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It took a freaking ridiculously long time for summer to hit our neck of the woods. Now that summer is (kind of) here, I’m grabbing the puggle by the ears (kind of like grabbing the bull by the horns, but with more kisses) and embracing the summer life! Truth be told, I don’t have to grab the puggle by the ears, it would probably be easier to grab him by the love handles.
Kolchak’s nick-name Roly Poly Koly has been well earned lately.
I blame the Nana and the Daddy. My constant experimenting with treats has nothing to do with Koly’s spare tire. Clearly, it is not the Mama’s fault, right? Y’all will back me up here, right?
OK, I’ll admit it, but in my defense, who could resist those eyes?
Summer at our house means more walks, more trips to the park, more time in the yard and if Koly had his way, more snacks. All this extra activity has really bumped up his appetite and he is scrounging for a snack all the time. I am hoping to capitalize on all this extra activity and help Koly shed those extra two pounds he is carrying around, so cookies are *off* the menu.
Good things come in green packages.
Fresh, frozen or puree, green beans are an excellent addition to your pup’s diet. Green beans are wildly nutritious providing a great source of carotenoids and antioxidants, two things that are essential for kibble fed pups due to the highly oxidized nature of kibbles. Beans are also a rich source of dietary fibre, zea-xanthin, folates, vitamin B-6, thiamin, and vitamin C, as well as a great mineral source for iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and potassium.
Green Beans are FULL of good stuff, but they aren’t full of calories.
Green beans give you a lot of bang for your buck. With only 34 calories per cup, you can easily eat a whole bunch without ruining your diet – or dog’s diet as the case may be. Try experimenting to find out how your pup likes them best. Felix loves to have them lightly steamed and still a little warm. Koly loves to crunch on the right out of the freezer and they both love it when I make Green Bean Pupsicles – a cheap and ridiculously easy treat for a hot summer day.
Green beans are also awesomely easy to grow at home – either in a garden bed or as a cute container. They make a great backyard garden project for those tiny humans I know some of you have!
It’s Easy Being Green Pupsicles
2 cups frozen green beans
1 cup low fat, low sodium chicken stock
Place beans & stock in blender or (my fav) the Magic Bullet**. Blend until smooth. Pour into Popsicle moulds (use a pupperoni as the stick – or skip them altogether). Place in freezer until solid.
If you don’t have Popsicle moulds, no worries! Use ice cube trays, silicone cupcake pans, empty yogurt cups or make a giant “iceberg” pupsicle by filling a whole tupperware dish with puree! Koly & Fe go WILD for an iceberg and it keeps them busy while I weed the garden.
really crappy photo of a really great treat
Full Disclosure: If your dog has problems with oxalate urinary tract stones, I would skip the beans (and other veggies from the brassica and fabaceae families) due to their oxalate acid content.
**Please note that we received no promotional consideration from Magic Bullet, but if they wanted to send us stuff, that would be freaking sweet.
What do you think? Does your dog eat their vegetables?
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