recipe Archives - Stylish Paws

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12
Aug
2020

Moringa Dog Treats

categories: Recipes

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

Thank you for reading.

22
Nov
2018

Benefits of Bone Broth for your Pets

categories: Recipes

Zara underwent TPLO surgery in July this year and since then recovery has been long and tough. It has been weeks upon weeks of rest, and anyone with a rottie will know what a difficult task that is… But we managed and with the help of some added extra supplements and treatments I can safely say her recovery is going well.

One of the added extra supplements I chose to give Zara was bone broth. After doing extensive research I realised just how good and nutritious bone broth actually is for her and I wondered why I had never given it to Oscar or Zara before.

Benefits of bone broth:

It’s a great source of essential minerals, rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and more. Bone broth may also encourage your pups water consumption and boost her appetite too.
Bone broth has great joint healing properties. It contains glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid, all of which protects and give joints their elasticity, strength and flexibility. Bone broth is also the best food source which contains collagen to help form connective tissue.
The amino acids and glycosaminoglycans restore and protect the gut lining which supports digestion and a healthy gut for your pooch.
Bone broth is extremely beneficial to your pups immune system too. It helps reduce inflammation in the respiratory system and improve the immune systems ability to fight conditions like allergies, asthma and arthritis.
Most importantly when bone broth is home made, it is completely natural and free from grain, gluten, dairy etc.

Some of you might think that bone broth sounds absolutely awful. I was totally one of those people and never in my wildest dreams thought I would stomach making it! I reached out to an Instagram friend @goldengirlcalibear and asked for her advice. She is a vegetarian herself, but feeds Cali a totally raw diet- yes that includes raw meat of all kinds. I figured if she can do this then I can too, plus it was for my baby loves!! So I pulled myself together, bought the ingredients and went home to make some all important bone broth…. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients

1-2kg of bones (you can use chicken or beef or both)

2-3 tbs apple cider vinegar

Enough water to completely cover your bones in the pot

Optional-vegetables or vegetable cuttings

Directions

Place your bones in a huge pot and add the apple cider vinegar, stirring it over the bones- it helps break down all the fat and cartilage which is the good stuff in bone broth. Leave it for about 30 mins. Then fill your pot with cold water making sure you completely cover the bones. Gently bring the pot to a boil and then turn it down and let it lightly simmer for at least 10 hours with the lid on. Once done strain your broth, making sure absolutely NO bones or bone fragments end up in your final bone broth stock. Please throw away these soft bones immediately-NEVER give them to your pooch no matter how much they beg for one!! Let the strained broth cool completely. You will notice all the fat will rise to the top and solidify as it cools. You gently remove the fat layer and underneath is your beautiful and nutritious bone broth. I simply pour the broth into cute ice cube trays or even small tupperware pots and pop them into the freezer. Take them out as you wish to use them. You can give them to your pooch frozen or let it thaw a little. Your pup will LOVE you for making the effort!

Tips and findings from my experience making bone broth:

The more bones you use essentially the more broth you will end up with. Don’t let the pot boil for long, the idea is for it to gently simmer for hours on end. I also find the longer it simmers the better the outcome of the broth. Don’t be alarmed if your broth reduces significantly, on my first attempt I started with 5 litres of water and ended up with 400ml of broth. I was horrified-haha! I then learnt that I filled the pot too much and so water kept spitting out through the lid which caused more evaporation than usual. You will soon learn when your broth looks right and you can turn it off or if it needs a few more hours. I also found that adding veggies to mine did dilute it a bit. When I used bones only it made a beautiful bone broth. Again the choice is yours. Adding veggies increases the nutritional value too, but please be mindful of safe veggies for your pup. You might think you cannot stomach the smell of boiling bones, honestly that was what I was worried most about and it actually pleasantly surprised me. It smells like a simmering soup and it is not offensive at all-I promise!

