Friday, 11 October 2013

Food Preparation - in BULK!

Mummy has had many requests from her lovely readers asking her how she prepares my food, so here goes.

Mummy prepares my food in bulk as it saves time in the long run. As you can see from the steps below, it's really not that much effort at all and the nutritional benefits of feeding natural over processed commercial food is well worth it!

Step 1: Steam meat or fish for 20 minutes and veggies for 10 minutes in a food steamer. Mummy likes her Tefal food steamer. 


Although raw food feeding has become a popular trend, Mummy believes in cooking meat and fish (unless feeding bones which is essential for healthy teeth and gums). Cooking meat kills any bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria, or parasites which may be harmful or even fateful to your precious pooch. Raw fish contains an enzyme that breaks down Vitamin B2, so feeding raw fish to your precious pooch can result in a vitamin deficiency. 

Mummy likes to feed me kangaroo meat as it is high in protein and low in fat and also contains no added chemicals or hormones. Kangaroo meat can be bought at Coles. Mummy also uses organic free-range chicken, turkey, lamb, and beef bought from TJ's Quality Meats in Balmain, and a variety of fish bought from the Sydney Fish Market. Fish should be fed no more than once a week as it contains toxic chemicals and mercury which can lead to liver failure in your precious pooch. Mummy also feeds me organic offal such as kidneys, heart and liver from chicken or lamb. Offal should be fed no more than once or twice a week as it is very high in nutrients which can lead to an imbalance. For example, liver is very high in vitamin A and if fed excessively, can lead to a condition called hypervitaminosis A.

Mummy uses a variety of vegetables including broccoli, carrots, peas, sweet potato, green beans, salad leaves, spinach, and pumpkin. 

DO NOT feed onions, capsicum, garlic, avocado, grapes, raisins, sultanas, nuts, green unripe tomatoes, mushrooms, chocolate (NB: this is not an exhaustive list).


Step 2: Process meat and veggies separately in a food processor to make it more digestible. Mummy likes her Kenwood Triblade Hand Blender. 



Avoid buying pre-packaged minced meat as it contains more fat than primal cut. Meat can be minced quickly and easily in a food processor or blender.

Step 3: Divide meat and veggies into separate mixing bowls.




Step 4: Spoon mixtures into separate plastic containers. 




Step 5: Label containers using masking tape and black marker.




Step 6: Stack containers in freezer.


When feeding, take the container out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge for three or more hours. Mummy thaws it in the morning before going to work and it is ready when she gets home. Do not microwave as radiation from microwave can be harmful to your precious pooch. Microwaving plastic containers can also cause cancer.


Step 7: After thawing, supplements such as Sasha's Blend or fish oil can be added, depending on the individual needs of your pampered pooch.



For more recipe ideas, see my previous posts: Organic Lamb Kidney and Chicken Liver with Veggies, Raw Chicken Carcass, Farmhouse Free-Range Egg, and Japanese Style Organic Minced Chicken Neck.


Tuesday, 24 September 2013

OOTD: Blue and White Polka Dot Vest with Hoodie

Being a girlie girl, I've never really been into the colour blue. Purple, yes. Pink, without a doubt. Red, even. But BLUE?!? Isn't that for boy dogs?

So when Mummy returned from her trip to Hong Kong, land of the cutest dog clothes ever, with a blue vest for me, I felt a tad uncomfortable. What if Muffin, the love-of-my-life, overlooked me on the streets because he thought I was a BOY? What if wearing blue made me feel less feminine and I started lifting my leg and marking every tree, bush and pole I came across? What if? What if? WHAT IF????

All of my fears, doubts and prejudices against the colour blue quickly dissipated as soon as Mummy tried the vest on me. Blue by itself may be boring, dull, and conservative, BUT blue with white polka dots takes on a whole new persona of its own (Think cool. Think chic. Think 1950's retro). My new blue vest also has a cool yellow hood attached (cos I'm so gangsta!)

The moral of the story? The phrase "what if" should be eradicated from the human (and canine) vocabulary!

Here I am, loitering around my neighbourhood:











Din Din: Organic Lamb Kidney and Chicken Liver with Veggies

Mummy cooked me the most delicious concoction for dinner last night. It was so yummy I licked the bowl clean and then sat under the dining table and begged Mummy and Daddy for more (not that it ever works, but a girl can always try!)

