This is a super simple, throw it in the instant pot dog food. You can whip it together in a matter of minutes on a Sunday afternoon and have dog food all week long- you can even freeze some for future use!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb Organic Ground Turkey (or chicken)
- 1 cup rice (white or brown)
- One sweet potato peeled + chopped
- 1 cup spinach (can be frozen + chopped or fresh)
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth (no added spices)
- 2 cups frozen peas, carrots, and green beans
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Directions
- First, put the instant pot on the sauté function. Pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Then, once the oil is warm brown the ground turkey until cooked through.
- While the turkey is cooking prepare the veggies. Peel and cut the sweet potato, chop the carrots and green beans if needed. You may also choose to buy a bag of frozen mixed chopped veggies for easy and simple prep.
- After you have gathered all other ingredients, turn off the sauté function and add them to the pot (minus the coconut oil).
- Press the pressure cook setting and set for 15 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to pressurize and 15 minutes to cook.
- Once the 15 minutes of cooking time is complete, quick release the valve. After depressurizing (when the pin drops), remove the lid and stir. To finish, add in the coconut oil and stir one last time. It will smell pretty darn good, your pup might even come running into the kitchen (mine definitely did!)
- Place in zip lock baggies and freeze. Take out the day before and place in the fridge to defrost before you run out of the one before.
Optional Add Ins
Eggs
After cooking everything in the Instant Pot, heat up olive oil on the stove top and scramble a few eggs. Stir them into the finished dog food recipe.
Blending
If your pup is teeny tiny (like my mom’s yorkies) or maybe he’s a senior dog and doesn’t have teeth to chew up the food well then you may choose to blend his food. You can do this by using an immersion blender like this one or a ninja blender. When the food is done cooking, place the immersion blender inside the bowl and blend it until completely smooth.
Okay, I might have turned into a crazy dog mom. GUILTY.
So, now my pup is already spoiled, but I can’t help it! She’s a picky eater. Once I made this she d e m o l i s h e d her meal. I usually mix in a couple tablespoons into her kibbles, otherwise she won’t touch her food. Plus, I feel better that she’s getting some fresh food with her meal.
It’s also the best food for hiding medications. My poor puppy is sick right now and I’ve had no problem feeding her antibiotic pills on a spoon with this dog food mixed in.
Just look at my cute little munchkin devouring her food. <3
I can’t wait for all the wonderful years I’ll have left with my pup and I know good quality nutrition will help. Dogs are prone to diseases just like us. That’s why I chose to be informed on the right food – from homemade food to dry kibbles to treats.
If you want to learn more about habit tracking and how to set up health goals then check out my post here. Some examples to add to your tracker could be: taking my dog for a 30 minute walk every evening or going on a hike with my dog once a week. This will benefit the health and quality of living for you AND your pup!
Dry Food (Kibbles)
Be sure to look for food that HAS grain. DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG A GRAIN FREE DIET. There are so many different types of dog food out there. When I first started looking to see what would be best for my puppy, I was overwhelmed. What I can tell you the single most important thing to remember is to not feed them a grain free diet.
A study published in 2018 found that when dogs are fed a grain free, legume rich diet they may be more prone to a type of heart disease caused by taurine deficiency. It’s called taurine-deficient dilated cardiomyopathy. Please keep this in mind when choosing your next dog food brand.
I’ve heard great things about Wellness, Wholesome Heart, and TLC Dog Food. There are many more great dog food brands out there, just choose one within your budget and order the better quality brands from the pet store or Chewy.com. She’s eating Wellness now, but we are transitioning over to TLC soon.
Also check out this food container to keep your dog’s food fresh. It was highly recommended by a friend and so far we’ve loved it!
Treat Food
Simply plain, boiled, and shredded chicken is what I use for treats and trick training. I also tried out many different foods and found out that salmon is her ultimate favorite – I told you she is spoiled. If we had to put a scale on it it would be turkey 9/10, chicken 9/10, salmon 10/10, treats from the pet store 7/10, and dry kibbles 6/10. Clearly she knows what the good stuff is…
For salmon I buy it canned and limit her intake to a few days a week. When looking for canned salmon, make sure you buy the ones that do not have additives and are filled with water only. You don’t want your pup to have any with added salt or oils.
Now go try out this homemade dog food and let me know how your pup likes it. I’d love your feedback. 🙂
I also have to give a shout out to my mom who gave me this recipe. She makes it for her two yorkies and they’ve been eating it for ages. Her oldest just turned 17 years! Can you believe that?
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A registered nurse, certified health coach, and wellness enthusiast.