My Pet’s Food Menu and Recipes

Zoey (age 15) and Kona’s (age 12)

Meal Plan as of Dec 2019

Get the PDF of this meal plan by clicking the download buttonDownload

We began Zoey’s meal plan in September this year. She was overweight, lethargic, unhappy (actually being a meanie) and refusing to just walk 30 feet. I have video footage of me forcing her to walk and her HATING it. For the record: SHE HAD TO GO PEE/POO so we had to make her walk to do it… see video of her now! She’s a spry happy fluff ball bounding through 6 inches of snow, smiling and enjoying life again!

Zoey Shoemaker – BEFORE. Hating this walk (and all walks for that matter!)

Not based on anything but common sense that we need to fuel our bodies with good nutrient-dense food so why wouldn’t that apply to our dogs? No doctor has approved or guided our choices. The pet food industry was useless in helping us balance the fat/protein/carb intake information.

Zoey is the following ingredients and measure amounts, Kona is double these for now. When he is off kibble completely he will get 3x these measurements (except chia and flax he will get double).

Kona and Zoey snoozing by the fire at Beth’s place.

Also, I keep the same recipe until the items are gone. So if I open a can of green beans then we use those until the can is gone. Neither dog has complained.

When I bake sweet potatoes I usually do 3 large ones in a baking La Crueuset in a ton of water. 1 spud works for both dogs for 1 day. I leave the skin on and the funky tips.

When I make rice or quinoa I begin with 3 cups of water and 1.5 of the grain/rice. This lasts for 3 days (6 meals).

To make the crushed pulverized egg shells I collect them up from Randy making his breakfast and rinse them then let them air dry and put them in my mini-food processor grinding until they are super tiny flecks. I add about 3T of water to 4 egg’s shells. That lasts a week.

I buy the giant 6-pack of chicken from Costco. 1 pack will last me 3 days (6 meals). I rinse chicken and place in La Crueuset pot fill with about 1-2 inches above the chicken (to make ‘chicken soup water’) and bake at 350 for about an hour. It falls off the bone. I also do this with chicken breast if that’s what I get at Costco. Randy convinced me that the fat is a good thing for the dogs…who am I to argue, right?

The following are my loose recipes.

Just remember you do not need to “flavor” anything up. Also, if you can give them organic I would. If you have a dog on kibble slowly ween them off so their bodies are not shocked. If you tell your Vet you are doing this be prepared to be judged and them be irritated that you aren’t interested in buying the dog food they offer at their clinic…stay strong!


1)
Chicken 1/2c shredded or a chunk (so she has to chew more…inspiring the first stage of digestion: SALIVA)
1/2c whole grain rice
1/3c shredded carrots
1/4t of crushed egg shells
1T of chicken soup juice

2)
Chicken 1/2c shredded or a chunk (so she has to chew more…inspiring the first stage of digestion: SALIVA)
1/4c whole grain rice
1/4c dry oats (not instant)
1/3c baked sweet potato (or yam)
1/4t of crushed egg shells
1T of chicken soup juice

3)
½ jumbo scrambled egg (no seasoning cooked in pan not requiring oils)
1/4c dry oats
1/3c green beans
1t chia seeds
1t flax seed
1/4t of crushed egg shells
1T of chicken soup juice

4)
Chicken 1/2c shredded or a chunk (so she has to chew more…inspiring the first stage of digestion: SALIVA)
1/2c quinoa
1/4c shredded zucchini
1/3c baked sweet potato (or yam)
1/4t of crushed egg shells
1T of chicken soup juice

5)
Chicken 1/2c shredded or a chunk (so she has to chew more…inspiring the first stage of digestion: SALIVA)
1/2c quinoa
1/2c frozen (but thawed to room temp in warm water) sweet corn
1/3c baked sweet potato (or yam)
1/4t of crushed egg shells

6)
Chicken 1/2c shredded or a chunk (so she has to chew more…inspiring the first stage of digestion: SALIVA)
1/3c quinoa
½ apple chopped, remove core (dogs should not have apple seeds)
1/3c boiled russet or yellow potato
1/4t of crushed egg shells

We began Zoey’s meal plan in September this year. She was overweight, lethargic, unhappy (actually being a meanie) and refusing to just walk 30 feet.