Mummy is pretty strict about not over-feeding me. Firstly, because I don't have the best joints on my hind legs (I have luxating patella grade 4, which basically means my kneecap sits permanently outside of its groove), and therefore any excess weight would be burdensome on my joints. And secondly, because Mummy has read studies showing that rats and monkeys lived longer on a low-calorific diet (oh how I wish Mummy had never read this!!)

Anyway, back to my scrumptious dinner which I'm still thinking about today (food is a constant in my meandering thoughts). Let me share with you Mummy's quick and easy peasy homemade recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 organic lamb heart
1 organic chicken liver
Carrot
Peas
Purple sweet potato
1/2 scoop Sasha's Blend
Sprinkling of crushed free-range eggshell 
4 drops human-grade fish oil

METHOD:

Steam lamb heart and chicken liver for 20 minutes (Mummy loves her Tefal food steamer). Steam vegetables for 10 minutes. Chuck it all in a mini blender to make it easier to digest (Mummy loves her Kenwood Triblade Hand Blender). Let cool and then sprinkle with Sasha's Blend, eggshell and fish oil. Combine well.

TOOLS:

Tefal Food Steamer - throw the ingredients in, put on the timer and go do your own thing until the timer goes off. Life couldn't be easier!



Kenwood Triblade Hand Blender - great for small amounts of food that need to be chopped or blended. Very easy to clean - bonus!




This is what the dish looks like before the ingredients have been blended:



SUPPLEMENTS:

1) Sasha's Blend





Sasha's Blend is made from a combination of marine concentrates and nutrients which aid in the relief of arthritic symptoms in dogs. It is beneficial in dealing with pain and inflammation, promoting improved digestive function, stimulating healthy joint function, and stimulating healthy joint fluid production.

2) Fish Oil




Fish oil provides the following benefits for your pooch:

- improves coat and skin;
- reduces inflammation due to conditions such as arthritis, allergies, and inflammatory bowel disease;
- regulates the immune system, boosting those that are suppressed and calming overactive immune systems for dogs with allergies or autoimmune diseases;
- aids in mental development of fetuses and puppies, and improves cognitive function in older dogs;
- lowers blood pressure and triglycerides;
- provides support for dogs with kidney disease, heart disease, and cancer;
- promotes weight loss in overweight dogs.

Just make sure you store it properly and give the appropriate dosage!

And VOILA! This is what the dish looks like after it's been blended:




And here's what my bowl looks like when I'm done. I don't know why Mummy bothers washing it when I do such a good job of it myself!






Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Eating Raw Chicken Carcass in Paul Frank Outfit



Mummy recently uploaded a clip on YouTube of me feeding on raw chicken carcass. The clip lasted less than a minute and showcased me pawing at and gnawing at a raw chicken carcass. It was obviously fascinating to one particular viewer because they asked Mummy if she could upload a video of me eating the whole piece from start to finish (perhaps they couldn't believe that I could finish eating something the size of my head??). So here I am, on YouTube again (although this time sporting Paul Frank). Believe me. My stomach is MUCH bigger than my head!



Saturday, 14 September 2013

My Queen Bed + Doggy Steps

When Mummy first rescued me back in February this year, I slept on a doggy bed next to hers. Mummy's bed was too high for me and Mummy was worried I'd fall off in the middle of the night (FAT CHANCE!) So every night, Mummy would sing me a little lullaby (personally, I'd prefer "Who Let The Dogs Out" by Baha Men), tuck me in, say "Nighty nighty pumpkin pie. Mummy looooooooves you!", and switch off the lights. Mummy thought I was A-OK with this arrangement for the first few nights because I slept like a baby and didn't make a squeak...but really, I was quietly sulking in my bed (NOT HAPPY, JAN!) and secretly plotting a plan to get Mummy to allow me to sleep in HER bed. 

