Green Smoothies … for dogs?

As a favour to myself, once the holidays — and all of the eating of holiday treats — were over with, I indulged in a raw fruit and veggie detox. It began as something I would do for a week. That felt so good, I extended it to two weeks. Now, here we are three full weeks into January, about to start a fourth week, and I’m still loving it so I’m still sticking with it, and one of the best things about it are my daily Green Smoothies.

I love these things!

As is always the case when anyone is in the kitchen and working with food, The Pack assumes it’s something for them. So they hover. And by hover I mean lay across my feet, cling to my legs, drool profusely . . . whine, shake with excited anticipation . . .

I am more than happy to share these tidbits because raw fruits and veggies are great for dogs! And, of course, my dogs love them. Well, one day while I was preparing and they were hovering, I wondered how they would like all of these tidbits blended up in their own Green Smoothie.

Dog’s have very short digestive tracks, which is why any raw veggie should be cut up small for them to begin with, or it will just pass through without the dog really benefiting from any of the nutrients, so I figured grinding it all up into an easy-to-digest pulp could only benefit them in the best possible way. So that’s what I did — I made extra and shared my smoothie with them. And they loved it! Now they get a nutrient-rich Doggie Green Smoothie every day, and this morning, as my daughter and I were watching The Pack play with an energy that is nothing short of awe-inspiring (and destructive as my daughter’s broken lamp will attest to), she idly suggested that maybe these Green Smoothies were a little too good for them. :)

I’ll post a list of the ingredients I use in case anyone would like to try it for their own dogs. Just remember: No grapes (though I don’t know anyone who puts grapes in a smoothie, but I like to be safe) and no avocados.

The Waggery‘s Green Smoothie

2 apples
2 cucumbers
3 celery stalks
2 large fistfuls of baby spinach
Several Kale and/or Swiss Chard leaves
A handful of dandelion leaves
1/2 cup of parsley

Occasionally I’ll add a frozen banana or a handful of berries (straw, blue or rasp). Just experiment and have fun with it!

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French Toast For Dogs

They say that variety is the spice of life, and I think that applies to dogs as well. Or at least it should. I am constantly amazed that the notion of feeding our dogs “kibble, only kibble, and always the same kibble for as long as they shall live” ever got off the ground. Let alone that pet care professionals actually advise such a feeding regiment.

Proof of very good, very savvy pet food marketing, I guess. But can you imagine being forced to eat the same thing day after day after day? At the very least I would like to see dog owners being encouraged to top their canine kibble off with something different every now and then.

My dogs eat a variety of healthy foods, though I am very careful when offering something new. In that case, I err on the side of caution and begin by giving just very small amounts until I know their tummies can handle it.  For the most part, however, they eat from a wide range of foods that they are all familiar and fine with; I just mix them up so there is variety.

This morning I topped off The Fab Five’s breakfast with some yummy French toast. Doggie style, of course (which means NO NUTMEG as nutmeg can cause seizures in dogs).

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 slices whole grain bread

Whisk egg and egg whites until foamy. Add milk, vanilla and cinnamon; whisk again.

Use non-fat spray to coat your skillet (a non-stick grill is great too!), and warm over medium-low heat. Dip the bread into the egg mixture, turning to coat thoroughly, and let any excess mixture drip back into the bowl.

Cook your coated bread slices in the hot skillet, turning until both sides are nicely browned, about 2 minutes each side.

And voilà!

I make French toast that way for myself and the rest of the family, so it’s easy to just use more of the ingredients and be able to include the dogs.  Just NO NUTMEG!!

Of course dogs don’t need syrup or sugary jams, or anything like that either. If you want to top your dog’s toast off with something a little extra special, use pieces of sliced fruit (apples, bananas, strawberries), a dollop of plain yogurt*,  or drizzle a bit of organic honey. Just keep it natural and healthy!

* When using yogurt for dogs, make sure it’s not artificially sweetened. Artificial sweeteners are not good for dogs, and some are toxic. Naturally sweetened with honey is the best, and I always make sure it’s probiotic as well.

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TEMPEtation!

I had some time on my hands last night (which, translated, means I was too tired to do much of anything ;) so I decided to get a jumpstart on today, and bake some dog cookies.

I chose one of my easier recipes (Crunchy Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread) and went to work, doggie helpers in tow of course.  The first batch was for Nissa, which means they had to be made in tiny bite size pieces, and my dogs would just inhale those through their nostrils so they didn’t get to try any — a true test in patience, let me tell you. Dresden and Oreo were doing their usual clinging to my legs, Dresden trembling and whining, and Oreo just whining; Tempe was drooling up a storm at my feet, and both Kaylee and Toby were doing their best to impress: lying at the kitchen door, just watching and waiting.

Batch #2 finally makes it into the oven and the cookies are barely in five minutes when some very strange sounds start coming from the oven. The bright sparks and flames were the most troublesome, however, as the element basically disintegrated itself.

Great!

I turned off the oven, and looked to the five expectant doggie faces. How to explain?

I decided to leave the cookies where they were so I could finish baking them today, once I had a new element. It was a good thing actually that I had chosen to make these particular cookies because the dough was mostly baked at this point (I bake it like bread first, let it cool, slice it, then bake the bread-shaped pieces) and all I was doing at the time of the Great Element Debacle was making them crunchy.

