Turkey Cheeseburger Pet Bites

    I've been on a baking spree lately. It's been chilly and damp here in NEPA, so that's when I heat up my oven. My girls actually love this weather, because they know that treats will be coming their way. This week I created a new recipe. It's Turkey Cheeseburger Pet Bites, and my girls are head over heels for these goodies.

Turkey Cheeseburger Pet Bites

    I had fun creating this recipe. First of all, it used up some leftovers, and I love being able to "upcycle" foods because there's no excuse for waste. Secondly, these differ from the traditional fruit or veggie treats I make my dogs. Lastly, I had all of the ingredients on hand, which is super convenient. As I said, the main ingredient was leftovers I had in the fridge. Also, as a side note. When you're cooking meat for your family, save those grease drippings! I pour mine into freezer safe bowls, let them cool, and pop in my freezer. When it comes time to bake, I break some off, and then warm it up in the microwave. It's good for your dogs coat and skin, and makes for wonderful flavor. Remember, moderation is healthy, so you don't need a lot of it. (I save all of my red meat grease in a bowl, and all of my white meat grease in another.)

    With only six ingredients, these treats are simple to make, and easy on the food budget too. So let's get started with what you'll need.

Ingredients:

• 3 cooked hamburgers (I ground mine up in a food processor.)
• 2 jars of Turkey baby food (the small 4 ounce jars.)
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of grease drippings
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of shredded cheese

    Preheat your oven to 400°. In a bowl combine ground hamburgers, baby good, oil and grease. Next, mix in shredded cheese. Add flour into bowl slowly, and mix well. Place mixture on cookie sheet by the rounded teaspoonful. Bake for twelve minutes. See? Easy peasy!

Ground up cheeseburgers make a tasty cookie base for pets.

    This recipe yields about 32 cookies. It will keep fresh in the fridge for about a week. So freeze some, and just defrost as they will be eaten. Josie and Bayleigh are head over paws for these cookies. We'd love to know what your fur baby thinks of them.

Make it with Mica

    Before we know it, winter will be bearing down upon us. As much as I hate to think of that, I know it's coming. So I've already started thinking of crafts to keep Liam and I busy. Today we're going to talk about things we can make with Mica pigmented powder.

Make it with Mica

    If you're not familiar with Mica pigmented powder, you may be using it and not even realizing it. If you wear eyeshadow or lip gloss, it's colored with mica. Do you burn colored candles or wax tarts? Again, many people use mica to color them. It's even used in soaps. So let's talk about ways we can use it. But first, you may want to grab yourself some Mica. Liam and I got this awesome set from Evol Concept. It comes with twenty colors of pigmented powders.

Slime!

    Pigmented Mica Powder looks amazing in clear slime. It colors it and makes it shimmery. It's seriously the prettiest slime ever! So I want to give you our Crystal Clear Slime Recipe. All you do is make the slime, then put your slime on the table. Sprinkle a bit of mica on the slime, and knead it in. That's it. So here's the recipe:

Crystal Clear Slime

• 1/2 cup of Elmer's Clear Glue
• 1/4 teaspoon of Borax Powder
• 1/2 cup warm water

Put your glue in a bowl. In a separate cup, mix warm water and Borax powder until dissolved. Add to glue and mix well. Voila. Crystal Clear slime. Now roll the slime onto your table, and color with your Mica powder.

More with Mica

    Another fun craft is making melt and pour soap. It's so much nicer than store bought soaps, and super easy. You can create fun color by using your Mica powders in it. If you enjoy doing nails, you can use your mica for that too. 

    You can easily create eyeshadows and even lip gloss with mica powder. I want to share my favorite lip gloss recipe with you. It makes amazing Christmas gifts and kids can help too!

Lip Gloss

• 3 tbsp shea butter
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp grated beeswax
• 2 drops of essential oil (optional) 
• mica pigment powder

    In the microwave, melt the beeswax, coconut oil, and shea butter. (Or you can use a double boiler.) Once it's all melted, mix well, then add essential oil if you choose to. Next add in your mica. Mix well and pour into little lip gloss pots. That's it.

    If you want an easier version, grab some Vaseline. Melt it in the microwave, add a drop or two of essential oil and mix well. Then add your mica, and pour into pots. Voila! Lip gloss.

Make It and Take It with Ease This Summer

    If you have yet to discover how amazing food pouches are, then you have to check these out! The FreshPouch you can make it and take it with ease this summer! I have some great food and drink ideas to use in your pouches too.

Make It and Take It with Ease This Summer

    I've been using food pouches for my kids for about a year now. However, I just got more pouches for us adults to use too. When we went to Virginia last summer, the stores were full of mixed drink pouches for adults, and I wanted to recreate those for us. By using FreshPouch, you can not only save money by making your own, but you'll be saving waste from landfills as well. That's because the pouches are refillable and reusable. These ones are also dishwasher, freezer, and heat safe. They're durable and will last a long time with regular use.

Perfect for Breakfast on the Go

    My eldest son loves food pouches for oatmeal. I make up quick oats, and then add either pureed fruit, or brown sugar and syrup. I make sure it's a bit runny, and then using a funnel, I fill his pouches. He can enjoy them cold, or heat them in the microwave for a filling and healthy breakfast.

    FreshPouch can hold smoothies, fruit purees and more. So they're not just for breakfast. You can use them for snacks, lunch, or any time!

