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Mocha and I both love Bocce’s Bakery’s biscuits (I love them because they are organic and healthy – Mocha loves them because they taste so good)… and we are excited about the new flavor that Bocce’s Bakery announced today:
And, for a limited time, Bocce’s Bakery is offering free shipping on all biscuit orders!
I have been noticeably absent from the blog lately, so instead of prolonging the silence I wanted to report that I will be taking somewhat of a blog staycation. I will still post, but with less frequency than previously and my posts will be smaller (quick little snippets of design, pet, products I love, etc…). So things may look and feel a little different!
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I love cookbooks. I have more than I need; and I also score pretty food blogs for even more recipes. Between the cookbooks I have, the recipes I have printed and bookmarked I have way more recipes than I could possibly hope to make in my lifetime. However, that doesn’t stop me from finding more cookbooks and recipes and food blogs.
I just got Alicia Silverstone’s cookbook, The Kind Diet, which is Alicia’s approach to a vegan lifestyle. I am not a vegan, but I can appreciate the healthy recipes in Alicia’s book nonetheless. Some of the recipes I marked in the book are Barley Casserole, Hearty Pinto Bean Stew, Peach Crumble, Clean, Mean Burritos, and Quinoa with Basil and Pine Nuts. Alicia uses brown rice syrup as the sweetener in many of her recipes, and as I am trying to diversify from agave (I will still use it, but I want to vary my healthy sweeteners more) I am looking forward to trying brow rice syrup. Most recently, I have been using dates, date sugar, and stevia as switch ups for agave; I like all three of these sweeteners so far, but am willing to add yet another.
On Saturday, John was jonesing for chocolate, so I decided to whip up some chocolate cupcakes for him. I used Elana’s recipe for chocolate cupcakes that are make from coconut flour, and since I had just received and finished reviewing The Kid Diet, I made the chocolate frosting from the book – Fudge Frosting is what Alicia calls it. The cupcakes turned out absolutely delicious! Here is the recipe for the Fudge Frosting so you can make it yourself:
1/2 cup Earth Balance (I use the soy-free one)
1/2 cup agave
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup soy milk powder (I didn’t have any so I just left this out)Use a mixer to cream the butter together with the agave in a mixing bowl until very smooth. Add the vanilla and half the cocoa, mix on a low speed to combine. Then add remaining cocoa powder and beat on a medium-high setting until fluffy. If it is runny, refrigerate the frosting until it sets up.
Alicia also has a website companion for the book, thekindlife.com, which is basically Alicia’s blog that covers food, health, house, style, and environment in relation to her lifestyle philosophy. I have not checked out he website in detail yet, so I cannot tell you much more.
I mentioned dog food in the title of this post because Alicia dog address it in her book! She points out the fact that “Conventional pet food is basically junk food, only worse: It’s chockfull of animal byproducts (intestines, bones, brains, and other lovelies), preservatives, chemicals, and fillers. Is it any wonder pets these days routinely die of nasty conditions like cancer and kidney failure?” (Silverstone 118) Sound familiar?
Alicia’s solution is to feed her pack Dr. Harvey’s organic dog food, along with L-carnitine and taurine supplements (because Dr. Harvey’s food doesn’t have them) and she also feeds her pack her leftovers. With Dr. Harvey’s dog food and the leftovers, her pups get a plant-based diet filled with healthy, organic grains, beans, and vegetables. Now I will admit that Alicia’s approach may not work for everyone; but I for one plan to try to incorporate my leftovers into Mocha’s diet more often: not all the time, mind you, just occasionally.
By the way, you can find all of Alicia’s posts on the kindlife.com regarding animals here.
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I always love hearing from you all …. What is your favorite cookbook? Do you have The Kind Diet book? How do you like it? Where are you at with your dog’s diet and how/what you feed them?
As evidenced by the take-home bag above with Mocha’s {very silly} photo on it, Mocha had her teeth cleaned today. She had never had her teeth “professionally” cleaned before; and although it is not an inexpensive trip to the vet, it is a very important one. The American Veterinary Dental Society reports that 80 percent of dogs show signs of oral disease by age three. Yikes! Dental problems are quickly becoming dogs #1 health issue. Plaque builds up which can lead to gingivitis. Furthermore, tartar buildup can lead to periodontal disease, which in turn may lead to infections of the heart, kidneys and liver.
Regular brushing at-home is key to good doggie dental health, as well as the occasional assessment of whether a more thorough cleaning at the vet is needed. Your vet should be more than happy to give you a little demonstration on the how-tos of dog teeth brushing, if you aren’t sure what that looks like. Or here is a {slightly goofy} good video on how it’s done:
Hard kibble is also known to better for dogs’ teeth over soft food because it has been shown to help scrub the teeth as the dog eats. There are also numerous dog teeth cleaning chew toys and treats out there, my advice on those is to use caution … remember my post about healthy dog food? Check the labels and see what is in that dental chew.
My opinion on the best plan of action: healthy hard kibble and regular home-brushing with the occasional cleaning at the vet. No other fancy treats, chews, etc. should be needed.