As I cleaned up, I told The Fab Five in great detail what had happened, and how this was something beyond my control, and although I realized that it would be disappointing to them in the extreme, there would be no freshly baked Crunchy Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread cookies tonight.

*Insert five confused doggie expressions as I turned out the lights and exited the kitchen*

For the rest of the evening, they did their best to communicate their confusion to me as they pouted, drooled (that would be Tempe), whined, scratched at my leg, and worriedly paced from me to the kitchen and back again. Clearly my explanation had not been enough.

Once bedtime rolled around, however, the lack-of-freshly-baked-cookies situation had been accepted, and everyone went to bed. Well, everyone except for Tempe. She just couldn’t let it go, and I kept hearing her get out of her bed and go downstairs — I knew she was checking on the cookies. That’s her self-appointed job, you see. She opens the oven door and checks on them. I even had to teach her how to close it on command, because sometimes she’ll check on them while they’re in the middle of baking.

At 3:21 she couldn’t take it anymore. She came and woke me up. By this point, her cookie concern was just bigger than her, I guess, because while she does come and check on me through the night, she saves the face washing for about 6:00 AM, when it’s actually time to get up. But here it was, 3:21 AM, and I was getting my face, neck, arm — anything she could find — incessantly washed. I told her to go back to bed, rolled over, and promptly rolled back again two minutes later when a huge crash sounded from downstairs.

It’s funny how a baking sheet full of cookies falling on ceramic tiles sounds just like you would imagine it would sound.

So that’s what I was doing at 3:23 AM this morning — cleaning broken, partially baked dog cookies off my kitchen floor. Fortunately she pulled out the bottom sheet only, which had much fewer cookies on it. They were the leftovers that didn’t fit on the cookie sheet that was on the top rack.

Knowing she’d probably crossed a line — or twelve — once I had everything cleaned up Tempe sheepishly followed me back upstairs and laid on the floor beside me instead of returning to her bed. By 5:00 AM she was gone, however, and according to my daughter when she went down into the kitchen around 6:15, the oven door was wide open and Tempe was lying on the floor underneath it. Guardian of the Cookies :)

There is a routine to cookie baking, and Tempe knows it. She respects it. She expects us all to follow it and isn’t afraid to let us know when we’re not doing it right. Even now, she’s laying in the kitchen, no doubt wondering what sort of madness could have caused me to veer so unexpectedly away from the routine. Just for her though I’m trying to finish baking some of the cookies in the toaster oven. I just don’t think she’d be able to get through the day otherwise.

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Festive Baking For Dogs

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

It’s fun to bake for our dogs, but do your four-legged friend a favour and when adding those festive extras, like frosting, keep the sugar to a minimum.

Here are two great icing recipe ideas that are a better alternative to those loaded with confectioner’s sugar.

Yummy Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces nonfat cream cheese warmed to room temperature
2 teaspoons honey

Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Frost cookies with a spatula or fill a pastry bag fitted with a fine tip and pipe onto cookies.

Basic Dipper Icing

3 cups yogurt chips (found at health food stores)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Melt the yogurt chips and add vegetable oil. Dip the tips of the cookies into the icing and place on a sheet of waxed paper to dry.

If it’s a bonny green icing you’re looking for, opt for the healthier spinach powder rather than traditional food colouring. One teaspoon full should do the trick! :)

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‘Tis the season…

to bake cookies!

These are, of course, dog cookies :)

On the left we have peanut butter & honey santas, the right is a milk bone Christmas tree, and on the bottom a yummy carob reindeer.

I have lots more all packaged up and ready to be shipped off to those who ordered them, and I have to say it’s been lots of fun baking for all these other dogs! I just wish I could be there to watch each and every one of them enjoy their Pampered Paws treats.

As it is the season for holiday baking, I’ve been seeing quite a few dog cookie recipes floating around the Internet, and while I love that so many people are rolling up their sleeves and baking for their beloved four-legged companions, I’m also quite concerned by all the recipes that contain ingredients that are not only bad for dogs, but could also have serious — even deadly — consequences.

Here’s a quick Christmasey list of  no-no ingredients:

CHOCOLATE:

I’m sure everyone must know by now that chocolate (more specifically, the theobromine found in chocolate) can be deadly for dogs.

Theobromine is a stimulant (much like caffeine) and with their much slower metabolic systems, dogs (as well as cats and horses) are unable to swiftly and efficiently process the theobromine, allowing for a chemical build-up that can be deadly.

The darker the chocolate, the higher the content of theobromine.

Not only should chocolate be avoided in dog food/treat recipes, it should be kept far, far out of reach of curious canines! Carob, on the other hand, is perfectly safe for dogs. And they love it!

Should your dog consume chocolate, see your veterinarian right away!

Symptoms include: diarrhea, vomiting and muscles spasms.

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WALNUTS & MACADAMIA NUTS:

Walnuts (both the meat and hulls) can cause moderate to severe digestive problems that don’t show up until a day or two after consumption.

Macadamias have been known to cause weakness and muscle tremors.

Best to avoid these nuts completely.

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XYLITOL:

Found in artifical sweeteners. Dogs don’t need their treats sweetened, but if you feel the need to do so, use organic honey instead.

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NUTMEG:

While great on eggnog, it can cause seizures in dogs. Leave it out of all dog treat recipes!

HAPPY BAKING!

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