We are still slogging through the latter dog days of summer and as such, I’ve had to really watch my pups in the heat. They are only allowed to go out and take care of business, not sunning themselves on the back deck or on the patch of artificial grass that I’ve had set in the landscape for them. I remain concerned about their well being and decided to create a recipe for homemade dog food.
I confess that I got the idea when I was watching an episode of Martha Knows Best, a mini series Martha Stewart put together for television that aired from her farm where she and a handful of helpers are isolating. A lot of the show centered around her amazing garden which I remain wildly envious of. I believe it was during a doggy care episode that Martha remarked that she was preparing her dogs food from scratch, inspired by vegetables she was harvesting from her garden.
After I got over asking myself the eternal question of: Is there anything in the domestic arts that Martha can’t do? I decided to make my own homemade dog food.
And the answer to that question is, of course, no, there is nothing in the domestic arts that Martha Steward cannot do. She’s perfect. Get over it. I have.
So, the recipe below is designed to be prepared in an Instapot but you can always make the rice on a stove top or in the oven. I use the Instapot because, like my slow cooker, I don’t have to deal with extra heat coming from the kitchen and it takes on all sorts of protein scraps and bits of flavoring.
Homemade Doggy Food
Ingredients:
2 cups brown rice
2 cups cut on carrots, raw
1 cup frozen peas
4 cups leftover meat, chicken, turkey bits, whatever you have on hand or have collected in the freezer.
Method:
For the Instapot: Place 2 cups of dry brown rice and 5 cups of water into the vessel. Add in the carrots and cook on pressure setting for 21 minutes. Once the Instapot is vented, carefully remove the lid and stir in the peas and the meat bits. If using another method, prepare the brown rice as you normally do and add in the carrots about half way through the cooking process. You can also microwave them in a bit of water for about 10 minutes until tender, drain the water and add them in separately. Add in the peas and meat bits while the rice is hot. Store in serving sized containers or freeze for an hour in a large baking dish and cut into squares to store in containers before freezing completely. Thaw for four hours before serving to your beloved pet. I usually warm up the meal slightly before serving. My dogs are that special.
thefrugallife 