Making Delicious Food for My Dogs

March 15, 2022

So many of you comment on how much you enjoy my pet blogs - especially those that provide tips for making food for my four dogs, Bete Noire, Creme Brulee, Empress Qin, and Emperor Han.

Every few months, when I see that my supply is running low, I set aside time to make my dogs a batch of home-cooked food. Preparing my own dog food has many benefits - fewer preservatives and additives, more varied and better ingredients and, of course, more of what I know my dogs like to eat. I also know the food is from wholesome, organic, reputable sources - and that is very important to me. Over the weekend, we prepared a giant amount of food filled with excellent quality quinoa, turkey, fish, venison, and lots of nutritious, organic vegetables.

Enjoy these photos. And go to my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 for more.

: Here’s my handsome Chow Chow Emperor Han, watching the birds from the terrace outside my Winter House kitchen. My dogs are very healthy. Look at Han’s coat – it’s so thick and abundant. My dogs’ good health and appearance are due, in part, to the food they eat. I love cooking for my dogs because I know exactly what they’re getting.

: Inside, on the kitchen counter are some of the ingredients for my next batch of dog food. I currently have four dogs – my Chow Chows, Han and Empress Qin, and my French Bulldogs, Bete Noire and Creme Brulee. Having multiple dogs means there’s a lot to prepare. I use the best ingredients – butternut squash, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, sweet peas, mixed vegetables of corn, green beans and more carrots, kale and Swiss chard from my greenhouse, and quinoa.

: The meats include salmon, venison, and turkey. Each protein is cooked separately until tender.

: These broccoli heads are cooked until fork tender also and placed in a big stainless steel bowl. All my food is completely organic and full of flavor.

: Here are the carrots. My dogs love carrots. They are low in calories and high in fiber and vitamins. Occasionally crunching on raw carrots can also be good for their teeth.

: In this pot, I cooked some of the mixed vegetables and added venison, which is deer meat.

: The squash is roasted and then cut into chunks.

: Here is a bowl filled with the mixed vegetables including the kale and Swiss chard from my greenhouse garden.

: Sweet potatoes are also great for digestive health because they’re high in dietary fiber. They’re low in fat and contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese, and they’re rich in the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene.

: In another pot, I include a turkey – the wild turkey that found its way to my chicken yard almost two years ago. Once the turkey meat is removed from the bones, any carcasses are saved for the coyotes – nothing goes to waste.

: All the foods are cooked thoroughly and distributed equally into the bowls.

: Next, Elvira runs everything through the food processor. This step may seem extraneous; however, I have found that my dogs prefer their food ground rather than in big chunks. And watch out for bones. While some of the bones will be ground in the processor, it is a good idea to always carefully check for potentially dangerous bones. Making my own dog food takes a bit of time to complete, but it is well worth the effort to feed my dogs the best food possible.

: These quart-sized containers were pulled from the rack and laid out. This step of filling the containers is done in a production line process, so it can be completed quickly and efficiently. Can you guess how many containers we filled?

: This was my biggest batch yet – 72 quarts in all! It’s very important that dogs also get adequate amounts of calcium, and omega-three fatty acids – add supplements if needed. And, always talk to a veterinarian or canine nutrition expert before changing a dog’s diet.

: If planning to freeze, only fill up to the first line around the container so it has room to expand. The quarts of food are left to cool a bit before securing the lids.

: Each lid is marked with the contents and the date it was prepared.

: Some of the food will be stored in my Winter House kitchen refrigerator, so they are easy to access. The rest will be stored in freezers elsewhere until needed.

: Here’s Enma scooping some food into the dog bowls for supper. We mix high quality kibble with a scoop of their home-prepared food. Enma mixes it thoroughly with the dogs’ additional vitamins and supplements.

: And then it’s meal time! My dogs eat two meals a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. Splitting meal times is good for their digestion. Cooking for one’s dogs is a personal choice, but if you have time, and are interested in giving it a try, I know your pets will love every meal. Creme Brulee and Bete Noire are ready to eat!