I’m cooking home made meals and treats for my dogs.

The first batch of home made dog food was cooked up by myself yesterday, along with a tray of puppy kisses dog treats. Let me just say, they were both well-recieved!

Okay, I may have to rename these from puppy kisses to ”emoji turds” 🤣

The dogs don’t care what you call them, they think they are scrumptious! And the stew? Well, it was gobbled up with a seving of their normal kibble and they wanted more! I didn’t give them more, because I’m sticking to the amount that I read was what is correct for their weight, which is half a cup.

The research I did also says to mix it with the dry kibble that they are used to until you see how long it takes them to get used to the new food. Some say feed it to them mixed that way always, but I want them off the dry food eventually because that is what I feel is causing Brandy’s rashes and constant itching.

I followed a recipe from a site I found on Pinterest, changed the oil it called for to coconut oil, and substituted butternut squash for the rice. I want to keep the food grain-free if at all possible. The coconut oil is good for their skin and coats. Ground turkey is a perfect meat for this recipe, and the meat and frozen veggies are cheap. So in the long run, doing it this way should not only benefit the dogs, but also save us money. In addition, making a batch on Sunday gives them a weeks worth of food.

I will have to consult their vet to see how much I should feed them once we run out of dry dog food. If he advises to keep it to a twice daily 1/2C version, I’ll just give them a few more treats a day. Since they are home made and good for them, using natural ingredients like peanut butter, pumpkin, fruit, eggs, and maybe almond flour, I don’t have to worry about additives or preservatives that could be causing them health problems. That is the whole reason for this new way of feeding them in the first place!

I found so many easy recipes, I’ll be able to change it up often, so they don’t get tired of the same old thing. Just like us, dogs like variety in their diets. There is no seasoning in the stew except for turmeric, and nutritional yeast flakes. No salt, pepper, sugar, or herbs. Now, you may have noticed a little bit of corn in the stew. That’s because it was in the frozen veggie mix we chose, but I will be more selective the next time I shop.

This morning, I made another batch of treats attempting to make dog biscuits. They were not pretty, so I didn’t take a picture, but I made them with banana, pumpkin, almond flour, egg, water, and coconut oil. They ate them, so I guess they turned out ok! Now I have plenty of treats for a while. The only issue with making home made treats is that they have to be stored in the fridge. That means I can’t go to crazy, because we don’t have enough room to store more than a couple of batches. So I’m done for this week.

What do you think of my new venture? Comments or questions are welcome!

PS: My friend Stephanie says I should call it Kimmie’s Kibble & Treats! 😉