My dogs eat twice daily. 7am and 6pm.

We walk Kona every other day in the AM into the Ute Valley mountains (between 1-2 miles MAX) and Zoey stays on flat ground at the park on grass or snow (she loves snow…so does Kona).

Both dogs walk 30-45 minutes every afternoon at the park. I zig-zag across the grass to give them the enjoyment of NOT CONCRETE, CEMENT, FLOORING…real planet earth between their toes.

If we have enough energy they get a 15 minute walk at 7pm, or just a potty break outside.

Let me know how your pets do!

xoxo

Sarita, Randy, Kona and Zoey

Piper (our cat) would have NOTHING to do with this although I did get her to lick up a tablespoon of the chicken juice!

Podcast Episode 9

Hey there!
We just moved (for the 2nd time) and are semi-settled in our new place. The pets are getting used to us NOT moving, we’ve gotten rid of all of the cardboard and bought a couch! Woo hooo!! Little things.

Meanwhile I’m busting out work on my book AND got another episode of my podcast finished and published.

Here are the SHOW NOTES to my latest episode DOES SCIENTOLOGY BELIEVE IN GOD OR A GOD?

I’m excited to have also recorded a “commercial” to help YOU get your podcast off the ground and rolling.

Thanks for visiting…

Here’s the SHOW NOTES SEASON 1 EPISODE 9

S1E9 SHOW NOTES Does Scientology Believe In God or A GOD?

Spicy! Butternut Coconut Curry Soup

How I get my husband to eat vegetables he needs but doesn’t dig…make a soup!

Can we not do an entire PHOTO SHOOT of the items we want to share recipes for? OK great.

Get my SPICY BUTTERNUT COCONUT SOUP HERE.

Click to get the PDF of this recipe —>Download

Equipment I use

InstantPot
Blender

Ingredients

Spice Time: CRITICAL

⅛ t ghost pepper curry powder
1/2t black pepper
1/2t ginger
1t salt
1 veggie bullion cube
1 pinch of cayenne pepper

5C water
1C Thai coconut cream milk
Drizzle EVOO

1 yellow onion chopped
3 garlic bulbs chopped

2 large butternut squash cubed
2 russet potatoes cubed (skin on)
2 carrots chopped (skin on)
2C spinach
3C lacinato kale chopped
3 white mushrooms chopped

Let’s do it!

Prepare ALL of your ingredients before you begin cooking. Chop, measure, prep is key. Blend your spices in a bowl and use a fork to make sure they’re nicely mixed.

In your Instant Pot:

Saute onion, garlic in the drizzle of EVOO just to soften. Not really necessary though!

Turn off Sauté mode.

Blend your chopped veggies in a large bowl (it’s easier than trying to do it in the IP).

Add veggies to IP.

Add 5C of water.

Chop bullion into tiny blocks and sprinkle into IP.

Place spices in coconut cream milk. Stir them in. (Take a teeny-tiny taste…it’s so yummy!). Add them to IP.

Push veggies into liquid as best as you can.

Place IP lid on, adjust steam release to CLOSED.

Manual time of 40 minutes (try 30…it’ll likely work. I live at 7,000’ so things take a little longer and require more fluid).

When IP done you will scoop all of the cooked ingredients into your blender small batches at a time then transfer into a big bowl. Once all of the ingredients have been liquified pour them back into the IP and turn off completely.

7 Oct 2019

I’ll post a photo of it all served up if I can. I’ve made this soup 10 times at least and it NEVER gets old. This recipe is a bit different because I was forced to get GHOST PEPPER CURRY…no, wait…I read it wrong and meant to get just plain old CURRY POWDER. That ghost pepper portion is what gives this a little MORE HEAT which my husband LOVES.

Serving with sourdough bread and vegan butter.

Making croutons to float on top (yum)!

It’s gonna snow here in Colorado today or tomorrow so I’m READY with this warm meal to enjoy.