After nights of plotting and scheming and running the scenario through my head, the day came when it was time to put my carefully orchestrated plan into action. I waited till the crack of dawn to start my perfectly rehearsed whimpering. I imagined all sorts of terrible things happening to me...going to the vet, missing a meal, being adopted by Paris Hilton...and this made me whimper like I really meant it! Of course, this woke Mummy up and got her attention. With Plan A a success, it was time to move quickly to Plan B: I put my paws up to the side of Mummy's bed, looked up at her groggy face with my big, pleading eyes, and sent telepathic messages to her "Let me in pleeeeeeeeaaaaaase. I SWEAR TO DOG I won't steal the blanket or hog the bed (Daddy already does that). I SWEAR TO DOG I won't lick my privates and then lick your face. I SWEAR TO DOG I won't slobber on you, pant in your face or dutch oven you. PLEASE PLEASE PUH-LEEEEEEAAAASE???". And what do you know, it worked a treat! Mummy lifted me up into her bed and said "There there little one...I guess it won't hurt to let you in for just half an hour before I have to get up". I snuggled against Mummy's warm body with a sneaky grin on my face.

Plan C: repeat Plan A and B, only earlier in the night.

In the end, it was all too easy. No sooner had Mummy said "Nighty nighty pumpkin pie. Mummy looooooooves you!" and switched off the light, then I was up and out of my doggy bed and whimpering and whining until Mummy relented. Now the doggy bed has been shifted to the living room (I have a doggy bed for each room in the apartment, just in case my ass gets cold), and I no longer need to do my circus routine before bedtime because Mummy's bed is now MY bed (*muahahahahaha*).

Here I am on my Queen bed (fit for the Queen that I am).




P.S. Of course, Mummy had to get the carpenter to build another set of doggy steps for my new bed, just like the ones we have for our sofa.



AAAAAAAARRRRRGHHHH!!! Wake me up from this nightmare!!!



WHO LET THE DOGS OUT (BAHA MEN) 

Who let the dogs out
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
(woof, woof, woof, woof)
When the party was nice, the party was jumpin' (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)
And everybody havin' a ball (Hah, ho, Yippie Yi Yo)
I tell the fellas "start the name callin'" (Yippie Yi Yo)
And the girls report to the call
The poor dog show down
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
I see ya' little speed boat head up our coast
She really want to skip town
Get back off me, beast off me
Get back you flea infested monger
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
I'm gonna tell {Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo}
To any girls calling them canine {Yippie, Yi, Yo}
Tell the dummy "Hey Man, It's part of the Party!" {Yippie Yi, Yo}
You fetch a women in front and her mans behind {Yippie, Yi, Yo}
Her bone runs out now
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Say, A doggy is nuttin' if he don't have a bone All dogy hold ya' bone, all doggy hold it
A doggy is nuttin' if he don't have a bone All dogy hold ya' bone, all doggy hold it
Wait for y'all my dogs, the party is on
I gotta get my girl I got my myind on
Do you see the rays comin' from my eye
What could you be friend
That Benji man that's breakin' them down?
Me and My white short shorts
And I can't seek a lot, any canine will do
I'm figurin' that's why they call me faithful
'Cause I'm the man of the land
When they see me they doah-ooooo(howl)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)
Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)




Thursday, 12 September 2013

OOTD: Purple Puffy Prada-esque Vest

Today's outfit-of-the-day is this lovely purple number. They say purple is the new black (or in my case, pink). Purple also symbolises royalty, which in turn has connotations of wealth, privilege and power (GIRL POWER!)...(OK, so Mummy bought it at a bargain store in Chinatown - but none of the other doggies know that!) I love it because it's light-weight and waterproof, and the ruching is fab for hiding excess winter weight and also reminds me of a yummy Prada handbag. Must look my best in case I run into my hunky boyfriend, Muffin (HUBBA HUBBA).   





Very Prada, darling...




My boyfriend, Muffin (gawd he's a hunk!)




Tuesday, 10 September 2013

My Raw Food Diet



Summer's coming up which means it's time to peel off the winter layers and show off my trim body! Mummy makes sure I stay nice and lean by feeding me a natural home-cooked diet. One of my favourite meals is organic raw chicken carcass (aka chicken frame) which I get fed about two or three times a week. I LOVE LOVE LOVE raw chicken carcass because:

- it's yummy and nutritious (raw bones are a good source of calcium and balances out the phosphorous found in meat)
- it's a great, natural toothbrush (chewing on raw bones massages my teeth and gums, cleans away food and tartar, and prevents plaque formation, bad breath, dental cavities, etc.)
- it's good for my digestive tract and keeps me regular =)

But most of all, I LOVE raw chicken carcass because it brings back the primal instinct in me. 

I AM LION: WATCH ME ROAR!!!