Article by Elizabeth Randall

This is the 15th edition of the weekly 30-minute menus for 2010. These are published on a weekly basis; I like to develop the weekly menus on Thursday or Friday, grocery shop on Saturday, and start the week’s menus on Sunday.

Is Spring in your area yet? It sure is here in Atlanta! The menus this week are much lighter because of the warmer weather (and we all want to spend more time outside – not in the kitchen!).

The Lamb Chops with Savory Butter Sunday dinner is really company fare; the minted pears finish off the meal very nicely. It is easy enough to prepare for family meals, too.

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:

Lamb Chops with Savory Butter

Rice and Vermicelli Mix (boxed mix)

Parslied Carrots (bagged baby carrots)

Beet / Goat Cheese / Walnut Salad (canned beets, chopped walnuts, jarred vinaigrette)

Minted Pears with Ice Cream and Raspberries (canned pears, purchased ice cream; purchase extra pears for Tuesday)

Monday:

Mexi-Turkey Wraps (bagged shredded lettuce and cheese, deli-cut turkey slices; buy extra turkey for Saturday)

Black Bean and Corn Salad (canned black beans and corn)

Corn Chips and Tomato Salsa (bagged corn chips, jarred tomato salsa)

Brownies (purchased brownies)

Tuesday:

Quick Pork Curry

LoMein Noodles

Pear Salad (canned pears, bagged salad greens, bottled balsamic dressing)

Coconut-Pecan Fingers with Strawberries (using white bread and canned sweetened condensed milk)

Wednesday:

Spicy Redfish with Pineapple Slaw (bagged slaw mix, jarred slaw dressing, canned pineapple; buy extra pineapple for Saturday)

Herb and Mushroom Rice (boxed rice mix)

Chocolate Dipped Cookies and Berries (purchased cookies, chocolate morsels)

Thursday:

Stuffed Spuds (vegetarian; microwave potatoes and bake in oven to finish, shredded cheeses, bagged chopped veggies)

Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges (canned Mandarin oranges, bottled Asian-type salad dressing)

Baked Cookies (yellow cake mix)

Friday:

Tuscan Pasta (boxed pasta, canned cannellini beans, shredded cheeses)

Sliced Tomato Salad

Baguette

Peach Macaroon Cups (canned peaches, purchased macaroon cookies)

Saturday:

Polynesian Ginger Turkey Stir Fry (deli-cut turkey slices, canned pineapple, jarred orange marmalade)

RiceSugar Snap Peas

Coconut Tarts (purchased tart shells, instant coconut pudding mix, canned whipped cream)

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation,

Elizabeth Randall and Family

About the Author

For more ideas, check out my website: http://www.MomsMealConnection.com.

The 30-Minute Menus give you instructions for preparing the complete meals in 30 minutes – flat! Party in a Bag offers ideas for 30-minute appetizer courses or cocktail parties.

MomsMealConnection is designed to help busy moms everywhere prepare meals – family meals, holiday celebrations, and special dinners plus entertaining.

Article by Karl Max

You can give your kids healthy diet choices that will still keep them running to, rather than away from, the dinner table. The secret to a kids healthy diet is often just substitution. Instead of giving them foods in their diet that are high in fat or questionable in dietary benefit, substitute a few ingredients that won’t change taste but will keep your children healthy. For instance, when making meatballs for spaghetti, it is a good idea to substitute whole wheat or bulgur breadcrumbs for some of the ground beef and bake the meatballs rather than frying them.

Other recipe ideas for a kids healthy diet include coating chicken tenders in an almond and whole-wheat crust and cooking them in the oven rather than deep-frying in oil. This makes for crispy, delicious chicken fingers with half the fat of the usual ones.

Another kids healthy diet recipe idea is to make baked beans into a main dish by adding chicken sausage and spinach. Baked beans are low in fat and high in protein, adding to a kids healthy diet options.

Using whole-wheat breadcrumbs and whole-grain cereal flakes, you can make your own homemade fish sticks. Again, cook them up in the oven instead of deep-frying and save on fat and cholesterol as part of a kids healthy diet plan.

Update a Sloppy Joe as part of a kids healthy diet by cooking down chopped mushrooms and diced fresh plum tomatoes to make a zesty sauce added to lean ground beef.

Pepperoni pizza can get an overhaul by using whole-wheat dough, adding pumpkin puree to the tomato sauce for increased beta carotene and fiber, and substituting turkey pepperoni for the topping.

