banana and peanut butter frozen yogurt

Henry and I weren't ready for this freakishly early heat wave pushing temperatures to near 90 degrees. To help my furry little amigo cool down after our walks, I broke out the food processor and made frozen yogurt.  While some dogs may struggle with digesting dairy, yogurt is a good source of calcium, protein, potassium and magnesium and can supply beneficial bacteria. Yogurt may also help soothe an upset stomach. You can purchase frozen treats like Frosty Paws and Yoghund, but because I keep Greek yogurt and fruit on hand, I've found it to be easier and more cost effective to make my own small batches.  

Before you get too innovative with your pooch's frozen treat, make sure you have a good handle on what foods can be poisonous to your dog. The ASPCA has put together a comprehensive list of what foods shouldn't be fed to dogs. I've also included an infographic at the bottom of this post. 

And hey, all the ingredients are human grade so you could enjoy this as a flavored yogurt or frozen treat too! Chobani has a lot of crazy flavors, so consider yourself a market researcher. :)

ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 banana (or about 1/2 cup of fruit of your choosing)

preparation
1. Using your food processor, puree the banana, yogurt, agave nectar, and peanut butter until smooth, about 1 minute.  You may need to scrape the yogurt from the sides and the peanut butter from the bottom of the bowl halfway through.

1b. If you don't have a food processor, you can mix the ingredients by hand in a small bowl until well blended. I recommend warming the peanut butter in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds to ensure it will incorporate with the other ingredients. 

2. Pour into small containers, cover with the lids, freeze.

 

If you're looking for a biscuit, check out "dog treats".

Original recipes found here and here.

dog treats

Henry and I live in a very dog friendly community. The apartment complex allows dogs of any size, maintains two fenced dog parks, and a subset of us residents stay connected through a yahoo group, go on weekend hikes, and convene regularly for puplucks. 

Tomorrow, a neighbor is hosting a "Welcome Home" brunch for the puppy she recently adopted. Homemade dog treats seemed like a great pupwarming present. Of course, Henry got to taste test the homemade biscuits.

Yield: 40 treats, using a large (16) and small (24) sized bone shaped cookie cutters

1,510 calories per batch  (roughly 40 calories for a large bone and 20 calories for a small bone)

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

ingredients

1 cup wheat flour

½ cup quick oats

¼ cup nonfat dry milk

¼ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup blueberries

¼ cup cold water, or enough to make a cohesive dough

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Combine the flour, oats, dried milk, and salt in stand mixer bowl and “stir”, about 30 seconds.

4. Turn off the stand mixer and add the egg, blueberries, and peanut butter. Return to stir, creating a crumbly mixture, about 1 minute.

5. Increase the the mixer to a speed of 2, and slowly add in enough of the cold water to form a cohesive dough, about 1 minute.

6. Form the dough into a ball and roll it out about ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured surface. I used oat bran.

7. Cut the biscuits with your cookie cutter, placing them about ½ inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. I like to first pull away the scraps and then use a spatula to slowly work the biscuit of the counter top. 

 8. Re-roll the scraps, continuing to cut biscuits until you've used all the dough.

9. Bake the biscuits for about 25 minutes, or until dark golden brown. The biscuits should be crisp and dry all the way through.  My large biscuits took about 25 minutes and the small bones baked in 15 minutes. 

10. Remove the biscuits from the oven and let cool.

Other modifications:

• Don't have cookie cutters? No worries! Just divide the dough into your desired portions, roll them into balls, and use the bottom of glass (or your hand) to squash into a flattened disc.
• Are the biscuits browning too fast? Bake at 300 degrees. 
• If your dog has dietary restrictions, this recipe may better meet your needs. 
• Go all out and add ¼ cup shredded cheese or substitute chicken broth for the water.

Original recipe can be found here.