My Wednesday is a cool little chick with no time for nonsense. She likes what she likes… and she likes human food. She recently had a tussle with a rough and tumble rare camphylobacter infection and she fought like a champ to kick its nasty bacteria butt. I like to think that her exposure to yummy, nutritious whole foods helped give her immune system a boost and a fighting chance in the battle against this E coli-esque sickness.
Spinach is one of Wednesday’s favorites; I know, she’s a bit strange, she takes after me and I have accepted this. She usually trots around like a high-falutin’ pony (she’s a Miniature Pinscher, but I swear she moves like a show horse when she’s happy) with a spinach leaf until she finds a comfy spot to lovingly devour said green. I figured since she loves spinach so much and since she has clearly overcome the ridicule from the other dogs (they say she’s silly for not frolicking happily about with a piece of chicken…pshawww) why not design a lean mean green machine treat for her so she can enjoy the benefits of spinach (numerous infection fighting vitamins like A and K, antioxidant properties to get rid of nasties etc.) while nomming some other healthy ingredients as well? Well, without further ado…
Lean Mean Green Machine Pup Treats
Makes about 20 Medium Sized Treats
2 cups whole leaf spinach, washed and roughly chopped
3 small bananas, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp. natural peanut butter
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup whole wheat or quinoa flour
1 tsp whole flax seeds
1 cup water
½ tsp. vegetable oil
Place spinach, bananas and water in the food processor and blend until smooth
Add oats ½ cup at a time while blending on LOW in order to not overwhelm the food processor
Add flax seeds and continue to blend
Add vegetable oil and continue to blend on low
Add flour a pinch at a time while blending (*obviously stop blending when adding ingredients, silly people)
Blend on low until the dough is thick and uniform texture
Pour into a greased 13” x 9” pan and bake for 20-30 minutes until hard to the touch of a fork
Remove from oven and let cool
Slice into small bite-sized pieces and store in an airtight container (preferably in the fridge)
Enjoy ! Happy Wednesday!
More Wednesday Cafe: Carrot and Sweet Potato Kitty Treats
Easy Peanut Butter and Carrot Pup Treats
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Photo: Kate Coffey