Do you make soups? If so, what is your best recipe?

Sweet Tango Apple

Photo: Sweet Tango apples on vine. Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SweeTango

The Organic Sweet Tango Apple (Minneiska)
SKU 93603

This apple is DELICIOUS!!!

Crispy and juicy – far from mealy or soft. The skin breaks easily beneath your chompers.

The Sweet Tango Apple was developed by the University of Minnesota in 2000 and first sold in the USA in 2009.

It is a hybrid of two apple varieties the university developed: the “honeycrisp” (aka the ‘mother’) and the Minnewashta (called the zest! – the ‘father’ or the pollinator).

Apple Porn has been moving through the US universities since the early 1800’s. Pollination (aka Apple Porn) is a thing. You may have seen the work of the famous Minnie Specklebutt, Lance Bigcore and Ashley “DD” Seeds.

In the State of Utah the apple porn industry has been laying very low. Most apples stickers are removed from the apples before being served to the children for fear that they might actually inspire curiosity in this crazy sexual pollinating process.

Today there are over 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the United States. A whopping 7,500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world. THAT’S A LOTTA PORN if you asked me. Even still, the varieties have DIMINISHED according to Gizmodo. Matt Novak reports, “North America used to have much more diverse assortment of apples. In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 14,000 different varieties of apples were grown here in the 19th century.”

The decline in apple varieties has everything to do with the rise of the fast food industry and not surprisingly obesity has followed the same trend.

Today an average American citizen consumes 65 apples a year! 100 years ago it was at least “an apple a day (to keep the doctor away”).

That Welsh proverb stems from the benefits of eating caraway seeds and the apple was a way to eat the seeds! So eat the ENTIRE APPLE and the seeds and heck, you might never visit the doctor again. Note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR…OBVIOUSLY.

Apple Porn is a thing. Wait, it’s called POLLINATION! Yes, that’s a thing too.
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SweeTango

Make sure you visit the produce section of your grocery store chain. Grab one of these beauties and start the “apple a day” challenge! Fall is the perfect time to do it too… it’s the SEASON!

THAT’S NOT TRUE

Okay, okay…okay! You are right. I made some of these things up! Everything in red italics I pulled out of my funny bone.

I’m practicing my writing skills, imagination and entertaining Randy.

See, I pack him a lunch every day and write him notes and sometimes letters (like this one) to inspire him to eat the healthy item FIRST. Hopefully it will work.

Did it entertain you even for a minute? Are you going to check out this apple next time you are at the grocery? How about trying to eat more – did it inspire you to realize you need to eat more AND the seeds!?!

Happy Monday! Happy Fall! Happy October! Welcome to a glimpse of how Randy and I keep the love alive between us. We’ll be celebrating our 13th anniversary this year. Our marriage has endured a lot of ups and downs and in hindsight I know it was the perfect time for us to meet way way way way way back in 2005 on E-Harmony. We have helped each other through a lot. I love you honey!! xoxoxoxo

Me and my Main Squeeze. PS: WE LOVE COLORADO!

Happy First Day Of Fall 2019

Kona’s morning walk was a jackpot of beauty!

I was reminded that TODAY is the big day: FALL IS HERE!

It is officially the FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN.  Starts September 23rd and goes until December 21st  this year (2019).

For the past two years we have lived in places where there are actual seasons and the planet differences are so obvious.  Utah and Colorado.

We still miss the beaches of SoCal (always will) but this change in our environment has been magical.  We have WEATHER and need to pay close attention to what the meteorologists report.

It is much chillier in the morning here in Colorado and the afternoons are in the 70’s. There is a breeze happening off and on. I wear a sweater in the morning and shorts in the afternoon.  We live at 7,123′ elevation and this means we get the cooler side of things (as well s the sun being extremely strong!)

With the changing seasons there are so many events and activities happening up and down the Front Range. 

Today’s morning walk started off with brilliant pink and orange skies. We live where there are a lot of trees and I’ve had to hike to an open viewing space to watch the sunrises which is good for me and Kona.

I got to that spot to have the gift of this sunrise!

