 for like 45 minutes in a square dish with a little water in it.

Cherry Tricker!

  Even though I have been home cooking for six years, I sometimes buy treats for my Bichons for my husband to give to them. For some reason, my husband rather open a crunchy bag than grab a homemade treat in the frig (possibly cause the frig is packed with food he could not find the treats if his life depended on it)!

Because I just had my gall bladder out, I went to Petsmart and bought a few "special" treats for hubby to give the dogs while I was recouperating.  Gosh, it is so tempting walking down the treat aisle.  All the food companies have such enticing packaging, you want to buy one of everything!

Well I purchased some Blue Buffulo Kitchen Craving Homestyle Beef Sausages.  I was attracted to them cause they were soft and since one of my bichons, Snow lost 20 teeth, all my treats for him must be soft.  I triple checked the ingredients to make sure it had NO poultry of any kind, since my other Bichon, Bella is allergic to poultry products.

I started giving them the treats two days prior to surgery and Snow on two occasions pooped in the house.  I thought that was VERY strange because he does not poop in the house but I had no idea why he pooped.  Over the course of my recovery, he continued to poop in the house and then it FINALLY dawned on me, it was the Blue Bufalo treats!!!  Some of the questionable ingredients were:  gelatin, vegetable glycerin and skim milk,  I never ever give my dogs milk and do not suggest you give your dogs milk.

Anyway, today I returned all the treats and just made up a new treat for my babies using a new ingredient, cherries!  This is a sweet treat but I trick them by putting in a cup of kale for a punch of fiber, calcium, potassium and vitamin E!

2 cups uncooked oats
 1  1/2 t flax/pumpkin powder*
2 t peanut butter powder**
1/2 t cinnamom

1 cup uncooked kale

4 oz unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup frozen cherries (double check for pits even though they are pitted) You can buy at Costco
1 egg

Coconut Oil Spray

Put the oats, flax/pumpkin powder and peanut butter powder in food processor and process until it resembles flour.  Pour into a dish and reserve.

Put the Kale in the processor and process until it is tiny in size.

Mix the apple sauce, cherries and egg to the kale and the pour in the reserved flour mixture and process together until combined.

Get a small baking pan, line it with foil and spray with Coconut Oil.  Pour mixture into pan, do not spread out too much. I like to have my treats thick, so I only spread out some.

Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 23 minutes.  This is NOT a hard treat but a nice soft treat.

Remove from pan, cool and then cut into squares and freeze in pan.  Once frozen, you can put in a plastic freezer bag and since they were frozen the treats will not stick together.

I have a tubberware in frig that I keep around 8 treats at a time and take more out from freeze when I need to replenish.


*flax seed/pumpkin seed powder:  I get 1/2 cup of flax seeds (I use the blueberry flax seeds from Trader Joes) and put 1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds and blend them together in my Vitamix.  I store the powder in my freezer and put in all my recipes. It is great way to add  anti-oxidants and essentail amino acids.

** Peanut butter is high fat and does should not have a lot of fat but they love peanut butter.  Peanut butter powder is relatively new on the market, it has all the taste of peanut butter with like 80% less fat!  You can find it at Walmart and Target where they sell peanut butter.

September Sweet Treat

September Sweet Treat!

My last child just started her first day of her last year in high school!  Every year when school starts, I start my baking.  Today I made a pumpkin coffee cake that is calling my name right now but needs to cool off before I cut into it.  The recipe only called for 1 cup of pumpkin puree so I had an extra cup of pumpkin to do something with, so of course I make something for my babies!

Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cup of oats

1/2 t ground flax seed

1/2 t ground pumpkin seed

1/2 t cinnamon

4 oz unsweetned applesauce

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)!

2 teaspoons of melted coconut oil

1 small smashed banana

Put the oats and next three ingredients in food processor and mix until it resembled oat flour.  Add everything else and mix until well incorporated.

