Brandon and I are not the only two producing plastic waste in this house, my dog (Shadow) does too! Reducing your pet’s plastic footprint in some ways is easy (try biodegradable poo bags!). But when it comes to dog food it can be hard. Not many of us have the time or the funds to make our own dog food. It helps to buy pet food in giant bulk bags that will last you for months (Shadow is currently chowing on Canyon Creek). Last year we started making our own dog treats. The ingredients are cheap and they take about 30 minutes to make! Give ’em a try:
What you will need:
1/2 cup ground meat (I used lamb from the butcher at Whole Foods, Turkey would work too)
1/2 cup shredded sweet potato
2 eggs
2 cups flour
Preheat your oven to 350 :O)
Start by shedding up your sweet potato. This requires some elbow grease!
Feel the burn!
Cook your sweet potato and ground lamb (or whatever meat you choose) until the meat is browned. Transfer this into a large bowl, with all the meat juice, and let cool 5 minutes.
Mix in the eggs. We realized we had no eggs in the house so we substituted a mixture of ground flax seed and water. 1 Tbs of flax + 3 Tbs water = 1 egg! Even if you have eggs you can add flax, it’s great for dogs!
Add flour until you get a nice sticky dough. We did not use nearly as much flour as the recipe calls for. If you add too much and the dough is dry and flaky just add a splash of water.
Arrange your treats in heaping tablespoons on a baking sheet (no need to grease). Cook at 350 until the bottoms brown and the treats are firm to the touch (20-24 minutes)
Ta Da!
Now for the ultimate test: What does my dog think??
Success!!! In fact, Shadow is OBSESSED with the snacks.
Yes, obsessed. He covets them more than any other store bought treat in the house. I guess Brandon and I are not the only ones who like fresh food! These treats will keep for a week in the refrigerator. We put ours in the freezer where you can keep them for up to 2 months. Shadow loves them frozen too!
Do you have any pet recipes you use for your fuzzy friends?
WasteWatchers 