Happy Wednesday!
How’s your week going? Good, I hope! I just finished a killer leg workout with the hub full of squats, lunges and deadlifts. Needless to say, I’m spent. I was feeling rather nauseous as we were finishing up … might have pushed myself a little too hard. That or I need to spend a little more time training legs each week.
Today’s post is for you animal lovers, or really dog lovers, like myself. Some of you might know that growing up I wanted to be a veterinarian until I had a change of heart mid-childhood and decided that animals were actually too dirty for me to deal with. They were cute but that was about it. It wasn’t until our first year of marriage when my husband tricked me into getting a “small” dog (aka Boss our 65 pound Boxer) that my love for animals returned. (You can read a little more about my animal relationship and the reason I went vegan here if your heart so desires.)
Two years into being a “large” breed dog owner, Dustin and I decided that Boss needed a friend – say hello to Gunner.
These guys are my life – I actaully sometimes think I love them too much. And just as I care what goes into mine and Dustin’s bodies, I care what goes into theirs. I am very particular about what kind of food they eat, simply because I want them to live long, healthy lives – I want them to be apart of our children’s lives which aren’t coming anytime soon. While I certainly purchase store bought, natural doggie treats, lately, I’ve been whipping them up in the kitchen too. I can get these guys to do ANYTHING when these treats are in the fridge.
These are natural, vegan, gluten-free dog treats that are easy to make and pretty tasty whether you are a dog (or a human!).
Homemade Dog Treats
Recipe adapted from here.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup instant unsweetened oatmeal (I used 1/4 cup instant oats and 1/4 cup quinoa flakes/flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup parsley (for good breath!)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped or grated raw carrots
- 1/2 cup finely chopped or grated apple
- 2 tbsp pitted and finely chopped dates
- 1/2 cup natural unsalted peanut butter
- 1/2 cup filtered water
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, cinnamon and parsley. Mix until evenly blended. Make a well in the center.
- Place the carrots, apples and dates in a separate bowl with the peanut butter and water.
- Add the peanut butter mix to the well in the flour mix and stir until combined.
- Flatten the dough into a large casserole dish.
- Bake for 14 to16 minutes, or until dry.
- Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Are you a animal lover too? Have you ever made homemade dog treats or dog food? I’d love to know!
I hope you have a great day!
Good health!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
These look fantastic! If I switched out the flour for garbanzo bean flour, do you think it would be an even swap? Also, could regular old-fashioned rolled oats be used in place of the instant? Lastly, what purpose does the baking powder serve? Thanks!!
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I would think that the garbanzo bean flour would work! I would try a one to one ratio since most gluten-free flours are very similar! Yes, old-fashined rolled oats would work too! I’ve used them instead once and they worked perfectly! The baking powder is added to help the treats rise, adding to the volume! Hope this helps you! Thanks for stopping by!
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Nice! Our boxer buddy, Harris, will like these as well. We’ve been making our own treats after realizing the junk that’s in some of the treats you can purchase and after the China dog treat scare. Thanks for sharing!
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So happy to hear that! Ours just love them! Isn’t it crazy what all goes in them!?! Thanks for stopping by!
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