Put on a pan that is lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 for aprx 25 minutes.  I do NOT spread the batter too thin because I don't like crunchy treats for my dogs

** all my treats are NOT hard but like a soft cookie because on of my bichons is missing 21 teeth!

Lake house sweet treat

I am on vacation at our lake house but even though it's a vacation the dogs need to eat. Luckily I have a food processor at this house because all my dog food goes through a food processor. Here's a little treat that I have in the oven now and if you don't have any of the ingredients you can substitute. 

Before I share the recipe I would like to point out that some people have told me they are getting recipes from Pinterest.  Just because you see a recipe online and especially if it looks so pretty shaped like a dog biscuit it does not mean it is healthy for your dog. If you see a recipe that has baking soda that is unnecessary for your dog. If you see a recipe that has milk do not use that recipe, dogs can get sick having milk. If you see a recipe that has a lot of carbs like flour AND oats do not use that recipe dogs do not need a lot of grains. If you see a recipe that you add salt don't use that recipe dogs do not need salt dogs can get sick having salt. If you see a recipe that has any form of sugar natural sugar or artificial sweetener do not use that recipe. Dogs can die if they ingest xylitol. Dogs do not need to have sugar. Sugar is bad for humans as well as dogs. You can sweeten any recipe with a little fruit  for instance applesauce. 

My philosophy when making treats is to pack fruits and or vegetables in it so they are getting some nutritional value. This particular recipe I am sharing is a sweet recipe. 

1 1/2 cups of dried oats that you make into oat flour in the food processor

1 1/2 carrots processed into little 

bits

2 teaspoons melted extra virgin coconut oil

Ground pumpkin seed and flaxseed 1 teaspoon each. (I keep a combined mixture of this in my freezer and pull it out to put in all my recipes)

2 teaspoons fennel leaves

3/4 ripe banana

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

One egg

3 tablespoons powdered peanut butter mixed with one and a half tablespoons of water

Line a small tray with Reynolds wrap and put some coconut oil* on it so the mixture will not stick. 

Put all ingredients in a food processor to mix well. Then pour onto prepared pan and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. These are not hard treats they are soft. 

Allow to cool and cut into small squares. Put some in refrigerator in a Tupperware and the rest put in the freezer. 

* this is additional coconut oil coconut or listed in the ingredients goes into the mixture. 

I cook for my doggies cause I love my doggies!

Lamb stew

Lamb neck bones
coconut oil to  sear lamb
1 raw sweet potato diced
1 raw green zuchinni diced
2 raw yellow squash diced
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon tumeric
enough water to cover the pot
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup blueberries
2 teaspoons blueberry flax seed
2 teaspoons ground pumpkin seed

Sear the lamb neck bones in the coconut oil until browned.  Add the sweet potato, zuchhine, squash garlic and tumeric along with the water.  Simmer for at least two hours.

Take the neck bones out and debone and discard the bones and the fat.
Put the cooled drained veggies in a food processor along with the lamb and blueberries and flax seed and pumpkin seed.

Add the puree back to the liquid along with the quinoa.

Power Packed Snack!!!

I always get inspired going to a pet store and reading the ingredients on the back of those enticing snacks!  Most of the time I am just shaking my head, the first ingredient is flour and then one fruit and then stuff you can not pronounce and why do they always add salt to the food?  I NEVER EVER add salt; my food taste good because of the wholesome ingredients I add.

2 cups of uncooked oats
1 teaspoon of pumpkin seeds (ground up)*
1 teaspoon of blueberry flax seed (ground up)*
2 cooked beets (I buy at Costco)
2 teaspoons of powdered peanut butter (can substitute regular peanut butter)
1 banana
1 egg
2 teaspoons extra virgin coconut oil
1/3 cup blueberries
1 shredded apple (skin removed)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

Place oats in food processor and mix until it resembles flour.  Add all other ingredients.  Get a small tray (like the size of a toaster oven tray) and place foil on the tray and spray with oil.  Pour mixture onto tray and bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

I like my treats like a soft cookie.  After they cool, I cut up and place a few in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer.


*I get the pumpkin seeds and flax seeds and blend them in my Vitamix together and place in a freezer container.  Whenever I need any, I just grab from freezer.  You don't want to keep pumpkin seeds out or they can get rancid.  Freezer is great and they do not solidify because of the oils.