Richard asks…
balsamic chicken leg recipe?
my health food store has this wwonderful balsamic chicken leg recipe in thier deli! It is garlicly and yummy
vti answers:
Well, I can tell you my recipe for balsamic chicken. It may not be the same one, but it’s pretty darn good. In fact, it’s my favorite recipe for chicken and my hubby is crazy for it! It’s for 4 breasts but I’m sure you can make it with legs.
1/4 cup balsamic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (NOT YELLOW!!!)
juice of 1/2 a lemon (I use a whole lemon)
4 nice sized cloves of garlic (chopped)((more if you want it REALLY garlicky))
dash of salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients together and poor over chicken and refrigerate covered for up to 2 hours.
Then put chicken in an oven dish and pour any remaining marinade over it. Do NOT cover and put in over at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes. I’m not sure about the timing for legs. Might be a little less. Anyway, you can change anything you want in this recipe. I add more lemon because I love the tang it gives it. I really hope this works for you.
Enjoy!
Charles asks…
Dry pet food recipes?
Because of all this recall drama, I really would like to cook my own pet food. What is the best thing to make to replace dry cat and dog food? I have found plenty of wet food recipes, but I would like to find something dry.
vti answers:
Hi there… Personally, I have never seen a dry cat food recipe.
Making homemade Cat food can be a huge ordeal and you could do more damage to your cat by feeding it an improperly prepared home meal. Cats have very delicate dietary needs that must be researched thoroughly before feeding a RAW diet. There are NO “simple” homemade cat food recipes that work long term. I am not against RAW / BARF Diets for cats… I have tried it. I do know what is involved. It can be wonderful, but it can also be disastrous for your cat if you don’t know what your doing. Also know that Dog and Cat RAW diets are completely different. You will see that in your research. Be careful if you choose RAW, and know what you are getting into before you do it. If you feel you MUST go RAW, I recommend you start here http://www.catnutrition.org/. It’s a wonderful site with a lot of great information and recipes. Plan on spending a lot of time reading about this. No one here is going to give you the “simple” Answer to a RAW / BARF Diet for your pets.
With that said, my advice to you is this… Find a good high quality Human Grade Healthy, Holistic or Organic manufactured food instead.
It’s time for pet owners to wake up and take responsibility for what they feed their animals and quit trusting what those great big money hungry companies tell you. Research for yourself, learn, read the ingredients and make an informed decision for the health and safety of your beloved pet.
With the recall, wheat gluten is the big suspect in cat food that everyone is trying to avoid, and it SHOULD be avoided. It should have been avoided all along. It’s nothing more than a cheap protein source used as a binding agent by pet food companies.
Corn should always be avoided as well. It’s a huge filler worth NOTHING. Corn as an ingredient in cat food is a joke. Ever seen a cat chewing on a corn cob in a field? No, you haven’t.
Cats, despite thousands of years of domestication, remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!
As you search for your new pet food, be aware that there are three Categories of Pet Foods:
-”Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.
-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!
-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster and Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class – contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.
With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.
The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!!
Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market.
So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that bag and move on to the next.
Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you on a per bag basis much more. Just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. Which in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their Geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are safer.
What are some good foods I recommend? I feed my cats Drs. Foster and Smith Holistic Adult Lite Dry cat food along with a mix of Wellness Dry. I also feed Merrick Canned.
I purchase Drs. Foster and Smith online and have it automatically delivered to my door so I never run out and never have to go get it. It’s one of the best foods on the market and has no “fillers” in it. It is also very reasonably priced compared to other holistic foods. And when you’re feeding as many cats as I am, price is as important as ingredients. If you can’t afford it, you can’t feed it. So buy the highest quality you can and feel good that you are doing the absolute best you can for your pet.
If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed stores. Old Mother Hubbard Wellness Brand is a great holistic food I feed. As is Eagle Pack Dry Cat food. Merrick canned is also a great source of nutrition and they will be coming out with a dry line this summer.
