Homemade dog meals can be fed twice or thrice a week. They serve as a great palate cleanser to a dog’s digestion. Besides being delicious, these meals are also super healthy as they carry no preservatives or artificial flavorings. And dog parents can pack these meals chock-full of nutrients.

Here are a few simple recipes to brighten a dog’s meal time:

Turkey and veggie mash
This simple recipe combines lean protein and nutrient-packed vegetables to make the perfect meal for a healthy, easy to make, and extremely delicious dog. What more, this dish can be refrigerated for up to five weeks, thawed, and served whenever needed.

Ingredients

• Lean ground turkey – 2 pounds
• Raw turkey (pureed) – 2 tablespoons
• Cauliflower florets – 1 cup
• Zucchini (sliced) – ½
• Carrots (finely chopped) – 2
• Broccoli florets – 1 cup
• Olive/safflower oil – 2 tablespoons

Recipe

• Boil and steam carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, and broccoli until they are nice and tender, but not mushy. Set aside to cool.
• Cook ground turkey and raw turkey puree on a skillet in medium-high heat until it is not pink anymore. Drain and discard any excess fat.
• Once the vegetables have cooled down, chop them finely by hand or in a food processor until they reach that grainy consistency.
• Add the chopped vegetables to the turkey mixture. Toss them together with the olive or safflower oil and ensure that all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
• Let the mash cool down completely before storing it in the refrigerator.
• This mash can be thawed, warmed up, and served as is, or it can also be fashioned into meatballs.

Meatballs
These delicious doggie meatballs use pumpkin as the binding agent, and pumpkin is perfect for a dog’s digestion as it contains a whole lot of fiber and acts as a laxative.

Ingredients

• Lean ground beef – 10 lbs
• Oat bran – 2 cups
• Pumpkin puree – 3 cans
• Carrots (boiled, steamed, and mashed) – 4
• Kale stalk leaves (finely chopped) – 4
• Bread (cut into small cubes) – 3 slices
• Eggs – 4
• Salt – for seasoning
• Flour – for dusting

Recipe

• Combine all the above ingredients in a large bowl. Mix and knead them properly.
• Fashion the mixture into little balls the size of doughnut holes. Make sure the size is not too big.
• Roll the meatballs in flour to absorb excess moisture. Shake them off to remove excess flour.
• Bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes until they turn slightly brown on the outside.
• Remove and let them cool down completely before serving.

Spinach and salmon scramble
This easy and sumptuous recipe incorporates the goodness of spinach and fish oils, which are great for young pups, especially.

Ingredients

• Frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained) – ½ cup
• Skinless, boneless salmon (drained) – ½ can
• Eggs – 2
• Extra virgin olive oil – 1 teaspoon

Recipe

• Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
• Add the salmon and spinach and cook thoroughly.
• Add the eggs and stir continuously until everything is cooked and mixed properly.
• Let it cool down to a lukewarm temperature before serving in a dog bowl.