Homemade...things

[MsPony]

2 things, human and dog

1) I LOVE the Raw Revolution: Rasberry and Chocolate bar, that with a cup of maple yogurt, mmm!! But they are expensive, and probably not actually THAT healthy for you. But how would you make one? How would you put the ingredients together to make it solid?

cashew, agave nectar, date, cocoa powder processed with alkali, almond, rasberry powder, sprouted flax seed.

Also how would you make it healthier?

2) There are some dogs treats my store now carries, however I dont trust them! Good company, but they cook the yogurt in the biscuits, this is NOT beneficial! Could I just make a similar biscuit with homemade kefir drizzled then frozen on top? I know Free talks about her dogs eating kefir, so I assuming its ok.

Ingredients: Brown Rice, Barley, Rice Bran, Oats, Dried Cane Molasses, Potato Protein, Canola Oil, Natural Flavor, Dried Cranberries, Dried Apples, Yogurt, Flaxseed, Sweet Potatoes, Dicalcium Phosphate, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Chicory Root, Vitamin E Supplement, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Casei, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum, Enterococcus Faecium, Bacillus Subtilis

Thank you, im just now, in life, figuring out how to make stuff, healthier, and be cheaper!

 

[Wifezilla]

To make that bar healthier, ditch the agave nectar. Agave is a total scam. There is nothing healthy or natural about it. It is highly processed and no better for you than high fructose corn syrup. Use honey instead.

To make it more solid, you need some kind of natural fat that is solid at room temperature. I would add coconut butter. The flavor is not so strong that it would overpower the other flavors. You still may have to store it in the fridge though.

Hummm

I will have abi stop by and see what she says. She makes all kinds of bars and treats...she needs a lot of good quality fats in her diet to keep her metabolism on an even keel (well, we all do but she needs more than usual). She might have some good suggestions.

Ingredients: Brown Rice, Barley, Rice Bran, Oats, Dried Cane Molasses, Potato Protein, Canola Oil, Natural Flavor, Dried Cranberries, Dried Apples, Yogurt, Flaxseed, Sweet Potatoes, Dicalcium Phosphate, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Chicory Root, Vitamin E Supplement, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Casei, Bifidobacterium Thermophilum, Enterococcus Faecium, Bacillus Subtilis

Dogs should not be eating grains. If you want a good treat for your dog, maybe you can make him some kind of puppy jerky. Dogs need meat...not rice, barley, bran and molasses!

I will see if I can find some recipes.

EDIT: Found one! It does have some oats in it, but the main ingredient is meat.
http://www.dog-nutrition-naturally.com/dog-treat-recipes.html

Ignore the comment she makes near the end about fat. Natural animal fat is good for dogs and fat doesn't make dogs fat....carbohydrates (ains and sugars) do.

 

[Dace]

Totally agree with Wifey on the agave, use raw honey instead.

I like the coconut butter idea, but I was thinking more along the lines of using fresh raspberries, pureed and then dehydrating the stuff in the oven on low low low....then slice into bars. You may like adding coconut (flakes or shredded) and to lower the omega 6s try macadamia instead of the cashews.

Just a thought

 

[MsPony]

Thank you guys Whats wrong with Agave Nectar?

As for the biscuits, thanks WZ! I had to laugh when she was talking about people "needing" treats, I have people coming into my store, buying $100 worth of treats and buying a "light" food

Fourtunately *I* am not treat oriented, nor is my lab However, sometimes the mood strikes me to give him one...or two if hes especially cute.

ETA: I forgot to ignore her animal fat comments lol, my labrador needs all the fat he can get anyways! But I think lamb would be yummy and healthy right?

 

[Wifezilla]

Lamb would be good for your puppy

As for agave...

"Native Mexican peoples do make a sort of sweetener out of the agave plant. Its called miel de agave, and its made by boiling the agave sap for a couple of hours. Think of it as the Mexican version of authentic Canadian maple syrup.

But this is not what agave nectar is. According to one popular agave nectar manufacturer, Agave nectar is a newly created sweetener, having been developed in the 1990s. In a recent article now posted on the Weston A. Price foundations website, Ramiel Nagel and Sally Fallon Morell write,

"Agave nectar is not made from the sap of the yucca or agave plant but from the starch of the giant pineapple-like, root bulb. The principal constituent of the agave root is starch, similar to the starch in corn or rice, and a complex carbohydrate called inulin, which is made up of chains of fructose molecules.Technically a highly indigestible fiber, inulin, which does not taste sweet, comprises about half of the carbohydrate content of agave.

The process by which agave glucose and inulin are converted into nectar is similar to the process by which corn starch is converted into HFCS. The agave starch is subject to an enzymatic and chemical process that converts the starch into a fructose-rich syrupanywhere from 70 percent fructose and higher according to the agave nectar chemical profiles posted on agave nectar websites."

Compare that to the typical fructose content of high fructose corn syrup (55%)!

In a different article, Rami Nagel quotes Russ Bianchi, managing director and CEO of Adept Solutions, Inc., a globally recognized food and beverage development company, on the similarities between agave nectar and high fructose corn syrup:

They are indeed made the same way, using a highly chemical process with genetically modified enzymes. They are also using caustic acids, clarifiers, filtration chemicals and so forth in the conversion of agave starches into highly refined fructose inulin that is even higher in fructose content than high fructose corn syrup.

So there you have it. Agave nectar is not traditional, is highly refined, and actually has more concentrated fructose than high-fructose corn syrup. It is not a natural sweetener. Thus far, the evidence definitely points toward the conclusion: Agave Nectar = Bad."
http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/

 

[abifae]

I LOVE the Raw Revolution: Rasberry and Chocolate bar, that with a cup of maple yogurt, mmm!! But they are expensive, and probably not actually THAT healthy for you. But how would you make one? How would you put the ingredients together to make it solid?

cashew, agave nectar, date, cocoa powder processed with alkali, almond, rasberry powder, sprouted flax seed.

Also how would you make it healthier?

you'd want nut butters, coconut butter (i like butter over the oil for treats, better texture and it blends more evenly), dates, cashews and almonds, raspberries, cocoa powder, and flax. just blend it all together. nuts and fruit in as big or little chunks as you like.

Pour it into a pan and refrigerate. You can also melt chocolate to pour over the top.

Easy

I think coconut butter is sweet enough to not need additional sugar, especially with dates (VERY sweet!) and raspberries.

eta: oooo... don't add the raspberries in... puree them and mix into melted chocolate to pour over the top!

 

[valmom]

Agave "nectar" is also very very bad for insulin and sugar spikes- worse than table sugar. I didn't know it was processed starch, though. I thought it was still the natural nectar boiled down like maple sap. Good extra information to know!

 

[pioneergirl]

So can I drizzle Kefir over my dog's food? Wonder if that would help his digestive issues and his other things???

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Some other good ideas for dog treats:

-cut up a sweet potato and dehydrate them, dogs love them!

-last year we cut up and dehydrated chicken livers from the broilers we raised. OMG the dogs LOVED these. They didn't smell too great when they were drying though.