I highly recommend people take the time to research for themselves, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a new food for your cats!
********IMPORTANT*******Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system.
Side note… Please don’t feed Iams / Eukanuba. It’s ALL fillers, byproducts, animal digest and CRAP. Read the ingredients! There is nothing good for your cat in that food. Not to mention they conduct the most appalling animal testing you have ever seen. Http://www.iamscruelty.com to see the terror they create.
Foods I recommend based on personal experience –
Drs. F&S Food Link – http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2002+6000
Wellness Food Link – http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/cat_index.html
Eagle Pack Holistic Select – http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Home.html
Merrick Foods: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
You can find more great foods at http://www.onlynaturalpet.com
****DO NOT FEED IAMS!**** http://www.iamscruelty.com
Ruth asks…
Health, food, etc. ….help!?
Hi! I am 15 and I am really trying to get in shape. All i do is eat fast food and junk, and i am just ready to get healthy.
My problem is, that it’s easier said than done. I try so hard to eat healthy but i hate the taste of fruits, veggies, etc.
How can i like the taste of eating healthy and what foods are there that are healthy but delicious?!
Thank you!
vti answers:
It’s great that you wanna make a new start to your life.first of all you have to understand what calories are and what does “healthy” mean.you can search and find more information about them.for a start i will give a link:
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100415120037AAxyX3j
Here are some tips:
- Eat a diet of around 1200-1500 calories daily
- Eat healthy food like fruit and veg, fresh fish, lean meat, egg whites, low fat dairy products, complex carbs, bran etc.
- Cut out junk foods, soda, processed food, take outs and don’t eat fattening snacks but opt for healthy choices instead such a oat cakes, fruit or veg sticks
- Drink 8 glasses of water per day to ensure that you stay fully hydrated
- Eat small but regular meals and snacks, consuming at least 6 small meals or snacks.
- Do at least 30-40 minutes of intensive cardio per day (running, swimming, gym, sports, dancing, aerobics) You should make sure that your heart rate is at least 60-80% of its maximum to ensure that you are in the fat burning zone.
- Do strength training (push ups/crunches/squats) in order to tone and build lean muscle which will increase you basal metabolic rate
- Set target goals and record your weight loss in a journal
- Change your lifestyle in general. Walk or cycle instead of driving and see healthy foods as a treat not a burden
-You can also search on youtube for videos which are showing how to do some exercises with the right way.
-Here are some healthy recipes:
http://www.specialk.com/tips-and-tools/healthy-recipes
Carol asks…
Some homecooked dog food recipes?
Has anybody got some homecooked dog food recipes?
obviously I don`t mean that im gonna actually cook my dog. Get real. I mean recipes for my dogs food.
vti answers:
Did you want to solely cook for your dog, or will the fresh food compliment a kibble diet? It’s always nice to find when an enlightened parent wants to enhance their dog’s health (and taste buds!) with some beneficial fresh food. I periodically post recipes on my Doggie Tip blog. Below I’ve provided you some links so that you can print out the recipes and visual instructions (which I can’t put on here for you). Enjoy! I know you’re little one will. Sources below…
I will post one here though too. If you are NOT feeding kibble and solely want to cook (which is what I do for my dogs), don’t forget to make sure the dog also receives a multi-vitamin every day.
MINI DOGGIE OATS RECIPE
1.25 cups (1 and 1/4 cups) raw rolled oats – fully cooked!
3/4 pound (1 and 1/2 cups) cooked ground turkey | OR | chicken
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (organic) | OR | flax seed oil
1 cup steamed vegetables (your choice)
1/4 teaspoon tamari sauce | OR | a dash of iodized salt (just a dash!) – OMIT if you serve meal with Gizzards (see *HINT below)
1 small clove of garlic, crushed or minced
Combine all ingredients in blender, adding filtered water where necessary and mix. Oatmeal is sticky so most dogs preferred it blended.