Cut pork tenderloin into long filets and bread it with the same coating as the chicken fingers for a delicious kids healthy diet dinner.

Stuffed cheeseburgers are a tasty alternative to sticking the cheese on top of the burger. Simply form lean meat patties around cheese and cook as normal. Using lean meat, real cheese instead of cheese processed food, and whole grain buns makes this meal part of a kids healthy diet plan.

Remember that at the heart of kids healthy diet recipes is the simple idea of substituting less healthy ingredients for more healthy ingredients. You can do this with almost any of your children’s favorite foods. Make sure to change ingredients that will not drastically alter the flavor so that your child will hardly notice the difference at all. You might also only want to change the recipe slightly at first and then change it a little more each time it is served until they become used to the fully healthy variation. For instance, when first making the pizza recipe above, you might want to only change to turkey pepperoni. The next time you make the pizza, switch out the dough for whole-wheat and then, finally, add the pumpkin puree to the tomato sauce. Your child may be less likely to notice the subtle change of the recipe over time than the full switch to a kids healthy diet recipe all at once.

About the Author

Article Source:http://www.babycenter-blog.com/2010/09/07/kids-healthy-diet-hinges-on-substitution/

Article by Chris McCarthy

It’s hard to tell which wing sauces are better because we all have different tastes. Buffalo wing sauces are not hard to make at all. The original Anchor Bar Buffalo, NY wing sauce is said to only have five main ingredients. But with so many varieties already available and with such inexpensive price tags, there’s no reason to make them on your own. Buy a variety of wing sauces and try them all out I say!

More Info on Wing Sauces

If you want to have the widest selection of wing sauces, then you should go to InsaneChicken. They carry a VERY large catalogue of wing sauces, condiments, marinades, and barbecue ingredients that are hard to find in some retail outlets. The most popular brands include those coming from restaurants like Anchor Bar, home of the original Buffalo wings, and Hooters. They also carry brands that are extra hot or quite hard to find. Ordering is secure and convenient. Because most wing sauce products are inexpensive, you should try ordering a lot and stock up on this essential ingredient.

Wing sauces aren’t just useful for chicken wings you know. You can use them on any chicken part. You can even use them on ribs, pork chops and steaks. While wing sauces are typically mixed with the wings after frying, you can use wing sauces to marinate meats as well. They also make great seasonings to such viands like steak, meatloaf and various fried foods.

For the best culinary experience, consider serving your chicken wings with your choice of dip. The type of dip you should serve depends on the wing sauces used. For instance, hot wing sauce calls for blue cheese, ranch and mayo dips, while sweet wing sauces go well with sour cream and onion or cheddar dips. Also, remember that fresh salsa, pickle relish or minced tomatoes go well with ANY dish.

Buffalo Wings – Fun Recipe Ideas

Buffalo wings are fun to eat. Adults and children simple never tire of them! They are also very easy to make. You can fry them, bake them or grill them. You can make your own barbecue sauce or buy prepared sauces available in grocery stores. However, if you plan on making a lot of wings and feeding a lot of people, consider buying a variety of sauces at InsaneChicken.com, an online specialty sauce and condiment retailer. Below are some fun ways you can prepare wings quickly.

Wings – Coat Me Silly Ideas

Easy Wings. This dish is just perfect for those who don’t have the time to make elaborate dish preparations. Simply get your frozen wings out of the freezer and defrost them in the microwave. Afterwards, you can mix some water and the wing sauce of your choice with the wings, and boil them on the stove. After the chicken and the sauce are thoroughly cooked, simply place the wing in barbecue sticks and sear them with the flames of your gas stove. This recipe is easy and delicious.

Tender Wings – Sweet chicken barbecue that falls off the bone is simply irresistible. It’s relatively simple to make too. Just mix your favorite barbecue sauce into the chicken wings, along with paprika, brown sugar or pancake syrup. Place this in greased aluminum foil and wrap tight. Bake slowly for 3-4 hours and you’ll have mouth-watering barbecue the entire family will enjoy. Enjoy these with baked potatoes and sour cream for a delicious dinner.

Fried Wings – This is a quick barbecue recipe that tastes just as good as the grilled counter part. Coat your chicken liberally with bottled wing sauce like Wing Time Mild Wing Sauce (for a slightly hot taste), or Jim Beam Wing Sauce (for really hot), or Spontaneous Combustion Chicken Wing Sauce (for ARE YOU CRAZY hotness). Then in a non-stick pan, melt two sticks of butter and add half a cup of olive oil. Fry your wings until brown. This goes well with cucumber salad or some great tasting salsa!