Thank you to Zuke’s and my friend that works at Zuke’s, we also have some of Zuke’s MiniBakes! MiniBakes are Zuke’s all-natural mini dog biscuits that are wheat, corn, and soy free for the healthy bake sale on Saturday! Remember my post about healthy dog food (and not-healthy dog food)? Well, dog treats are part of that need for healthy food too! We have to feed our dog and cat family members high-quality good-for-them treats. Zuke’s has an amazing line of treats that dogs (and cats) find absolutely delicious and that have good, all-natural quality ingredients as well. They have a great range of products from dental chews to treats for highly active pups to low-calorie training treats.
So back to the bake sale … we will have Zuke’s MiniBakes in a variety of flavors. And, as with all the healthy goodies at the bake sale, the money we raise from the sale of these treats will go to Castaway Kids. Check out our website for more information on the bake sale and about Castaway Kids.
Oh, and here is a looksy at our “menu” of treats we’ll have available on Saturday:
If you live in Durango, I do hope you’ll stop by! And, if you don’t live in Durango, but would like to help out by making a cash donation, please contact me.
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After my posts about the good and bad about dog foods, another resource fell into my lap. I can honestly say that this is not a route I would go for all Mocha’s meals, but I find the information very helpful and the point of view highly refreshing – preparing your pets’ food like you do your own. Just like we should not be eating processed, packaged foods, our pets shouldn’t either. Dr. Donald R. Strombeck has written a whole book about it, Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative. He also offers information on his website.
According to Doody’s Publishing Club, Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative “presents important concepts in the nutrition of healthy pets and special considerations for pets with various medical conditions and an extensive listing of recipes for home preparation. This is a useful guide for pet owners and a valuable reference for small animal veterinarians serving clients who wish to feed a home-prepared diet to their pets.” In addition to information, the book also contains recipes.
So if you are looking for an even more healthful alternative to dog food beyond bag of dry food, organic or not, check it out.
Rachel Ray also has a whole selection of pup-friendly, homemade food on her site. You’ll be surprised as her recipes sound more like people food than dog food. I would eat most of this stuff! View Rachel Ray’s Pet Friendly Recipes here.
Also fun to check out, PHYDOUGH, bake or take-home treats for your pup sold out of a delivery truck in Burbank, CA. I love this idea! I just wish I could get some for Mochie to try!
Have any good leads on healthy dog food? Share them with me so I can share them with everyone else!
Some dog breeds and mixes are considered hypoallergenic because they are more compatible with allergic persons than others. Allergens from dogs are usually proteins in the saliva and dander. Not surprisingly, breeds shed a considerable amount are usually not hypoallergenic. According to some speculation, the size of the dog may play a role as well, along the lines of, the larger the dog, the more allergens he/she might give off.
According to Wikipedia, here is some information about dog breeds and their hypoallergenic qualities:
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As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about the bad stuff that can be in dog food, I wanted share some of my recommendations for the good stuff. Yesterday’s post mentioned organic specifically, but that is not the most important thing about the dog food you choose. The main thing I am stressing is looking at the ingredients and doing a little homework about what you see on that list. I buy my Mocha Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream formula.
Taste of the Wild does not contain any of the ingredients that specifically alarm me that you may find in some dog foods. And, as you can see the first ingredients listed, and therefor the majority of pre-cooked weight, is salmon, fish, sweet potatoes, salmon meal, potato fiber, and canola oil. That doesn’t sound ad, right? In fact, it sounds like stuff I would actually eat. This food contains healthy fats (essential fatty acids), high-quality protein sources, fruits and vegetables, and live cultures.
Taste of the Wild also comes in a bison/venison formula, a lamb formula, and a duck/quail formula.
Chicken formulas are among the most widely available, and there are plenty of good ones out there.
Newman’s Own Organic Premium Adult Dog food is good.
Natural Balance Organic Formula contains a chicken, lamb, salmon and veggie combination.
My sister feeds her pups Canidae All Life Stages Formula Dry Dog Food.
Those are just a couple of suggestions of foods that you can feel great about feeding your pup. Of course, there are many more that are good, too. Here are some sites to find more (and order from, if you want):
Pet Flow (great shipping rate of $4.95 – can’t beat that on big, heavy bags of dog food!)
I would love to hear from you about your decisions on dog food. What brand/kind do you feed to your dog? Has this article changed the way you think about dog food at all?
Do you know about the ingredients that are in the average national brand of dog food? You may be surprised (and alarmed). Click on the graphic below to read more (or read on below the graphic).
Around 15 percent of dogs and cats in the United Sates have allergies, and the symptoms and causes vary drastically, says Trish Ashley, DVM, of Springfield, Oregon. Here’s how to pinpoint the culprit—from pollen to protein—and find a natural remedy to match.
Problem: Proteins in flea saliva can cause itching, especially around the lower body, tail, and hind legs. Solution: Natural remedies that use chrysanthemum-based insecticides, a citrus byproduct called D-limonene, or diatomaceous earth (a gentle sedimentary rock). Try: St. Gabriel Organics Insect Dust
Problem: Allergies to pollen and mold spores cause itching (which can lead to fur loss), ear infections, runny eyes, and sneezing. Solution: Formulas made with herbs like ginkgo, ephedra, stinging nettle, or reishi. Try: Doc Ackerman’s Allergy Relief Formula
Problem: Food allergy symptoms are similar to inhalant allergy symptoms. The most common pet allergens are proteins such as beef, dairy, chicken, or lamb. Solution: Feed your pet one type of ingredient for a couple of weeks to find out which foods the pet can’t tolerate.
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