What's on the menu, mom?
Athena rarely gets human food, but I always check if it is safe for dogs when she does. Before having Athena, I didn't know that onions are harmful to our furry little friends. Everyone knows of the chocolate no-no but did you know that grapes aren't good for dogs either? Today I decided to create my own treats for Athena. Some of Athena's favorite human food snacks other than meat are zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers. I generally cut these into smaller bites to prevent them from choking. Some vegetables, such as bell peppers, contain healthy amounts of antioxidants beneficial to dogs.
While I typically meal prep the days before I go to work, today, I was inspired to make Athena some dog treats (Pinterest has been my friend). While researching recipes, I found that dog treats were reasonably easy to make and required little ingredients to do so. Unfortunately, dog treats can be quite pricey at times. All I used to make today's recipe was flour and baby food. Because I already had the flour, I only spent 2 dollars on carrot and sweet potato baby food. After today's large batch, I have at least one container left to make half of another set of treats.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Mix 2 cups of flour and 8 oz of baby food of your choice that is okay for dogs. Mix until you reach a dough consistency. If it is too runny, you can add additional flour. When the dough is too dry, you could always add more baby food or water. Place your dough on parchment paper and cut out your favorite shapes. I recommend doing this for a more crunchy treat. I used a cookie silicone baking sheet. While I like that middle is soft to have an overall more delicate treat, the treats are quite large. When using the parchment paper method, you can easily double the 15 treats that I made. Next, you want to bake 20-25 minutes. Once your goodies are all done, let them cool before giving them to your furry friend. Because they were made with natural ingredients, go ahead and give them a try if you want to see what your pupper is tasting. I remember when I went to Petco once, and they allowed us to try the dog treats. I'm glad to report the goodies that I made today were not poor. However, they were a tad bland, but I could taste the different flavors. Athena gives this treat recipe a 10/10. Enjoy!
Mutts about treats,
The Pawsitive Writer
