Your Own Recipes For Dog Food Is Better Than The Bag!
I have to admit that before I got involved with my own recipes for my dog food, I was just like everyone else out there. I would realize I was low on dog food and then get in my car and grab a bag at my local store. Now that I have more knowledgeable about what gets put in the bag, I make my own recipes for dog food.
Prepackaged Has Been Around, But Let’s Try One Of Our Own
Did you know that prepackaged dog food has only been around for about 100 years? Ever since it was put on the shelf, we seem to have forgotten that homemade is better than the prepackaged stuff. Dogs have been around for centuries and survived just fine on table scraps and other foods right from the kitchen. Making your own recipes for your dog should be just as important as making recipes for your human family. Let’s start with a simple recipe to get going.
Beef & Cabbage Salad
Ingredients:
- Quarter cup of parsley
- 5 cooked potatoes (use small or young potatoes)
- Whole cup of beef (cooked well)
- Half a cabbage (shred the cabbage first)
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- Quarter cup of balsamic vinegar
- Egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon of mustard or Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon of garlic (minced finely)
- 1 cup of olive oil
Steps:
1. Create the dressing for this salad by combining egg yolk and all the other ingredients, except the cabbage and potatoes.
2. Arrange the pieces of cabbage and sliced potatoes on a plate. Add the beef next.
3. Pour the dressing over the finished salad and serve.
We Know Nutrition, But Your Dog Doesn’t
When you fill up your dog’s bowl, he usually runs over and starts eating his little heart out. When you fill up your kid’s bowl, he probably does the same. Of course your 5 year old and dog don’t understand the value of nutrition, but we do as adults. There are so many additives and preservatives in our foods today and we are becoming more aware about what it is doing to our bodies. We eat healthier by eating less fast food and prepackaged foods that that our bodies don’t need. So why are we still feeding food that is of poor quality and of little nutritional value to our family pets?
Homemade Always Trumps Store Bought
We need to realize that the dog food industry’s recipes for dog food uses are actually very poor. This is why homemade recipes should be the way to go. Many of the homemade recipes for your dog out there involve raw human grade foods that we already have in our kitchens. In addition, they are easy to follow and offer a wide variety of flavors. Variety is good and you like to change it up at times. Why shouldn’t your dog get the same to do the same? You quality recipes should contain some good fats and/or oils and be low in sugar. Whenever it’s possible, substitute sugar with molasses or honey.
Relax; You Know What Your Dog Is Eating: Your Home Cooking!
If you follow the same nutritional guidelines for recipes for your dog that you would follow to feed your family, you will provide a substantially higher amount of nutrition that they normally wouldn’t receive. Take charge and control the amount of salt, sugar, carbohydrates, fats and so on, that you can manage when preparing these meals. Knowing what is in the food your pooch is eating is comforting; especially when you don’t know exactly what is in the package food you buy at the pet store. Yes, I know you read the ingredients, but there are no restrictions as to how the label can read and there is no law stating that the dog food companies must be specific in what they list on the label. When you are making the meals, there are no hidden surprises. You can add this to your recipes for dog food:
Beef & Veggie Pie
Ingredients:
- Whole cup of chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1 commercial pie crust (nine inches)
- 1 egg (hard-boiled; remove the shell and slice)
- Half cup of beef (ground, low fat)
- Two cups of cooked brown rice
- 1 teaspoon of parsley
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- Whole cup of broccoli
- 1 tablespoon of canola oil
Steps:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes in a pan or skillet. Add the oil before adding the vegetables.
3. Combine the vegetables with the spices (thyme, oregano, parsley).
4. Dissolve the cornstarch before adding to the chicken stock.
5. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the pie crust. Pour the chicken stock, too.
6. Bake the pie for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Now What?
So what do we do now? I’m sure that the dog food companies could come up with food that is healthier and has more nutrition that what they have now. I’m also sure that there would be a price to pay if we could get them to do that. Better food ingredients and food preparation would result in higher production costs that would be pushed onto the consumers. So stop going to your local pet store and get in that kitchen! Let’s make our own recipes for dog food so we know that our best friend is getting the best meal he deserves!
