It’s Kiki’s first Gotcha Day and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this feisty little firecracker of ours! From day one Kiki was feisty, and she was fiery but she was full of love and she showed us who was about to rule this roost…
What a year it has been. When we welcomed Kiki into our family exactly a year ago today, our hearts were beyond shattered after losing our precious girl Zara. If you follow us on Instagram, then you’ll know exactly what I mean. Our family needed Kiki, we needed someone new to love and someone new to nurture.
Kiki is our first Boston Terrier and the smallest dog we have ever had the privilege of loving. But do not let her small size fool you! She is the boss around here and she will let anyone and everyone who will listen know. She is extremely playful and has loads of energy bursts, but when it comes to bedtime, oh Kiki can snore alright- but we wouldn’t have it any other way!
So today we celebrate Kiki in all her feisty glory.
Kiki’s Pupcakes
Because Kiki is so small, I thought little pupcakes would suit her perfectly for her birthday treats.
Ingredients
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 medium banana mashed
1 egg
50ml water
Icing
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
Directions
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix together the peanut butter, mashed banana, egg and water. Then sift in your flour and baking powder. Whisk together until properly combined and smooth in texture. Then scoop the batter into each mini cupcake holder. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked. Allow them to cool completely before icing them.
Icing Directions
Using an electric beater, mix together the yoghurt and peanut butter until smooth, light and fluffy. Once the pupcakes have cooled you can top with the icing.
These pupcakes are totally human safe too so go ahead and enjoy them with your pup!
Thank you for sharing Kiki’s First Gotcha Day with us! The birthday fun will continue on Instagram so be sure to follow along over at @stylish_paws.
Activated Charcoal still seems to be everywhere I look, and that is not a bad thing at all. It made me think back to the last time I wrote about Activated Charcoal and whether or not it actually worked…
When I first wrote about activated charcoal and created the recipe for it, I had only done a little research about the benefits but I wanted to test it out for myself.
Here’s the thing, my Activated Charcoal treat recipe does work! In fact it worked wonders for Zara’s digestive system. She had noticeably less gas and I feel she digested her food better.
Her teeth have stayed clean since her doggy dental she had back in September last year and her breath had a neutral smell.
During the holiday season, Zara didn’t have her special activated charcoal treats and as we all do, she indulged a little too much in all the good things in life. Her gas levels were at an all time high, she wasn’t digesting her food very well which resulted in lots of farting, burping and some vomiting too. And her breath just smelt different.
It then dawned on me what the difference was a few months ago so I got to work in the kitchen and baked her a huge batch of activated charcoal dog treats again! Recipe below:
Activated charcoal dog biscuits
I doubled this recipe so that I have enough to last a while. I pop the baked treats into ZipLock bags and put them in the freezer. I take 3 out every night for Zara, they defrost within 30mins 😉
Ingredients
2 cups flour of your choice (rice, oat, wholewheat etc)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk of your choice (cows or coconut)
2 tbs coconut oil
1 banana mashed
1/4 cup activated charcoal
Directions
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Mix all your ingredients together in a bowl until a nice dough forms. If it is too sticky then add some extra flour. Once you have your dough, roll it out onto a floured surface and using cookie cutters of your choice cut out your doggy treats. Place them onto greased baking trays and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before letting your pooch enjoy.
I really hope these treats help your pooch as much as they help Zara. Tag us in your baking posts 🙂 @stylish_paws
Activated charcoal seems to be everywhere and in everything at the moment so I wanted to do a little more research into how it can benefit Zara in the form of activated charcoal dog treats.
Zara had a full doggy dental done last week, not because her teeth were in terrible condition -Dr Sally actually said they look great but a doggy dental session will make them look fabulous and who doesn’t want fabulous teeth!
I wanted to know how activated charcoal could help Zara stay healthy from the inside which means a healthy digestive system, no doggy breath and of course beautiful healthy white teeth and this is what I found…
The main use for activated charcoal has always been to treat poisonings, however vets all over the world have experimented more and more with this supplement and it turns out it can be a healthy supplement to add to your pets diet. Activated charcoal cleanses the body and gets rid of toxins. The build up of toxins often results in our furry loves releasing gas and having bad breath. Zara doesn’t have doggy breath at all but there is room for improvement on the gas releasing side- haha, so I am curious to see if these activated charcoal treats make any kind of difference.
Activated charcoal dog biscuits
Ingredients
2 cups flour of your choice (rice, oat, wholewheat etc)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk of your choice (cows or coconut)
2 tbs coconut oil
1 banana mashed
1/4 cup activated charcoal
Directions
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Mix all your ingredients together in a bowl until a nice dough forms. If it is too sticky then add some extra flour. Once you have your dough, roll it out onto a floured surface and using cookie cutters of your choice cut out your doggy treats. Place them onto greased baking trays and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before letting your pooch enjoy.
activated charcoal
These treats are the most awesome colour ever! Something different for Zara to enjoy 🙂
If you decide to make some for your pups too, be sure to tag us on Instagram @stylish_paws
Happy 4th birthday Zara! I can’t believe Zara has been with us for four whole years already. On one hand it feels like the other day we went to collect this small(ish) bundle of fluff to bring home to Oscar. And then I think how much has happened in our lives the past four years and I cannot believe how times flies.