Beat the Heat

    It's been sweltering here in NEPA lately. So I decided to try something new for the kids. Using solo cups, froze some fruit juice and Hawaiian Punch. Once they were ready I grabbed my blender, the juice, and a few FreshPouches.

    I snipped the solo cup, and ripped it off the chunk of juice. Then, because I didn't want to bog down our blender, I used an ice pick to break it up a bit. Next, pour in some juice and blend it up. Once you're satisfied with the consistency, use a funnel and fill your pouches. That's it. My kids really enjoyed their home made slushies.

The Grown Up Twist

    Since I wanted to make adult version of pouch slushies, I grabbed some booze. I chose some Bud Lite Rita flavors since I had them on hand. For me, I took canned pineapple, orange-a-rita, and ice, and blended them up. My sister chose strawberrita, fresh berries, and ice. We blended them up and filled our FreshPouches. They were so good, and we'll definitely be making more. 

    Since you get a pack of ten, ten ounce FreshPouch with your order, there's plenty of pouches for the kids and adults to enjoy. 

Pork and Beet Pup Cookies

    Yes, you read that right, pork and beets. Not beans! We don't want to encourage our four legged family members to fart! ;) Using leftovers, and a few ingredients from my cupboard, I just whipped up a delectable batch of cookies for my pups.

Pork and Beet Pup Cookies

    At some point, "everypawdy" has left overs. If I don't give them to my girls for dinner, I use them in some sort of baked goods. I love creating one of a kind treats for my girls because they're healthier for them, and I know what's in them. If you're like me and want to give your fur children the best, then read on for our newest recipe. It's "supaw" easy and your canine companions will love them.

Here's What You Need

• Pork, or even leftover ham will do. (I tend to go for pork because it has less salt content. (You're going to want to grind it up in your food processor, and will need 1 cup.)
• Beets (I use canned. Again, I break them up in my food processor and when done, you will need 1/3 of a cup.)
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/3 cup of honey (my girls and I love wildflower honey.)
• 1/3 cup of granola or oats
• 1/3 cups of oil (I use Coconut oil because it's beneficial for their skin and coats.)

Top left: Ground Pork
Top Right: Ground Beets
Bottom Left: All Ingredients
Bottom Right: How you want your dough to look

Let's Get Baking!

    Preheat your oven to 350°, and then prepare all of your ingredients. In a large bowl combine the ground pork, beets, flour, honey, oil, and granola (oats.) Mix well. You want it to stick together. If you feel it isn't sticking together enough, add in a bit more of the coconut oil. 

    Grease your cookie sheet, and then roll the dough in your hands. I make mine about the size of a nickel. Then I flatten them a bit on the tray. When you're done they should be between a quarter and fifty cent piece in size. Bake these bad boys for about fifteen minutes.

    Let them cool, and give your fur baby a taste. I promise you, they are going to love them! I freeze mine so they last longer. Since these cookies are all natural without preservatives, they can be kept in the fridge for about two weeks. To keep them longer, you will have to freeze them. I wouldn't recommend keeping them on the counter or in your cupboards as they can get moldy in a few days, due to the lack of preservatives. 

Chill Out This Summer with Homemade Treats

    Up until the past two days, our summer has been pretty chilly. With this heat wave upon us, I have been filling my freezer with homemade goodies for the kids. When you need to chill out this summer, you can whip up some of these super easy, and fast homemade treats.

Chill Out This Summer

    My boy and his friends love our homemade popsicles. I'm always trying to mix it up, and give them something not only yummy, but somewhat healthy too. I make juice bars, fruit bars, sherbet pops, and pudding pops. 

     If you were born in the eighties chances are, you remember the creamy goodness of pudding pops. However, they aren't readily available in all grocery stores anymore. So how do we share them with our kids? Easy. We make them! And it's so easy, that your kids can even make them too! Better yet, all you really need are popsicle molds, and pudding.

Let's Make Some Pudding Pops

    I've been making these for some time now. I started out making them with instant pudding, but then when I was out, I used Snack Packs. They were so much better, so now that's all I use. Liam likes his in a "twist" like soft ice cream, so that's what I will be showing you today.

    Just grab your popsicle molds, and open up some Snack Packs. This mold took four of them. Two Vanilla and two Chocolate. All I did was take turns layering each flavor into the mold. I use a butter knife because it gets more into the mold, and less on the outside of it. 

    Once your molds look full, tap them on the counter. This ensures the pudding packs in, and helps rid the pops of air bubbles. Now if you need too, top of the mold with pudding. I fill mine just about to the top, so that they grab the sticks completely.

    Pop on all the lids, and place them in the freezer. Wait a few hours, and voila! Pudding pops!

So Many Ways to Keep Cool

    Another yummy popsicle to make is with fruit yogurt. My personal favorite is strawberry banana yogurt, with tiny chunks of fresh berries. To make ice cream or sherbet pops, just set it on the counter to soften a bit. Then fill your molds, and refreeze. 

    Fruit juice makes for yummy ice pops too. Liam happens to love cran grape pops, or berry punch. One of my favorite is made from just strawberries. I blend up fresh strawberries, and add a teaspoon of sugar. Then I fill my molds with that mixture. They are so tasty! 

    Do you have a popsicle recipe? If so, we'd love to hear it!