A Little About The Homemade Meals And Treats We Make For Our Kids

A sweet Dog Mom posted this on my personal Facebook page the other day. I love it when people reach out to ask about homemade meals and treats for their furry kids. Although we've been making homemade meals and treats for our kids for over 6 years, I don't have recipes for their homemade meals. Homemade treats, on the other hand, yes. If you'd like the recipes for those, go here.

Homemade meals are different. It's not about one cup of this or one cup of that. We learned years ago that it's about taste preferences and making sure you're offering a wide variety of healthy options so they're getting all the nutrients they need throughout the day.

You also have to be aware of food sensitivities, allergies, and digestive issues. Meals have to be centered around these issues. For example, our little Sophie loves green beans. However, we can only give her a tiny bit because if she eats too many, she gets diarrhea. On the other hand, our Coco can eat a handful and not be affected.

Over the years, we've learned who can have what and the amount that works for them. 

Our kids get a variety of lean meats, fresh raw and cooked fruits and vegetables, whole grains, sweet potatoes, and Greek Yogurt.

Their favorite meat is boneless chicken breasts.

We've tried dark meat, but it's too rich for their tummies and gives them all runny stools.

They also love turkey breast, lean ground chicken and turkey, lean ground beef, lean steak, and seafood.

We cook their meat in a variety of ways including roasting, grilling, and sauteing.

Our kids also enjoy a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables both raw and cooked. They absolutely love raw carrots, watermelon, and cantaloupe, but they get a huge variety of pup-friendly produce to mix things up.

To make their meal prep easier, we cook several pounds of meat at a time, dice it up and freeze some of it. Every other day we cook and mash sweet potatoes and cook rice. Their fresh raw and cooked produce is something we prep daily.

As far as the frequency of their meals, they get breakfast and dinner. Between their big meals, they get a morning snack, 2 afternoon snacks, and a bedtime snack.

All of their snacks are homemade. In addition to the homemade treats we make, they also get fresh fruits and vegetables and roasted chicken for a snack.

If you'd like more information and inspiration for homemade meals, you can find that here.

Also, if you'd like some great recipes for human baked goods that are pup friendly, you'll find those here.

As always, before changing your furry kid's diet, please consult with their veterinarian first.