Thursday, July 16, 2009

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap


Prepping for my parents moving sale and helping them put their house on the market has been kickin' my butt this week. It's almost like working a part time job. I have the morning to get all my work at home done and then the afternoon is filled with sorting and pricing and organizing and running errands and all kinds of stuff.

Along with that we are training and breaking in our new sweet dog Tucker. He's had a few accidents that were purely our fault because we weren't able to read the "Dude, I have to pee!" signals that he was giving us. I think we finally have it figured out but not without a few spot removal treatments on my carpet.


Having a dog has been an education in itself. It's amazing how much cruddy food and treats there are out there and a poorly fed dog can result in some seriously expensive vet bills. So we've opted for a pricier and higher quality dog food in an effort to avoid exorbitant health care costs. And while we're willing to pay a bit more for good food, I've found that I can make healthy and nutritious dog treats for a pennies, saving us even more money. And since we're in training mode, dog treats are very important at this point.

So here's a great doggy treat recipe. These can be stored in the freezer if you make a big batch, or in an airtight container for about a week. The ingredients are thrifty and nutritious and Tucker gave us several happy licks of gratefulness.

Homemade Doggy Treats

2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 egg, beaten
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 jars strained baby food (, any flavor, all natural and no preservatives)

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. In a large bowl combine all ingredients together and make a thick dough. Knead on a slightly floured surface for about 4 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth. Sprinkle a little more flour over the dough to make rolling easy. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters or a small drinking glass to cut out shapes. Bake on a ungreased cookie sheet for about 2o minutes. Let doggie biscuits cool for at least 1/2 hr before serving.

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13 comments:

Amy @ Finer Things said...

Dog treats are so expensive! Might have to try this...

FYI -- If you put in a help ticket at Mr. Linky they will get you on the new server where everything is working smoothly. I just did that today. Customer service was FAST. I was done in minutes. :)

Jackie said...

What a sweet, sweet dog! How they become family so fast!

Amy Green said...

I have 4 big dogs and they are my kids. Spoiled, too. They have bedtime treats, wake-up treats, and just because mom loves them treats. (No, they're not fat!!) Walks everyday and a plethora of beds in various shapes and sizes. I have made them birthday cakes and treats....your recipe looks like it's a healthy alternative to MANY of the treats on the market. Great recipe.

BTW - The cashier at Bed, Bath, & Beyond tried to sell me some Plinko garbage disposal cleaner and I didn't need to buy it because of your handy household recipe last week. Thanks!!

Unknown said...

I would love to know what kind of dog food you decided on. We just got a puppy last week and I have been trying to figure out what is best for her, and the brand she was eating at the breeder is not a good one. I need to phase it out into something better!

Hoosier Homemade said...

The puppy is a cutie! We are babysitting a puppy right now that isn't housebroken, we are working with him though.
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz

Georgi said...

The best part is that it is very low sodium, which is great for those of us who have older dogs. Thank you!

Gayle said...

Rebekah,

We use a brand called Nutri-source.

turtleracing4 said...

We don't have a dog, but yours is cute! Thanks for hosting this recipe swap- it is one of my favorites!

Anonymous said...

Hello darling! Your dog looks adorable. I'm not sure what kind of food you are feeding him, but I have been told by many people that Blue Buffalo is the best. I know that they sell it at places like Petsmart. Anyway, I love your blog and I have used several of the recipes you have posted. THey have been very helpful to my family. Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

you can add garlic to your mix to help keep the fleas and ticks off him, or just add garlic capsules to his food. we use the capsules we also put in a fish oil cap to keep him shiny and healthy

Anonymous said...

We are going to have to try these treats!

Also, my grandmother swore by brewers yeast tablets with garlic (available at health food stores) as a preventative for fleas. Her dogs never had fleas, and we've been able to avoid them, even living in Georgia! My dogs think these are treats, too. The B-vitamins in the brewers yeast is great for their energy.

Anonymous said...

Lil' Sis, Tell us how the rest of the weekend went. What other lessons did Tucker learn? And what other lessons did the family learn about dogs? i think there was something about peperoni....LOL

Mommyto3andahusky said...

Great recipe! Thanks!