Within minutes…
Wait…what!!?? My stomach lurched as we rounded the corner.
THIS IS WHAT I LOVE ABOUT OUR PLANET! What a gift.

Just an update on Zoey: she is doing better. We went to visit Beth in Parker this weekend and she was her old self again: bouncy and happy to join us all on a walk. The baby carrier has helped as well as the change in her food. I am baking chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, lentil and quiona. Shredding carrots, beets and green beans. She’s basically living at the Bellagio, including belly massages.

Manitou Art Center REBIRTH Oil by Teri Connolley $250
I love seeing unique paintings, art creatives and masterpieces by local artists.

Randy and I went on a date to the Manitou Art Center (the MAC) where one of his co-worker’s wives was having her grand opening of her art. Her name is K8e Orr. You have to say it Katie. She OWNS that and even had her named changed to that.

The MAC is a place that all forms of creativity are taught and displayed. You pay a monthly membership and have access to all of it. They have a 3D printer, pottery, quilting, looms, carpentry, machine shop…it was overwhelming.

From their website, “Music, theatre, pottery, printmaking, and other loud, slightly dangerous and intensely messy events happen here daily. Locals and tourists alike flock to our galleries, studios, exhibition space, classrooms and delicious café. “

Someone made this! I didn’t see the card with the artists information or price.

I hope everyone has a great Monday and great week.

Zucchini Bread Recipe

My vegan zucchini bread.

Zucchini Bread (Vegan)
Yield: 4 mini loaf pans
Time: 10 minutes to prep, 50 minutes to bake

I cook and bake at 7100’ elevation which means I need to add a little extra in the wet ingredients and a little extra in the time for baking.

Also, I always ALWAYS set all of these ingredients out measured BEFORE I begin combining. This is really important and a great habit to have for ALL cooking. Did you know some recipes must be done quickly and you do not have time to run to the store or a neighbor to borrow an ingredient. I have learned this enough times to keep it as a top priority habit taught to me by my mom. Last piece of advice: READ THE RECIPE ALL THE WAY TO THE END before you begin.

Wet ingredients:
1½ c shredded zucchini
½ c baked sweet potato (no skin)
¾ c white granulated sugar
¼ c brown sugar
¾c + 2T unsweetened applesauce (wait on the 2T until everything is combined)
2 chia eggs (1:3 ratio of 1T chia and 3T water) let sit a bit to firm up
1t vanilla

Dry ingredients:
2 c all purpose flour
½ t baking soda
½ t baking powder
½ t sea salt
1t ground cinnamon

Directions…
Set oven at 350 degrees.

Mini loaf pans (what I used) spread a smidge of canola oil with a paper towel. I put a slice of parchment paper length-wise (to then be able to lift the loaf out easily when done baking).

Combine chia egg mixture, set aside.

In a LARGER bowl combine all wet ingredients EXCEPT THE CHIA AND THE 2T OF APPLESAUCE). Set aside.

In a smaller bowl combine with a whisk all of the dry ingredients.

Add chia egg combo to rest of wet ingredients.

Slowly stir in the wet ingredients to the dry. If you feel like you need more moisture, add applesauce.

Using 1/4c as a scoop along with a spatula to scrape, put 3 scoops into each pan.

Tap them to spread evenly – but not too much and really, don’t worry about it.

When oven hits 350 then put the pans randomly on the middle rack.

Bake for 50 minutes.

That’s it!

PDF of the recipe aboveDownload
The zucchini I was gifted was a FOOT LONG! I had so much extra I put it on my dog’s food and added it to my salads and my chili. I got TWO of these bad boys.

Last month I went on a job to help my husband and measured a house for flooring. It was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay far away into the mountains (so far I thought I’d be at Pikes Peak soon).

I got to jaw jacking with the mom and dad and found out he was a Buckeye! Go Bucks and they met while competing at the Olympics here in the competition where you have to ski then shoot targets. I have no idea what that is called but I’ve seen it and been in awe of being able to be so still after going through so much cardio. On top of that they were farmers and had a TON of zucchini…and they packed up a bag for me to take home.

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