About the Author

Chris McCarthy is the owner of InsaneChicken’s Hot Sauce Catalog. InsaneChicken also sells Gourmet Wing Sauce.

Article by SarahSandori

Filet mignon! To many peoples’ minds, the words themselves speak of excellence, good living and expensive taste. No wonder. Carefully selected and expertly cut, filet mignon is a steak lover’s dream.

Filet mignon is a boneless steak that is cut from the tenderloin of the cow, which, as its name implies, yields the tenderest meat.

The filet itself is usually cut into portions between 1 and 2 inches in thickness. Oftentimes, stores sell such portions pre-wrapped with bacon. The reason for this is that file mignon does not contain as much fat marbling as bone-in steak cuts generally do; the bacon, then, substitutes for the missing fat.

If you prefer your marbling to be natural, or you simply don’t eat pork, then look for filet mignon that is pink rather than red–the lighter the color the better, in other words. Lighter color=more marbling.

One key point to remember when cooking filet mignon, whether you broil, roast, grill or pan fry it, is to use high heat in the process. A second key point is not to cook it too long; filet mignon is particularly susceptible to drying out as it cooks.

Keeping those two key points in mind, almost any steak recipe will work for filet mignon. Cookbooks and the Web are overflowing with imaginative things you can do with this royal cut of beef. If you’ve never cooked filet mignon, though, here are two basic recipes to get you started:

Grilled Filet Mignon

Ingredients

4 filets mignons

Salt

Black pepper

Directions

Heat grill. Grill filets mignons for 3 to 5 minutes per side, which will cook them to medium or medium-rare doneness. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Note: Connoisseurs will tell you that filets mignons can only be properly appreciated medium-rare or even rare. I tend to agree. But if you really can’t stand the thought of eating steak that pink, feel free to cook longer. Again, start with high heat so as to minimize the time needed to reach your preferred state of doneness.

Sauteed Filet Mignon

Ingredients

4 filets mignons

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh, chopped rosemary

Cooking oil

Directions

Season the filets mignons with the salt and pepper, then sprinkle rosemary over them. Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium to high heat. Place the meat in the skillet and fry for 3 to 5 minutes per side (for medium-rare doneness).

By the way, a red wine such as cabernet sauvignon or burgundy makes a great accompaniment to filet mignon.

About the Author

Sarah Sandori is food and entertaining columnist for Solid-Gold.Info. Have you ever wanted to be able to duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah’s source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America.

Article by John J. Marshall

Last fall, our friend, Donna, dropped off a couple of large plastic garbage bags filled with fresh basil plants.  Someone had given more of their bumper crop than they could use themselves.  They were pulling up the rest.  Donna used as much as she could, sold some at the local farmers’ market, and still had bushels of basil.

Even though we grow our own herbs, we were glad to get her leftovers.  But we couldn’t possibly use so much basil at once, so I set about making lots of pesto.  I reasoned that it would be a better alternative than freezing or drying the raw herb.  Nothing preserves the flavor of fresh herbs like olive oil.

If you are growing basil in your garden, try my recipe for pesto with a Southern twist:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed tightly1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (authentic Italian pesto contains pine nuts)3 garlic cloves, mincedSalt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteEquipment: A food processor or blender.  If using a blender, make sure the lid has an opening on top so ingredients can be added without removing the entire lid.

Procedure:

Put the basil and nuts in the blender, make sure the lid is secure, and give the machine a few short bursts (pulses) of power. Add the garlic and pulse a few times more.  This gets the basil chopped a little, but not too much.

Slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream while the blender is on.  Everything should be well mixed and chopped.  Add the grated cheese and pulse some more.  Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.  Taste the mixture.  Remember that the cheese adds a little salt.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.

This will give you about 1 cup.  Needless to say, I made a lot more than that.

I spooned the pesto into little plastic containers with lids, about 1/3 cup capacity, and put them in the freezer.  I’ve found that the basil tends to soak up some of the oil, even when frozen, and becomes pasty.  But stirring in a little more oil before using restores the pesto to the right consistency.  Though a year has passed, we still have some in the freezer and it tastes great.

