All Natural Pet Food Recipes you can make at home
You may not actually be a mother or father yet, but puppy/kitty parenthood is just as important (for the time being). That’s why you match each of your friends’ baby snaps with your own fur-baby Insta. And in order to be an enlightened pet parent, you should really feed your buddy the same quality of food you eat yourself—that means skipping the processed junk and crafting your own all-natural pet food instead. Bonus points for saving Mother Earth from unnecessary waste and pollution due to the packaging and shipping of store-bought pet food. Here are four dog and cat food recipes you can make at home just in time for Earth Day:
- Slow-cooker dog food [Life in Pearls and a Sports Bra]. You probably already use your slow-cooker for everything from overnight oats to vegan chili, so why not enlist its help for healthy, homemade dog food? This slow-cooker recipe calls for ingredients that you’d actually toss in the crockpot for yourself: fresh chicken, sweet potatoes and carrots, frozen green beans and peas, apples, and kidney beans. Throw it all together, set your slow-cooker on low while you’re at work, and then mash it all up into a blend that’s easy for your pup to eat.
- DIY homemade dog food [Damn Delicious]. Your canine needs way more protein than you do, about 50% of every meal, and this meticulous recipe caters specifically to doggy nutrient needs. It even comes with a food label that shows you exactly how many calories are in each serving (412.3), as well as what contributes to those calories. Brown rice, ground turkey, a blend of veggies, and heart-healthy olive oil converge in this nutrient-dense feast, perfect for your pup’s metabolism. An added bonus? You can make a huge batch and then freeze some of it, just like you probably already do with your own healthy recipes.
- Make-ahead doggie stew [SkinnyMs]. You could post a photo of this stew on Facebook, and no one would even question that it was for you. That’s how pretty and balanced this puppy chow is. It contains chicken and chicken livers for plenty of protein; carrots, green beans, peas, and apple for carbs and healthy sugar; and a dash of parsley and olive oil for healthy fat and flavor. Cheap and easy to make, this doggie stew is a perfect pick if your pup loves his chicken.
- Homemade cat food [LoveToKnow]. If you have felines at home, you can still craft a batch of all-natural grub for them. This website boasts Pinterest-worthy recipes containing just a handful of ingredients, like canned mackerel, sunflower seed oil, organic brown rice, and chicken broth. Another recipe requires only canned sardines, cooked carrots, and oatmeal. So if you don’t have much time or extra cash, you can still whip up a batch of fresh cat food and really make that #catlady hashtag count when you tweet a pic of the end result. If you can snap one before your cat gobbles it all up.