Pigs-in-a-blanket for Dogs

"This little piggy went to market. This little piggy went to town. This little piggy had roast beef,This little piggy had none. And this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home - into Mochi's belly."

Pigs-in-a-blanket is one of my favorite appetizers/breakfast. It's so easy to make with Pillsbury crescent rolls and some cheddar mini sausages. Of course, I would never feed the things I eat to Mochi. I saw these graduates meat sticks when I was in the baby food aisle and the ingredients are better than those found in sausages that we eat. I looked up a pigs-in-a-blanket from scratch recipe to make my own dough. I omitted ingredients that aren't good for dogs (salt, sugar, butter) to make this healthy treat.

INGREDIENTS:

(7-8 pigs-in-a-blanket)

• 1 C. whole wheat flour (regular or white)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 C. grated cheddar cheese
• 1/3 C. water
• 2.5 oz jar of Gerber Graduates Lil' Sticks Meat (7 pieces)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil.

2. Sift the dry ingredients (flour through baking powder) into a mixing bowl

3. Add honey, olive oil, cheddar cheese, and water. Mix well and knead into dough ball.

4. Roll dough onto a rectangle surface (I used my 9 x 7 cutting board). Trim sides to get a rectangle.

5. Slice into fours then diagonally to make 8 triangles.

6. One at a time, roll up the sausages in the triangles. Place pointy side down on greased cookie sheet.

8. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until golden brown.

STORAGE:

After cooled, place in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Waiting until cooled is an important step; condensation can build and the moisture will cause treats to mold. Shorter shelf life because of meat stick.

Tip: Write date on plastic bag to keep track of expiration date.

Hearty Turkey Dinner Biscuit

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Hope you are all gobbling till you're wobbling. Don't forget about pooch for Thanksgiving! Here's a nice, tasty, dog biscuit that is wholesome, healthy, and is perfect for Thanksgiving.

Mochi is thankful for all her furry friends, toys that she has decapitated over the years, and lots of love from Erica (especially love in the form of food and cuddles).

INGREDIENTS:

(~50  1.5'' bones)

• 2 C. of whole wheat flour (regular or white)
• 1 C of oatmeal
• 1 jar of sweet potato baby food
• 1 jar of green bean baby food
• 1/2 lb lean ground turkey
• 1/2 C. cooked brown rice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.

2. Put ground turkey, sweet potato baby food, and green bean baby food  into a blender. Add a bit of water to get the blender going if you have too.

3. Pour turkey puree into a large bowl. Add oatmeal, brown rice, and flour. Dough will be sticky.

4a. Easy option: using a spoon, spoon out quarter sized dough and put on cookie sheet.

4b. Harder option: knead and roll dough. Use a doggy bone cutter to cut shapes out.

Or if you are me, do half hard and when you get lazy do the other half easy.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

STORAGE:

After cooled, place in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Waiting until cooled is an important step; condensation can build and the moisture will cause treats to mold. Shorter shelf life because of meat in the biscuit.

For longer shelf life: Store in freezer for up to 8 months. Take out enough for 2-3 days at a time.

Tip: Write date on plastic bag to keep track of expiration date.

Looks like Mochi's got a case of food coma!

Turkey Jerky & Green Beans

Adapted from petplace.com

 Out of shear laziness, I decided to make some turkey jerky while dehydrating green beans as a snack at the same time. Green beans are super easy, just wash, cut, and place on a cookie sheet right into the dehydrator or oven. In my case, an oven.

The turkey is a bit more work. I used some ground turkey, blended it with oil, and parsley and poured into a baking pan. These two simple foods are fantastic for your dog's health. Green beans are a good source of plant fibre, vitamin K, vitamin C, and manganese. It's a great weight management treat. Turkey is always a great source of lean protein.

Mochi was initially confused by the green beans. She spat it out and sniffed it. When I thought she was going to walk away from it, she picked it back up and started crunching on it. She loved em! I gave it a quick taste test too, not gonna lie, pretty tasty! Who would of thought green beans could taste so good on its own?

Looks like these treats are winner winner turkey dinner! Can one substitute one poultry for another?

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb of lean ground turkey
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 C. green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut in half

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven 225 degrees.

Turkey: (total bake time: 4 hours)

2. Puree turkey, parsley, and olive oil together in a blender.
3. Pour into a baking pan.
4. Bake in oven for 2 hours with door slightly open to let out moisture.
5. Flip over, use pizza cutter or knife to cut into individual pieces and bake for another 2 hours.
Tip: (learned this the hard way) use foil or parchment paper to ease clean up.


Green beans: (total bake time: 3 hours)
2. Place on cookie sheet.
3. Bake in oven alongside turkey jerky.
4. Flip every hour.
5. Green beans are done when crispy (approx 3 hours)

STORAGE:

Store in an airtight container in refrigerator after thoroughly cooled for up to 1 week.Waiting until cooled is an important step; condensation can build and the moisture will cause treats to mold.

For longer shelf life: Store in freezer for up to 8 months.
Tip: Write date on plastic bag to keep track of expiration date.