If you’re anything like us, you want to give your precious fur-babies the very best life you can. There are just not enough words to describe how much I care for our dog-child, Lilly. We recently had to lay Johnny’s dog, Frank, to rest and it was one of the hardest things we have had to endure as a couple. The emotional vulnerability that comes with losing a pet that you are extremely close to is hard to deal with. Frank was there for Johnny before I was! They enjoyed many beach trips together, and since I have been around for the past (almost) two years we have gone to the lake just about every weekend, with Frank as our captain. If either one of us caught a fish, Frank was the first to inspect it and decide whether it was a keeper or not. Most of the time he decided he should just eat the fish right there! Frank is laid in the ground on our acre of land on the farm; Johnny made him a cross and we take him wild flowers sometimes. Through the pain of losing a family member we have made even more of an effort to live in the moment and enjoy every bit of our Lilly. She is such a light in our lives. Just like a grandmother, when you care for someone you want to FEED them. You want them to eat well. Humans have a choice, we make decisions about what we eat. Dogs, on the other hand literally eat what they are given. That is why I started making Lilly’s food with REAL ingredients in the crock-pot. When I first heard my best friend Andi tell me this is what she does for her furbaby, my first thought was; “Lilly is an outside dog, she runs around on the farm, she is very athletic and could kill a bird or rabbit and just chow down, I don’t need to make her food for her.” But I chewed on the idea for more than a week, and I realized that Andi couldn’t be more right. Dog food you find in the grocery store is packed with animal by-products and grains, this not what we should be putting our dogs bodies if we truly care about them. Even the “better” dog food like Blue Buffalo is a highly processed product and for the price of that food it’s not so strange to consider buying organic ingredients to make your own. As crazy as it sounds to make food for your dog it can seriously ADD YEARS TO THEIR LIVES. It’s also a plus that its VERY easy to do, and you could potentially make several months-worth of food in just a few days.
Here’s the recipe! (Thanks Andi!)
Ingredients:
3lbs Chicken Thighs
1 Can Organic Sweet Peas
1 Sweet Potato
1 Can Organic Carrots
1 Can Organic Beans (Kidney, Black, or Pintos)
1 Apple
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
Directions:
Put all ingredients except olive oil in crockpot for 8-9 hours on low.
Mash together with 2 tbs. olive oil.
Measure out 1/4-1/2 cup size servings and freeze.
I recommend mixing in their regular dry food with it and gradually wean out the dry food slowly over a weeks time. I recommend doing this because switching food abruptly could cause stomach issues, so to be on the safe side don’t forget this step!
Enjoy your pup for as long as you can! Little moments make the big ones, so always be present with them!
The Humble Homeplace 