Pesto is wonderful on toast, pasta, vegetables, chicken, veal and pork dishes, to mention a very few.  My favorite is roasted red bell pepper stuffed with feta cheese, pesto spooned over the top, and served warm.  Since we have a bumper crop of red and yellow bell peppers this year, we’re eating a lot of them with pesto.

About the Author

John Marshall is the owner of goGardenNow.com. He has been an instructor in Landscape Design with the Continuing Education Department at Georgia Southern University, a featured guest speaker for various garden clubs, a plant tester for government programs, the familiar voice on the local radio “Garden Minute”, and a gardening consultant.

Article by Jim Smith

The History of SausageSince sausage-making is essentially a technique used to preserve meat it’s likely impossible to pinpoint the exact time period or originating point of sausage.

The usual complications of studying the history of food crop up here because historians have to rely on the few written literary sources that exist because food and other topics related to the home were not generally written down in recipe books.

One thing we can say for sure is that the origin of sausage is clearly connected to the butchering of animals and the desire to use the entire catch…meat, organs, blood and all. Although there is a very clear link between sausage and offal the two are very much separated in mainstream media for obvious reasons. Never-the-less, if you can imagine the earliest humans hunting animals, killing them and trying to find ways to extend the usability of their meat, you’ll likely be able to imagine the intersection between this practice and the emergence of spices coming out of the Far East.

Building on this concept of spices leading to sausage-making, we can pinpoint the earliest evidence of spice use by humans to around 50,000 B.C. Although we have archaeological evidence from that time period, the spice trade didn’t develop throughout the Middle East until around 2000 BC with cinnamon and pepper leading the way. By 1000 BC, China and India had a medical system based upon herbs. Early uses were connected with magic, medicine, religion, tradition, and preservation.[0]

Regardless of the lack of written resources and no clear connection between the origin of spices and the origin of sausage, I am attempting to consolidate all known references to sausage and sausage making in early history to uncover the evolution of a food staple so important to almost every culture on earth….the almighty sausage!

If you have any information that differs or adds to the information contained herein, please contact me through the about page. My intent is to create a living document that grows with the content and knowledge of our readers.

GREECE:

Most of ancient history begins with the Greeks so that’s where our research begins. Based on their early literature, we know the ancient Greeks made and ate sausages, mostly ones made of pork. They were bought and sold alongside offal at the food market in Athens. This is not to say that the Greeks invented sausage so much as it is clear that they had them. The Greek word for sausage was allas and the word for minced meat was isikion.

The Odyssey contains what might be the oldest reference to sausage. In book 18 a type of blood sausage is mentioned: “there are some goats’ paunches down at the fire, which we have filled with blood and fat, and set aside for supper; he who is victorious and proves himself to be the better man shall have his pick of the lot”.

A sausage seller was also the hero of Aristophanes’ satirical play The Knights (424 BCE). The sausage seller, Agoracritus, was very lowly person yet was picked by an oracle to rule Athens. His trade is described by the slave Demosthenes as the perfect preparation for a politician:

Mix and knead together all the state business as you do for your sausages. To win the people, always cook them some savory that pleases them. Besides, you possess all the attributes of a demagogue; a screeching, horrible voice, a perverse, cross-grained nature and the language of the market-place. In you all is united which is needful for governing.

In common era Greek sources there are references to a smoked sausage called louk

Article by Elizabeth Randall

This is the 45th edition of the weekly 30-minute menus for 2010. These are published on a weekly basis; I like to develop the weekly menus on Thursday or Friday, grocery shop on Saturday, and start the week’s menus on Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving! It is hard for me to believe T-Day will be here this week! This week’s menus are guaranteed to be on the table in 30 minutes – flat so you can spend your time getting ready for the holidays!

My family is coming in Wednesday evening so I am creating a buffet with the Super Supper Stuffed Spuds menu; folks can mix and match their spud stuffings as they want! Both prep and clean-up are a snap with this super supper.

Saturday’s menu of Dilly Tilapia Bundles is made so easy using Puff Pastry. It is easy enough for family yet fancy enough for company. I love serving this menu for company because it is so quick and tasty!

Thanksgiving dinner of Glazed Cornish Hens with Pecan Stuffing is a treat for the whole family – including the cook. I will be serving this appetizer course for a great start to this meal: a Camembert Round; Shrimp Cocktail with Tamarind Coconut Curry; Endive, Snow Peas, Asparagus Spears, Bell Peppers with Pineapple Chipotle Salsa; Sea Salt Pita Chips and Simple Water Crackers; Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds.

