What's The Big Hoopla?: The Perfect Stocking Stuffer

What's The Big Hoopla?: The Perfect Stocking Stuffer

The Perfect Stocking Stuffer

What's The Big Hoopla?: MAKE YOUR OWN DOG FOOD - REALLY!

What's The Big Hoopla?: MAKE YOUR OWN DOG FOOD - REALLY!: " Ben As you probably know by now, I despise pre-packaged foods. I even make my own dog food, and you can too. Once again, as you can see ..."

What's The Big Hoopla?: Free Shipping Offer

What's The Big Hoopla?: Free Shipping Offer

What's The Big Hoopla?: MAKE YOUR OWN DOG FOOD - REALLY!

What's The Big Hoopla?: MAKE YOUR OWN DOG FOOD - REALLY!: " Ben As you probably know by now, I despise pre-packaged foods. I even make my own dog food, and you can too. Once again, as you can see ..."

MAKE YOUR OWN DOG FOOD - REALLY!

 Ben

As you probably know by now, I despise pre-packaged foods.  I even make my own dog food, and you can too.  Once again, as you can see from this reputable dog food company, the ingredients are scary.  Would you eat this? 

Chicken, Brown Rice, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Barley, Salmon Meal, Potatoes, Carrots, Chicken Fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Tomato Pomace, Natural Flavor, Canola Oil, Brewers Yeast, Duck, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Salmon Oil, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Spinach, Parsley Flakes, Cranberries, L-Lysine, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

Ewwww!  Why do you need all that extra junk?  Ben has the healthiest coat and firm poops you've ever seen.

I know you love your dog as a family member.  Fido deserves a healthy lifestyle too and you won’t ever have to worry again about subpar additive ingredients made in China and shipped here for canine consumption.

I make a large batch of this beef & liver stew every couple of weeks.

5.5 lbs. - Ground beef (I usually find this marked down at Sam’s Club) $12.00

3 (20 oz) packages of chicken livers – from your local meat department $1.69 each

4 sweet potatoes, chopped in bite size pieces - $.64

8 carrots, chopped in bite size pieces - $0.50

1 bag of frozen cut green beans - $0.99

2 (16 oz each) bags of barley $0.99 each

1 16 oz. bag of course cracked wheat – $1.49

(I’ve also used steele cut oats)

The cost is $21.69 for three weeks - 42 servings, feeding my Ben twice per day comes out to $0.52 per serving.  That's quite a bit cheaper than canned dog food and so much better for Fido! 

You’ll need a very large pot. Boil the ground beef and livers.  Strain the meat into a big bowl and save the juice to cook the vegetables and grains.  I de-fat the juice, there is no reason to give Fido all that extra fat. 

For variety, sometimes I’ll boil a big batch of chicken thighs instead of ground beef.  When done, I debone and remove the skins and chop into bite size pieces.  This is more work, but worth it. 

 fat separator

If you don’t the inclination to buy a fat separator, add a few ice cubes to the broth (or refigerate until cooled). Within minutes, the fat cools and solidifies, making it easy to remove.

Put the meat juice back into the pot.  Add the sweet potatoes and carrots.  Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add everything else.  Cook until barley and what are just tender – not mushy.

Mix the meat mixture with the barley mixture.  You may need another large bowl.

Divide the dog food and pack  into appropriate sized containers and freeze.  Add a little water to each container if there's not enough broth to smooth out the mixture and to avoid air pockets. Make sure you don’t pack more than what your dog(s) will eat in 5 days.  You don’t want your dog to get sick from spoiled food.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to do this, make sure you buy your dog certified organic food such as Organics Formula.

You’re such a good doggie parent!  Ruff!  Ruff!

Have a great day! 

Cindy

visit:   http://www.thebighoopla.com/ to learn more!

Free Shipping Offer

Airport Security - Getting to 2nd Base

The country is buzzing about the new airport security measures.  Many feel like they will be groped and touched in all the wrong places.  Some consider the new procedures to be too intimate, but I think we should take another point of view on this issue. This is a wonderful opportunity for lonely passengers and desperate TSA agents to cop a feel. 

How many perverts will deliberately refuse the body imaging machine for a little pat down?  I bet there are more than we think. 

How many TSA agents will take the chance of a lifetime to rub down a hot looking girl?  Or guy?  Every job has its perks.

Have a nice day.

Cindy

I Love Sam's Club

Early this morning, I went to my local Sam’s Club.  I usually pay Mr. Sam a visit 2 to 3 times a month when we run out of something we cannot live without.  We do have a Costco, which is much closer to my house, but I will track the extra few miles for Sam’s.  Costco does not carry the most important pantry item my family can never run out of.

My daughter is a very picky eater.  She will only eat a total of 10 items.  One of those items is Jif Peanut Butter.  I’ve tried every other peanut butter known to mankind, but the low fat Jif Creamy Peanut Butter is the only one she likes.  I’ve tried tricking her by disguising her food with other brands, but she always catches me red-handed.  My innocent response, “Huh?”  If I had it my way, I’d buy organic peanuts and grind them up myself.

The price points at Sam’s on some of their products are phenomenal, but not everything.  Jif peanut butter comes in a pack of two jars at 2 lbs. each for $7.88, that’s $3.94 per jar.  That same size jar of peanut butter costs $6.94 at my local grocery store.  That's twice as much!

I’m not a spokesperson for Sam’s Club, nor am I getting paid to write this.  These are my own observation and I’m amazed at some of their prices.    Another thing I can’t resist buying there is bananas.  You can always get a nice green bunch (about 9 bananas) for $1.29.  My husband loves to eat the bananas with the Jif Peanut Butter.  Go figure.



Ditch The Store Bought Dressing

Hey Salad Lovers! 

I'd like to challenge you to make your own salad dressing and ditch your store bought salad dressing.  Why?  Ever read the ingredeints? 

After you do, I hope you'll agree that you and your family deserve so much more!  So many ingredients have been linked to serious illnesses and cancer.  If that weren't enough, the first ingredient is water.  Why pay so much for water and chemicals and preservatives when you can make dressing cheaper and better.

Even the fat free versions have horrible ingredients like high fructose syrup - yuck - and the other stuff that's not meant to go in your precious bodies.

Making salad dressing is so easy and so good.  I recommend buying an emulsion blender - it looks like a boat motor and I use mine everyday.  If you don't have one, that's OK too.  A wire whisk works perfectly.

My cuisinart blender came with a tall plastic measuring up which makes it really convenient to throw some plastic wrap and keep in the frig for about a week.

The ingredients for this vinegrette dressing has endless variations.
2/3 cup extra virgin oil
1/3 cup any type of vinegar (apple cider, balsamic, white wine, raspberry, champaigne, etc)
generous dash of Mrs. Dash or dried herb of your choice or salt & pepper
1 packet of Stevia (or tsp of sugar)
optional:  smidgen of a crushed garlic clove

Emulsify and wah-la - great dressing.

I've used variations of lime, honey and fresh cilantro for a southwestern dressing, lemons and oregano for greek salads.

Let me know how you do!