In the four years since Zara became a member of our family, the three Amigos joined too, she’s had 2 TPLO surgeries, I turned 30-eeek! We got engaged and married (officially), we lost Oscar, we had baby Gia, we traveled and we had a whole bunch of fun in between.
On Zara’s birthday last year, baby Gia was exactly that, a baby. This year she’s a tiny walking talking human who Zara can interact with. Zara loves having someone else to harass in the house and Gia is just as obsessed. So much can happen in a year and this past one was no different.
It’s fair to say twenty-twenty has not lived up to most peoples expectations however I do feel that having months of staying in rather than going out has made our family stronger especially the bond between Zara and Gia.
Zara is always close to Gia. If Gia is playing in her bedroom, Zara is there too just watching. If Gia is reading in her play corner, Zara is there too listening to Gia ramble on. If Gia is playing outside, Zara is watching over her and of course looking out for any lizard action too. If Gia is eating, Zara is right by her side waiting for any leftovers. If Gia watches Paw Patrol on tv, Zara is watching too. In the same way that Zara is always close by when Gia is doing something, Gia enjoys being close by when Zara is doing something. Gia loves exploring the garden with Zara, the two of them go looking for lizards and watch the birds fly in and out of the trees.
Since Zara and Gia are always together it’s kind of a no brainer that I wanted to include Gia in the birthday celebrations and that meant making pupcakes that both Zara and Gia can enjoy!
Zara’s Birthday Pupcakes
Banana bread & Peanut butter icing pupcakes
Ingredients
3 large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup melted butter
2 large eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
Directions
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Line your muffin tray with cupcake liners. Then in a large mixing bowl mash the bananas well and add the melted butter and brown sugar and mix well. Stir in the beaten eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix. Scoop your cupcake batter into each cupcake holder and place in the oven. Reduce the heat immediately down to 180. Bake for +- 20/25 minutes or until each pupcake is cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before topping with the icing.
Peanut butter icing
Ingredients
2 cups plain thick yoghurt
2+ tbs less sugar less salt peanut butter
Directions
Place the yoghurt and peanut butter into a mixing bowl. Using an electric beater, beat until the peanut butter is whipped into the yoghurt. Whip for about 2-3 minutes.
Once your pupcakes are cool, pipe your peanut butter icing and decorate as you wish.
You can store un-iced pupcakes in the freezer in an airtight container, simply take it out the freezer and let it defrost on its own before serving.
We love spoiling Zara with gifts on her birthday and this year was no different. If you follow us on Instagram you’ll know how much Zara loves to swim! Zara’s pool broke just before winter so an obvious gift was of course a new pool for her, I can’t wait to set it up and fill it so she can have some pool fun again. I also added some fun pool toys and some pretty pool floats all bought on Amazon.
We love celebrating Zara’s birthday, after all she is a very important member of our family. To some she’s just a dog but to us she’s one of our baby’s and always will be!
If your pup is having a birthday soon or you just feel like baking something yummy we hope you try out this pupcake recipe and don’t forget to tag us @stylish_paws
Moringa, the superfood you should be including in your pets diet as well as your own. Boasting endless reasons why it’s so good for you… Jam packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory properties, this is a superfood you want to be taking.
By now you all know that Zara has had TPLO surgeries on both her knees so I am always on the lookout for natural remedies that will help her in any way and Moringa seems to have plenty to offer her.
I started taking Moringa capsules myself and decided to do a little more research into its benefits. I was totally blown away by what I discovered. It is said to have 15 times more potassium than bananas, 12 times more vitamin C than oranges, 25 times more iron than spinach and 9 times more protein than plain yoghurt, the list goes on! It comes in capsules, powder and tea which is delicious with some honey and lemon added to it.
With all this goodness in one superfood, I thought why not try it out on Zara. I bought some Moringa powder and began experimenting with ways in which she will eat it. It turns out simply sprinkling it over her kibble doesn’t do it for her so I had to get creative and find a way she can get enough if this incredible superfood each day.
As you know Zara gets quite a few treats throughout the day. She gets three special treats every night at bedtime plus one first thing in the morning if she slept all night on her own bed 😉 One of Baby Gia’s favourite things to do is give Zara treats too so I knew the treats had to be yummy enough for Zara to want plenty!!
Moringa Dog Biscuits
Ingredients
1/2 cup moringa powder
1 cup wholewheat flour
A handful of fresh mint leaves chopped finely
T tbs honey
1 egg
1 apple peeled and grated
1/2 cup water
Directions
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix together your dry ingredients so the Moringa, mint and flour are nicely combined. Then mix together your egg, apple, honey, grated apple and water then add it to your dry mix. Mix it together until a dough forms. If it’s too sticky add more flour, if it’s too dry add a splash of water. Roll out your dough onto a floured surface and using your chosen cookie cutters, cut out your doggie biscuits. Place them onto greased baking trays and bake for +-25 minutes or until cooked and lightly going golden. Wait for them to cool before letting your pooch enjoy them.