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:

Pork Medallions with Tarragon Sauce

Buttered Rotinni

Steamed Zucchinni

Blueberry Cheesecake Tarts (graham cracker tart shells, instant cheesecake pudding mix, blueberry jam)

Monday:

BBQ Chicken Quarters (prepared orange juice, bottled teriyaki sauce)

Curried Pineapple Slices (canned pineapple slices; purchase extra pineapple for Tuesday)

Potato Salad (canned potatoes)

Green Beans

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Tuesday:

Shepherd’s Pie (instant mashed potatoes, canned mixed vegetables and soup)

Waldorf Salad (buy extra apples for Saturday)

Cherry Fluff (canned cherry pie filling and pineapple, frozen whipped topping; save some whipped topping for Wednesday)

Wednesday:

Super Supper Stuffed Spuds (vegetarian; microwave potatoes and bake in oven to finish, shredded cheeses, bagged chopped veggies)

Mandarin Spinach Salad (bagged baby spinach, canned Mandarin oranges, bottled Asian-type salad dressing)

Single Layer Yellow Cake with Berries (yellow cake mix, frozen whipped topping, berries)

Thursday: Thanksgiving Day

Glazed Cornish Hens

Pecan Stuffing (boxed cornbread stuffing mix)

Dilled Baby Carrots (bagged baby carrots)

Mixed Greens with Cranberries and Citrus (bagged greens, jarred citrus, dried cranberries)

Rolls, Butter (purchased rolls)

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream (purchased pumpkin pie, canned whipped cream)

Friday:

Spaghetti Bolognese (boxed pasta, jarred Bolognese sauce)

Italian Medley Vegetables (frozen veggie mix)

Jam Thumbprint Cookies (jarred jam, prepared sugar cookie dough)

Saturday:

Dilly Tilapia Bundles (puff pastry)

Asian Stir-Fry (frozen stir-fry veggie mix)

Cranberry-Apple Salad

Tuilles with Ice Cream (purchased tortillas and ice cream)

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation,

Elizabeth Randall and Family

About the Author

For more ideas, check out my website: http://www.MomsMealConnection.com.

The 30-Minute Menus give you instructions for preparing the complete meals in 30 minutes – flat! Party in a Bag offers ideas for 30-minute appetizer courses or cocktail parties.

MomsMealConnection is designed to help busy moms everywhere prepare meals – family meals, holiday celebrations, and special dinners plus entertaining.

Article by Simon

This, I think, is going to be really exotic to you. Do you like loin chops..? Do you like sambal oelek? Both are in this dish! It’s kind of cool, actually. Hope you enjoy it!

This recipe is pork chop or loin chop with sambal oelek, cream and soy in oven. Very simple and tasty recipe. The bites of meat become really tender and nice – they melt in your mouth! Try this out, tell me what and really enjoy this – if you experiment, however degree you do it to, tell me! Would be cool to hear what you did – what you changed, how much you changed things around etc. Bon appetit! This is awesome to prepare for a picnic, as well – so tell me if you tried that!

Time for this dish: 1 hour and 45 minutes.The dish is for four people. If you’re having a picnic this is AWESOME – very picnic-friendly indeed.

Ingredients: 4 pork chops/loin chops (with or without bones)

3dl whip cream/other cream2-3 table spoons soy1 tea spoon sambal oelek

Needed equipment: 1 ovenproof dish that’s about 20x30cm/8x12inches.

This is how this dish is made: Put the chops – frozen or melted – in the ovenproof dish (the dish being approximately as big as the area covered by the chops laying beside each other).

Mix the cream, soy and sambal oelek in a bowl. If you have chosen to use whip cream – which I would recommend – then use the 3 table spoons of soy (however much soy, taste to see if it’s the right amount). If you have taken too much, put in some cream to even out.

Pour the mix onto the chops – until the chops are covered in the sauce.

You fry all this at 175c in the middle of your oven for 90 minutes. Now have an awesome meal or picnic.