*HINT: You can add, to her dish, some chunks of chicken or turkey so she has something to chew since the blended mix is like “wet food” in consistency. You can also plop in 3-4 (cooked) chicken gizzards & hearts, which I buy at Ralphs. IF you choose to add this for “chew factor” in her dish, then OMIT the salt/tamari sauce in the recipe as the gizzards have a lot of sodium.
Sharon asks…
Vegetarian German Food/recipes?
Can anyone name me, and if possible show me and show the recipe for Vegetarian German meals/food.
Whether its cake, a meal … whatever.
Thankyou.
vti answers:
Having lived through the war with practically no meat available, Germans became vegetarian by necessity. My grandmother would often cook the following for us:
Sauteed wild mushrooms with scrambled eggs and onions;
Steamed potato with quark (lean fresh yogurt-cheese) and chopped chives on top.
Gurkensalat (Cucumber Salad); thinly sliced salad cucumber, oil, cider vinegar, salt pepper and dillweed
Freshly picked sorrel and vinaigrette salad (sauerampfer)
(Sweet) grits with puree of freshly picked berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, elderberries).
Woodruff tea, “wine” or jelly (waldmeister) made from dried plant, or blossoms.
Rote Gruetze (Red berry coulis or fruit pudding), a refreshing “soupy” dish that can be a main meal, often served with tips of whipped egg white. Clean 2.5 lbs berries or cherries, and bring to a boil in 1 qt water and 1/2 cup sugar; dissolve 2 tbsp cornstarch in some cold water, stir in bring to a brief boil until it begins to thicken, lemon zest optional . Can be eaten warm or cold, also with whipped cream.
Griesnockerlsuppe, a broth with teaspoon-size grits dumplings. 1 cup coarse semolina or polenta flour, 1 egg, 3 oz. Softened butter, pinch salt and nutmeg; blend well; refrigerate for 15 minutes; drop by the teaspoon into boiling broth and let simmer for 1-12 minutes; the dumplings are done when they float; serve decorated with chopped chives.
Flaedle Soup, leftover crepes (German pancakes are thin like crepes), rolled up and cut into thin strips to make “noodles” and served in a broth with chopped chives or parsley.
Bohneneintopf, stew 2 lb fresh green beans, 1 chopped onion and 1-2 lbs potatoes until done; season with winter savory (Bohnenkraut), salt and pepper.
Lentil soup, stew lentils with carrots, potatoes and onions in a vegetable broth (Linsensuppe)
Graupensuppe, Stew pearl barley or groats with carrots and onions in a broth, flat parsley for health and decoration
Red beet salad (Rote Beetesalat); marinated red beets sliced on a mandolin, often served with similarly sliced white celery root.
Spaetzle, recipe and info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle
served with stewed mushrooms and parsley.
Rose hip jelly and tea (Hagebuttenpuree, Hagebuttentee); the jelly is instrumental as a filling in German jelly doughnuts (called Krapfen in Bavaria, Berliners elsewhere); recipe at: http://recipegal.com/other/RoseHipJelly.htm
Rice pudding with cinnamon and grated lemon peel (Reisbrei mit Zimt und Zitrone); recipe at: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/378/German_Christmas_Reisbrei_Rice_Porridge43284.shtml
Apfelstrudel (apple strudel); sample recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_17581,00.html
but to qualify as a German dish, do not prepare with olive oil, but corn oil or peanut oil, and although it is a nice touch, it is not necessary to serve it with caramel or vanilla sauce.
We also often eat Birchermuesli. If you can eat yogurt, then this is a good choice. It is technically Swiss, but very popular in German vegetarian restaurants, and can be eaten as a main meal, not just for breakfast. See a recipe at http://www.about.ch/culture/food/birchermuesli.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/1980-05-01/Birchermuesli.aspx
Happy cooking!
Powered by Yahoo! Answers