A “Winter Warmer” Recipe Your Pup Will Love – Made Especially for Cold Weather

We’ve talked about the energetic qualities of food. A balanced diet doesn’t just mean getting the macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats right. Nor is it limited to complete and balanced diets which have the correct ratios of micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. 

A balanced diet also means balancing the energetic qualities of the food your dog eats with her internal energy (i.e. her health), and external energy (like the seasons and weather patterns). Even emotional energy plays a role. 

Health and harmony result when the energetic qualities of all these things align. Psst… the same goes for you too!  

Generally speaking, food influences the body on a spectrum of hot to cold and dampening to drying. Think of them as four quadrants, with temperature on the X-axis, and dampness on the Y-axis. 

Proteins like lamb, beef and chicken range from energetically hot to warm. Starches, eggs and pigmented fish (like salmon and tuna) tend to be dampening. If its winter in New England, you would want to reach first for warming foods. If its summer in the south, opt for cooling nutrients like cod, turkey, rabbit, celery and cucumber.

Finding Warmth in Winter

We've created a recipe for your pup to enjoy in cold weather. It is built on these energetic principles and the formula for a well-balanced homemade diet for dogs created by Dr. Nathan Heilman DVM of Qi Veterinary Clinic.

This recipe harnesses the energetic warmth of lamb with moderate amounts of nourishing sweet potato. The liver in this recipe is an excellent source of selenium! The oysters provide needed copper and zinc.  The eggshells provide essential calcium.

The protein and vegetables in this recipe are cooked, as cooking imparts more warmth into food (and makes vegetables more digestible for dogs). Lamb can also be a bit fatty, and cooking enables you to render off and discard some that fat.  If you prefer a raw diet for your dog, then simply skip the cooking steps. 

Making it Complete & Balanced for Puppies

This recipe is complete and balanced for an adult dog.  Nutritional information follows.  If you are making this recipe for a puppy, you will need to add bonemeal to get his calcium and phosphorus needs met.  We have indicated that modification to the recipe as well.  Be sure it is the edible kind - not the fertilizer kind.  We like NOW Brand bonemeal.  (This and other special considerations for puppies are available on our nutritional page.)

How To

Tools needed: 

Food Processor, small kitchen scale (note: recipe measurements are done by weight, not volume), knife, cutting board, teaspoon.

Ingredients:

24 oz of lean lamb, lightly cooked and drained of fat. (Lean ground beef is a fantastic alternative)

4.8 oz lightly cooked lamb liver (beef lever is a good option too).

4 oz frozen kale

4 oz steamed broccoli

3 oz cooked sweet potato (you can substitute 3 oz cooked steel cut oats which is gluten free)

2 eggs (reserve the shells)

2 oz blueberries

1 oz canned oysters

Multi-vitamin (per package dosage). We like using 1.5 tsp of RX Essentials for Dogs 

2 tsp 18/12 fish oil (herring, mackerel, sardine)

1 pinch salt

Special Additions For Puppies Only:  4 tsp edible bonemeal 

Directions: 

Place the cooked ground lamb in a large bowl. Set aside and allow to cool.

In the large work bowl of a food processor combine broccoli, kale and strawberries. Puree until smooth. Add to ground lamb. Crack the eggs and add yolk and whites to lamb mixture. Reserve shells.  

Next, cut the cooked liver into chunks. In the same food processor work bowl combine the liver, egg shells, oysters, and sweet potato. Puree until smooth and eggshells are fine and evenly dispersed. Add liver mixture to lamb mixture.

Into the lamb mixture add the multi-vitamin, fish oil, and a pinch of salt. Fold together until thoroughly combined.  

If you are making this recipe for puppies, add the bonemeal now.

Note: We pre-freeze or steam the veggies to break down the cellulose and aid in their digestion.  

This recipe makes enough food for approximately 60 pounds of active dog / day. Serving two to three meals per day is recommended as one large meal can create dampness - an eastern medicine view of imbalance in the body related to health issues.  Adjust serving size upward or downward based on the size of your dog and metabolic needs. 

This mixture can be stored in the fridge in a container with a tight-fitting lid for one week. It can also be turned into your own homemade kibble in a few easy steps following the instructions on our recipe for yummy treats with kale!

Looking for Some Healthy Human Grade Treats?

Nutritious human edible dog treats make the perfect rewards. There are some excellent species-appropriate accompaniments to this recipe that you can include in your rotation of healthy snacks. 

Human-grade single-ingredient beef, lamb or liver jerky for dogs like Hula Lula Beef jerky for dogs, Hula Lula Liver or Hula Lula Lamb from Goodness Gracious are three super options. You can also try making your own jerky – but I’m sure your pup would rather you take him on a play date than hang out in the kitchen. 

Another great option is Bikini Lamb, a tender, limited-ingredient lamb and sweet potato strip, also from Goodness Gracious. And if your dog is a cookie-lover then grain-free Cider Glazed Lamb or gluten free Bacon Cheeseburger are tasty choices! 

All these treats are USA made, USA sourced, high protein and complement the DIY'ers making homemade dog food, and parents who prefer to buy pet food.

Goodness Gracious

Here at Goodness Gracious we are all about harnessing the power of simple whole foods to achieve optimum health – a state of being where internal and external energies are harmonious.  All our treats can be incorporated into a healthy diet for dogs. We make a collections of single ingredient jerky, limited ingredient meaty strips, gluten free and grain free cookies, healthy chews, and puppy training treats, that cover the range of energies from cool to hot, and drying to moistening. There’s a perfect choice in our collections for every season. Come visit us today to find out more.

Nutritional Facts