I feel that if my vegetarian friend can make bone broth for Cali and I can make it for Zara (yes I am probably the worlds fussiest eater who drives my husband crazy) then anyone can! The nutritional value and benefits from bone broth are endless and in the long term you will see a difference in the overall health of your pooch. I do hope you give it a try and feel free to share the results with us either on Facebook- @stylishpaws or Instagram- @stylish_paws

Thank you for reading

14
Feb
2018

Happy Valentine’s Day!

categories: Holiday fun, Oscar, Recipes, Zara

Oh how I love Valentine’s Day. You either love it or hate it. Why hate it when it’s the day of love? Those that hate it say “why should I show you how much I love you on just one day”. Easter is one day, Christmas is one day and your birthday is one day, so what’s the difference?

It’s important to show the ones you love just how much you love them all the time, agreed not just on February 14th. But just go with it, enjoy the cliche of small white teddy bears holding red hearts, yummy indulgent chocolates and champagne, and long stem roses that cost an arm and a leg just because it’s Valentine’s Day.

Oscar and Zara know exactly how much they are loved. I tell them everyday basically all day that I love them and I know they understand every word!

Zara is not shy to show me how much she loves me back. Each and every morning she brings me a present. These presents are her toys, her most prized possessions of course, she chooses just one and that’s the gift of the day. This is such a special thing we have going, I wake up every morning wondering which toy i’ll get gifted with. I never taught her this at all, she one day started doing it and it’s now a ritual. Zara is also the queen of kisses. She pins me down (because yes she is stronger than me) and attacks me with her tongue! The love that Zara has is like nothing I have ever experienced, it’s so over the top and just so Zara.

Oscar on the other hand is a little more reserved in his expressions of love. His way of telling me he loves me is by never leaving my side. And I mean never! He follows me all over the house no matter what. I try get up and sneak out the room if he is snoozing (I don’t like disturbing his sleeps) but that nose of his picks up a scent that says “mom has left the room”. He is up like a rocket and finds me in three-seconds flat. He is by far the most loyal steed I have ever encountered. He is one hundred percent devoted to protecting me.

So naturally this Valentine’s Day I have made them some yummy bright red heart-shaped treats to devour….

Valentine’s Day Treats

Ingredients

2 cups beetroot puree

2-3 cups flour

2 tbs coconut oil

1 egg

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. In a mixing bowl mix together your beetroot puree, coconut oil and egg. Then add your flour one cup at a time until you have a lovely dough. This dough can be slightly soft sticky, as long as you can roll it out it is fine. Gently roll out your dough and using heart shaped cookie cutters cut your treats. Place them on a greased baking tray and bake for +- 30 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. The bright red colour of these treats is just gorgeous and your pups will LOVE them.

Whatever you decide to do or not do this Valentine’s Day, make sure you let those around you know how much you love and appreciate them. I know I will. <3

Thank you for reading

27
Jul
2017

Homemade Puppachino’s

categories: Recipes, Winterwonderland

It’s winter and let’s be honest, we all love snuggling with our pups under a big blanket with the heater close and a giant mug of tea, coffee or hot chocolate! Unfortunately our furry loves cannot share these comforting drinks with us for obvious reasons. So here are two awesome alternatives which won’t disappoint…

These two recipes will have your pups wanting Puppachino’s very day of the year!

A Minty Treat:

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup carob powder

1 tsp peppermint extract

Whipped coconut cream for the topping

Mint leaves to garnish

Directions

Place all the ingredients (except the whipped cream and mint leaves) into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Blending will also allow the mixture to cool. Simply pour the drink into a pup friendly cup or small bowl, top it with dollops of whipped coconut cream and garnish with mint leaves. Watch as your pooch absolutely loves his delicious puppachino!

A Cinnamon Delight

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

1 tbs carob powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder or 1 stick of cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp honey

Whipped coconut cream for the topping

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a pot on the stove and slowly heat up the mixture. Do not let the mixture boil as that is far too hot for your pup to drink unless you let it sit and cool. Once warmed through, remove the cinnamon stick if you used one, and pour the mixture into pup friendly mugs or small bowls. Dollop the whipped coconut cream on top and let your furry love enjoy her yummy treat!

We hope your pups enjoy their Puppachino’s as much as Oscar and Zara do!

