Healthy Dog Treats

Taking a break from the past 2 serious blog posts to post something fun. What does this have to do with yoga? Animals are our teachers and all of us who have pets know how deeply we bond with these critters that embody the principle of agape! It is important for their health that we feed them healthy food and it's fun and usually cheaper to make it ourselves! I make my dog's food from scratch as well as many of his treats. When I buy treats, I look for gluten free AND sugar free, and locally made whenever possible. You really need to check packaging carefully, b/c often treats that are marketed as gluten free actually have sugar in them! Dogs do not need wheat or sugar. And while, some dogs may be fine consuming them - others can develop an intolerance. Not to mention that many breeds of dog are prone to certain types of cancer. Cancer feeds on sugar. So why feed your dog sugar?

Here are 2 snack recipes for yummy dog treats. One is the famous pupcake recipe I've already shared with many of you (adapted from http://www.k9instinct.com/blog/grain-free-peanut-butter-and-banana-pupcakes - They include a recipe for icing on this site which I never make, b/c it's an unnecessary extra step and it makes it harder to store them). The second recipe is my own recipe for doggie ice cream treats - great for after a walk in the hot summertime! It may be obvious - but both of these recipes are entirely appropriate for human consumption as well....As you can see from the picture above, my pup is pretty happy about these treats! Pupcakes (Makes 12 pupcakes) 2 softened bananas - mashed up in a bowl 1 cup peanut butter 3 eggs 1/4 c cottage cheese 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 coconut flour (I have also substituted brown rice flour and both work fine!) 1 tsp raw honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cupcake tray with liners or spray with canola oil. Using a hand mixer, blend all the wet ingredients in a large bowl, then add flour and baking soda and blend until everything is mixed. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 way full. Don't forget to let your puppies lick the beaters! Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool. You can freeze or refrigerate these in a ziploc bag. Doggie Ice Cream (Makes about 8 Dixie cups) 16 oz of plain nonfat or low fat yogurt (1/2 a big container!) 2 soft bananas 1 Tbsp of local honey (or less if desired - you can also substitute molasses or maple syrup) 1/2 - 2/3 cup peanut butter - play with the amount

Mix it all up in a blender and freeze in Dixie cups (fill about 3/4 full). You can cover with plastic wrap add a popsicle stick if you like to the center. It will get pretty hard. I just freeze in cups and then thaw for about 20 seconds in the microwave to soften before spooning into their doggie dishes! YUM YUM YUM!