Will You Fleas Be My Valentine?

We all know who’s #1 around here. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, but when you come home, you know they’d always “chews” you first. Princess Kitty “kneads” you almost as much as you need her. You owe them. They know it.

Show them your eternal gratitude by presenting them with these delightfully delicious Valentine’s Day treats. They’ll think you spent hours in the kitchen (well, shouldn’t you?) But really, these homemade goodies are easy and wholesome. (Remember, with treats, less is more. Share sparingly and make ‘em bite-sized so they’re used as a treat and not a meal, no matter what they tell you.)

Sweet Doggy Yum-Yums

Makes about 3 dozen

These treats are made of Fido-friendly ingredients. Choose bouillon/broth powder, such as the one below that you’ll find in BriarPatch’s pet food section, as onion is a “no-no” for dogs.

¾ cup wheat flour (or brown rice, almond, chickpea, coconut, oat)

1 cup natural peanut butter

2 cups oats

1/3 cup honey (plus 1-2 tsp for topping)

1/3 cup Honest Kitchen’s Beef Bone Broth Daily Booster (powder)

1/3 cup warm or hot water

Preheat oven to 350º. Line sheet pan with parchment.

Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl; stir to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir well.

Knead dough until it forms a ball; use more flour if dough is sticky. Using rolling pin or fingers, flatten dough on lightly-floured cutting board. Dough should be ¼” – ½” thick.

Cut out treats with a small cookie cutter or cut into 1-inch squares. Place on sheet pan, bake for about 10 minutes. Flip treats, bake 5 minutes more.

Remove from oven, cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle honey on top.

Tuna Kitty Kisses

Makes about 3-4 dozen

Your cat will give you extra purrs when they taste these. You can omit wheat flour entirely and sub more coconut flour. Fresh catnip is a great add-in.

6 oz tuna (unsalted, in water, ideally mercury-free like Wild Planet)

¼ cup cornmeal

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

2 Tbsp almond meal ¾

cup coconut flour

¼ - ¾ cup organic whole wheat flour

1 egg

1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Optional: 2 Tbsp fresh catnip, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325º. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.

In large mixing bowl with a fork, combine tuna, coconut oil and egg well. Stir in cornmeal, almond flour, flaxseed, whole wheat flour and catnip (if using). Mix again. Add more flour if too sticky to roll out.

Lightly flour work surface. Roll out dough 1/8” - ¼” thick, using more flour as needed to counter stickiness. Cut out treats using cookie cutters or knife; place on sheet pan. They’ll hardly rise, so they can be close together.

Bake 15 minutes, or until bottom of treats start to get golden. End product should be somewhat crunchy.

Let treats cool, seal in airtight container.

Groovy Doggie Green Smoothie

1 serving for 50-pound dog

This is a great “Puppy Hour” beverage. Full of love and nutrition!

2-3 cups spinach

1 carrot, chopped

½ cucumber, chopped

½ banana, peeled

½ tsp fresh ginger

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

½ cup parsley

2 Tbsp flaxseed

Additional water as needed to blend

Put all ingredients in blender, adding extra water so mixture can turn over. Blend until smooth.

Meow Meow Pumpkin Smoothie

Use plain pumpkin puree, as others will have sweeteners that aren’t good for Kitty. Freeze extra in an ice cube tray to thaw for future portions.

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup pumpkin puree

Blend ingredients together and serve.