Thank you for reading

09
Mar
2017

Say Cheese…

categories: Oscar, Zara

I am by no means a professional photographer. In fact, I am such a newbie it’s frightening!
Watching Oscar grow-up and taking photographs of his every move, I have over 30 000 of him saved to my hard-drive-and no I am not exaggerating at all. Oscar came into my life thirteen years ago. There was no Facebook, Instagram or Snap Chat and my photography skills were less than desirable-haha!! Hence the reason I am a newbie with a new camera. But over the years photographing my soul mate growing up, our fun and lazy moments together has been amazing and I continue to capture those special moments of my baby boy.

Then we added baby Zara to our family. Who doesn’t love photographing a gorgeous fluffy puppy? Zara being Zara would pose only long enough for you to get one photo and then demand to do something fun like attack the camera. It took a lot of patience and care to get the cute puppy photos and moments I did capture. She is now eight months old and has had her fare share of thousands of photos taken. She is becoming more and more comfortable in front of the camera.

It’s all about getting that perfect photograph. But what is the perfect photograph? When photographing pets, you soon realise to accept any photo as the perfect one 😉 Of course there are pets out there that seem to listen and pose in any position with any prop for the camera… I have clearly not inherited those pets-haha! But I wouldn’t have it any other way, both Oscar and Zara make me work very hard to get a photograph I am happy with, a photo that’s worthy of sharing with the world.

So here are my top five tips for achieving the perfect photograph of your furry love…

Natural lighting.
It is always best to try and photograph your pup in daylight. There is no better flash than the sun. Wherever I choose to photograph Oscar or Zara, I always make sure it is a well lit area. Flash photography can often affect your desired look of a photo-and not in a good way. It can cause the dreaded ‘red eye’. White fur often looks washed out, and the flash can also scare your pet!

Add a prop or two.
Adding props incorporates so much fun to a photoshoot, especially with pets. It can be a chalkboard with a quirky quote, their favourite toy, funky hat, their cutest outfit, or simply their favourite bed. I love getting Oscar all dressed up for photoshoots. He on the other hand can think of a million other things he would rather be doing. Zara is new to the dressing up scene and she would rather attack the princess crown I would like her to wear-but it is a work in progress and we will get there.

Treats.
Now this I find is particularly important!! Oscar refuses to work unless he receives a treat for his good efforts. Of course this is cute, but it also means I need a load of homemade treats on hand. Zara very quickly caught on that when she sees the camera, it means “do what mom asks and I get a treat”.
Here is a yummy recipe that will get your pups attention:

Ingredients
1 apple-grated
1 banana-mashed up
1 egg
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour

Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix together your apple and banana then add the egg. Add the oats, flour and cinnamon and mix together until a dough forms. Roll your dough out onto a floured surface and use cookie cutters to cut into cute biscuits. Place them onto a greased baking tray and bake in the oven for +-20 minutes or until cooked through and slightly golden. Remove from the oven and place them on a cooling rack to cool. Store the treats in an air tight container.

Studio vs Outdoor setting.
This is obviously a personal choice, however I recommend both! Oscar has done several professional photography photoshoots in a studio as well as photoshoots outdoors. I honestly cannot say which photos I adore more because I believe every photograph of my baby is a wonderful one! Being in a studio is a bit more formal and adding props is a must! Being outdoors allows Oscar to be a little more relaxed and enjoy his surroundings. Zara has not had a professional studio photoshoot before and perhaps I should book one for us all, but her natural outdoor photos that I have taken are wonderful. I absolutely love looking back and seeing the crazy moments with her tongue hanging out, or her flying through the air because she runs so fast! It is often the natural non-posed photo’s that turn out the best.

Your subject-of course.
Of course you need your pooches! I always like to bath Oscar and Zara the night before a big photoshoot to make sure they are looking their best. For our little mini-photoshoots that happen almost daily I just like to give them a quick wipe down and a nice brush. This always makes them feel extra special, like they know I am about to take photos of them.

All in all, I believe you can never have too many photographs of your furry loves! Remember it takes time, patience and a lot of love to get a posed photo. Enjoy capturing those special moments, after all “no one ever takes a photograph of something they want to forget- anonymous”

Thank you for reading.