About the Author

Renovating this summer? Check it out: http://niceklinkers.blogspot.com/

A variation, here: http://www.aerobieorbiterboomerang.blogspot.com

Article by Anna Hensley

Any person who has actually employed a Dunkin Donuts coupon is aware they have killer coffee – it trumps Starbucks in my book! But even Dunkin coffee aficionados like me can be amazed by its flexibility — did you know you can cook up some pretty delicious pork chops with the exact same things that provides you your myorning decide on-me-up? Get all set to be impressed. This recipe was produced by Dunkin Donuts chefs Michael McEwen and Heidi Curry, who know Dunkin coffee much better than anybody. This coffee-infused brine will carry out the smoky, caramel-y high quality in chops. But why brine instead of marmalade, you could ask? Effectively, according to the gurus, brine works much better for leaner cuts of meat like pork or chicken. Brining assists to keep the meat juicy and tender, and as a substitute of putting the flavor outside (as with a sauce) brining helps the meat to absorb the flavor all the way in. This brine is produced with savory spices and has a delicious scent – here’s what you will need:4-5 bone in chops (pork loin or pork rib)one head garlicthree slices ginger2 tablespoons kosher salttwo teaspoons black peppercorn1 cinnamon sticktwo tablespoons brown sugar1 cup dunkin dark roast, chilledLightly brown ginger and garlic in a little sauce pan more than medium low warmth. Add salt and spices. Toast for a person to two minutes. Add coffee and brown sugar. Warmth until eventually sugar is dissolved. Clear away from heat and allow brine to awesome to place temperature in advance of placing in an airtight container (such as a sealable Ziploc bag or Tupperware container) with the pork chops. Let the pork chops to soak in the brine for a minimum of six to eight hours – for the ideal taste, allow sit the pork chops sit overnight in fridge. Now that your pork chops are all soaked, warmth up the grill and pull out the pork chops from the refrigerator. Pat meat dry with a paper towel. Rub chops with a little dab of oil, and place on the hot grill. Enable pork chops to cook for six to seven minutes on the very first aspect, and four-5 on the next. Let pork chops to awesome for a handful of minutes just before serving. If your visitors consult what your solution for scrumptious pork is, you may possibly allow them know that it’s Dunkin Donuts coupons – but you may possibly just want to pretend its an old family recipe.

About the Author

Business Analyist and busy body. I’m a tech geek and foodie addict, which you’ll sooner or later pick up from my posts

Article by Nathan Lowery

More and more dog owners are switching their four legged friends to raw dog food diets because they offer a number of different benefits. Dogs that are on a raw dog food diet often have cleaner teeth, healthier skin and coats, more energy and even smaller stools. While there are some people who find the diet controversial, it’s important to give a dog the right foods when making the switch.

The raw dog food diet should be a healthy balance between protein, fiber and carbohydrates. Starting a dog on this diet earlier on can help reduce any adjustment periods that their digestive tract needs to go through. It’s also important to make sure that the bones and such won’t cause choking, break teeth or cause internal damage due to puncturing anything vital.

There are good bones to give dogs and bad bones. Any bone that will easily splinter or are very sharp should be avoided. Examples of these include bones from pork chops and some steaks. If you don’t want to waste the bone, file it down a little so there are no sharp edges or take it to the butcher to grind into a meal for you.

Ham bones are great because there is a lot of muscle meat still on the bone that they can chew off before even getting to the bone. These can be saved after cooking a ham or purchased directly from any meat market. Any muscle meat will help the dog get their protein with a raw dog food diet and help with the shinier coats.

Organ meats can be cut up as small as your dog likes. This includes chicken livers, beef kidneys and much more. They are very high in riboflavin and iron – essential vitamins and nutrients that your dog needs to survive.

You can also employ various dog food recipes to keep things unique for your dog. Raw eggs, apples and other fruit and even green vegetables can make their way into your dog’s food dish. Being creative will help your dog adjust to the raw dog food diet much quicker and they will feel like they’re getting a special treat.

Since the diet has gained in popularity, more people are releasing dog food recipes to help dog owners around the world establish what combinations work well. For example, you can cut up chicken liver, brussel sprouts and carrots and then add in some of the chicken skin and the bone meal for a wonderful dish for your canine.

As you cook meals for you and your own family, think twice about anything you discard. The bones that you would ordinarily toss can be ground up. The skin can be cut into smaller pieces and even the kidneys and other meats that you usually avoid are all prime things that your dog can have.

About the Author

Welcome by name is Nathan Lowery and I am the proud owner of five dogs and loves animals in general.When I learned what is going into and not into commercial dog food I started researching all natural dog food recipes. Now The health benefits are amazing, and my dogs are much happier. If you love your dog you will consider switching to an all natural and even a raw dog food diet.