A little magic happened in our kitchen today. Serious. Magic. Earlier this afternoon, I created a new dog treat recipe. It was unlike anything I've made before. I didn't just step out of the box. I kicked the box to the curb. I wanted to do a happy dance followed by a few cartwheels. Throughout all of my excitement, I realized that to some, maybe most, this may seem trivial and unworthy of such excitement, but I didn't care.
The inspiration for this week's homemade dog treat recipe came from 2 different sources. The first, more people reached out asking for a meaty homemade dog treat. The second was a post I stumbled across earlier in the week on Facebook. A Dog Dad purchased a bag of dog treats that looked like meatballs. Unfortunately, after feeding his pup a few, they didn't settle well. He threw the rest of the bag away and was frustrated. His pup loves meaty treats but has a sensitive tummy.
This week, the lean ground turkey was on sale. We picked up 4 packages. I froze 3. My original plan was to make our kids a pup-friendly meatloaf for dinner along with some roasted vegetables. However, at the last minute, I decided to make them a Crock-Pot feast and use the ground turkey to create a meaty homemade dog treat.
Our fur-kids love meaty treats too, but up until today, we've relied on lean meats that we've grilled, baked, or sauteed for snackin'.
I grabbed some ingredients, stood at the counter. Hands on hips. My brain was spinning like a hamster wheel. Finally, it happened. I came up with the recipe for our new Bodacious Turkey Veggie Meatball Dog Treats. And, I altered a few ingredients at the end to make a grain free version.
Combine the following into a bowl...
1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken
1/2 cup fresh grated carrot
1/2 cup grated sweet potato
1/4 cup fresh grated apple
2 eggs
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used Jack and cheddar)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cinnamon
The Grain Free Version
1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken
1/2 cup fresh grated carrot
1/2 cup grated sweet potato
1/4 cup fresh grated apple
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix well. Shape into balls that are an appropriate size for your pups. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a non-stick pan and brown the meatballs.
Once browned, put on a non-stick cookie sheet, or a cookie sheet lined with a non-stick liner or non-stick foil, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
I need to add a few things...
These Bodacious Turkey Veggie Meatball Dog Treats smelled AH-MAY-ZINGGGG while baking.
As always, I tasted the finished product first before allowing our kids to taste test.
After the first bite, I could have done cartwheels down the street.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
So. Good.
With a sprinkle of salt, even better to my human palate.
When these meaty beauties were cooled, our kids were the next in line to sample.
It was love at first bite. I cut up 4 meatballs for them to share. The plate was empty in less than a minute.
On a side note, because these are made with meat, you need to keep these treats refrigerated. They DO freeze very well. So, keep out only enough treats for a few days. Freeze the rest. Take more out as needed.
Enjoy and happy baking!
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