You can batch make these treats and freeze them.
Frozen Moringa Dog Treats
Ingredients
1 tsp Moringa powder
1 cup plain yoghurt
Directions
Mix both the Moringa powder and yoghurt in a bowl. Once completely combined spoon into silicone moulds and freeze. These are nice to add to your pups breakfast or dinner or to offer as a frozen treat.
I hope you find the Moringa superfood as useful as I am right now! Zara is enjoying it as treats, and I’m all for natural remedies that keep her healthy and those legs as pain free as possible!!
Don’t forget to follow our adventures on @stylish_paws
Happy Halloween everyone! We don’t typically celebrate Halloween here in Africa, but any excuse for us to celebrate makes for great fun right…
Halloween is slightly different this year because we have Baby Gia celebrating with us. One day Zara will be able to share tons of candy with Gia, but not too soon 😉
I am enjoying celebrating all these firsts with Zara and Gia together, creating memories and of course taking photographs of the two of them on occasions like this. Zara has stepped into her new role as big sister like a true champion. Their bond as sisters grows stronger every single day, which makes my heart explode with pride and joy.
It’s the end of October and that means it is seriously hot for us here in Africa. So I thought it would be fitting to make some frozen halloween treats for Zara this year, and of course I wanted to include Baby Gia in the celebrations too. I have so many creative ideas for Gia and halloween treats but I need to take it one step at a time… For now I am keeping it simple with pumpkin puree for her.
Zara’s Frozen Halloween Treats
These treats are frighteningly easy to make and Zara absolutely loved them!
Ingredients
melted coconut oil
pumpkin puree
melted peanut butter
silicone moulds
popsicle sticks
Directions
Since it’s so hot here, my coconut oil was already melted so I simply spooned 3 tablespoons of the liquid into each silicone mould and froze for an hour. While that was freezing, I made the pumpkin puree. I simply steamed chopped up pumpkin from the pumpkin that Baby Gia is sitting in in the photos of this blog. Once the pumpkin was soft and cooked through I blended it into a smooth puree. Spoon the pumpkin puree over the now frozen coconut oil. The orange (pumpkin) segment needs to be the largest but be sure to leave enough space for the peanut butter layer. Place your popsicle stick in the middle and pop them back into the freezer for a few hours. Take five or six tablespoons of peanut butter and put it in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it for 30 seconds then using a teaspoon, gently spoon a layer of peanut butter over the frozen pumpkin layer. Place them back in the freezer for another hour. Once the entire treat is frozen, take them out of the moulds and let your pup enjoy them!
Baby Gia’s Pumpkin Puree
Since Gia has only started eating solids I needed to keep this years halloween ‘treats’ very simple for her. So I just made a yummy pumpkin puree using her Baby Bullet. Simply place steamed pumpkin into the blending cup with a 1/4 cup of water and blend until your desired texture is reached. Yum!
Both Zara and Baby Gia enjoyed their pumpkin treats this year. I particularly love Zara’s halloween treats because they are my take on the American candy corns which are famous during halloween. But possibly the best part of halloween this year is Baby Gia sitting in her pumpkin, she actually loved it and thought it was rather funny!
Happy Halloween to you all. Enjoy the festivities and candy but remember to keep your pets safe!
Happy St Patrick’s Day to you all. It just so happens that I decided to try a new recipe of treats for Oscar and Zara this week that are bright green so I thought it fitting to share the recipe with you on St Patricks Day. Not only are they super easy to make-less than an hour! But your pups will love them, unless they are as fussy as Oscar when it comes to trying new food groups-haha!! Somehow he knows exactly when I am up to something and his basset hound nose works overtime 😉
Zara couldn’t wait for the treats to cool down so she could be first in line to taste them. She nearly ate my fingers off, thats how good they are in her eyes. As for my little man Oscar, he sniffed them for about 10 seconds, took one into his mouth then decided he wasn’t sure of this new taste and spat it out again. Zara of course was there to vacuum it up, slobber coated and all!! I had to offer him a few which he turned his nose up at before he noticed that his sister was actually totally fine eating these new green things so maybe he should have a go too…. Now he loves them-success!!
Here is the recipe for my awesome green St Patricks Day doggy treats:
Ingredients
1 cup frozen peas thawed and blended to make a paste
1 egg
1 tbs coconut oil
1 cup wholewheat flour
Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. In a bowl mix together the pea paste, egg and coconut oil until combined. Add the flour and mix until a dough forms. If it’s too sticky simply add more flour, if it’s too dry simply add a drop of water. Once you have a perfect dough consistency, roll it out onto a floured surface. Using cute cookie cutters, cut out and place the treats on a greased baking tray. Bake in the oven for +-20 minutes or until cooked through and slightly golden. Not too much-you want to keep their bright green colour. Let the treats cool before allowing your pooch to tuck in! Store them in an airtight container for on hand treats.
I hope your pups enjoy this recipe as much as Zara and eventually Oscar does 🙂
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