Using scraps and leftovers
Who doesn’t have scraps of food left over from time to time? And what normally happens to them?
You know what I mean, the scrapings we don’t know what to do with, those spoonfuls of food that are either binned or put into a small dish to reside in the fridge, to salve a ‘zero waste’ conscience, intended for use later, another day. Until it changes colour, starts to grow a fuzz or gives off a rather unpleasant whiff. No longer usable, it can now be disposed of with a clear conscience. Recognisable? Not any more!
Mini ices from lima bean leftovers
Don’t throw those scraps away – and don’t put them in the fridge to go mouldy: turn them into mini-ices for your dog!
A great idea for using up odd bits of food is to add a bit of stock and then freeze the mixture in moulds for about three hours.
For example, these little ices made that nicely uses up remnants of a Lima bean and beetroot purée.
Lima bean and beetroot powder purée
Mixing leftover purée with fish stock
Add some stock to the lima bean leftovers to achieve a consistency that will pour into moulds. There’s really no need to be too precise, test by eye how much you need to add.
Pour the lima bean mix into bite-sized jelly moulds and freeze for around three hours. If you don’t have small moulds, an ice cube tray will do just as well.
And if there’s any left over, add a bit of Kefir to make it stretch even further!
This turned into Lima beet smoothie for the dog – and the rest went into moulds to create a few more ices!
Testing the lima bean smoothie:
Approved!
A mixture of mini-ices made with lima bean beetroot puree, stock and kefir.
THE TASTING
Approved!
Important Considerations:
- Always consult your veterinarian before making any significant dietary changes, particularly where there are pre-existing health conditions or dietary restrictions.
- As some commercial foods contain beetroot as an ingredient, check the label to see whether it’s in your dog’s food before giving more. Excessive intake of any foods can have adverse effects.
- Ensure (where possible) that you use high-quality, organic products specifically formulated for pets (or better still, human grade ingredients) to avoid any potential adverse effects.
- Introduce new foods gradually to avoid adverse effects such as gastrointestinal upset or diarrhoea.
- I provide nutritional information purely as a helpful guide. Nutritional information on ingredients is obtained from the US Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central site (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html) and any nutritional information provided in recipes is based on an online calculator: calories and other information will vary based on brands, ingredients and other factors.
- Check nutrient levels and recommendations for your dog’s weight, age and activity. For example this nutritional guideline produced by FEDIAF.
- I am not a professional nutritionist. I am sharing recipes that I have created and tested in my kitchen and that have been tasted and approved by our doggy friends.