Martha's Homemade Dog Food Recipe Is a Simple Mix of Seasonal Squash, Vegetables, Quinoa, and Fish—Here's How to Make It
Courtesy of the Martha Blog
Although Martha leads a busier than average life, she always makes time for her many pets. From horses and chickens to dogs and pigeons, the multi-hyphenate keeps quite the flock at her residence in Bedford, N.Y. Recently, her four dogs—chow chows Emperor Han and Empress Qin and French bulldogs Bete Noire and Creme Brûlée—got quite the royal treatment. According to her latest post on the Martha Blog, our founder recently made her furry companions some homemade dog food.
"I've been preparing my own dog food for years," Martha writes. "It 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." She adds that making dog food from scratch guarantees that the ingredients are from wholesome, organic, and reputable sources—something that is very important to our founder.
Courtesy of the Martha Blog
Related: Meet All of Martha's Pets Over the Years
Martha is very thoughtful about the foods she chooses to add to the homemade chow. She includes sweet potatoes, noting in her blog post that they are high in dietary fiber and great for digestive health. She also includes seasonal butternut squash in the mix, which is rich in antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. Other vegetables include peas, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and turnips.
In addition to vegetables, our founder's recipe also features quinoa. "Quinoa is an amazing gluten-free superfood with high levels of essential amino acids," the lifestyle mogul writes. The meal is finished off with cooked fish—Martha notes that you should always check for bones.
Courtesy of the Martha Blog
Each ingredient is cooked thoroughly and then added to large stainless-steel bowls. "Next, everything is run through a food processor," Martha writes. "This step may seem extraneous; however, I have found that my dogs prefer their food ground up rather than in big chunks."
Once the food is ground into smaller bites, Martha spoons it into quart-sized containers (she fills up about 40 quarts in all!). She then freezes the containers, which are aptly labeled "dog," until they are ready to use. Note: Only fill the vessels up to the first line around the container, so it has room to expand when thawed.
Courtesy of the Martha Blog
When it's feeding time, Martha simply fills her dogs' bowls with a scoop of homemade food and a serving of high quality kibble. "It's very important that dogs also get adequate amounts of calcium, and omega-three fatty acids—add supplements if needed," she writes. "And, whenever changing a dog's diet, it's a good idea to do it over the course of a few days."
