Protect Your Pet And Planet One Scrap At A Time

Protect Your Pet And Planet One Scrap At A Time

ta·ble scrap (tabl skrap)
noun: Leftover bits of food.


Our quest for a great meal is never-ending, especially since our needs are more demanding than they’ve ever been – fresh, low fat, low cholesterol and less sodium, fiber-rich, unprocessed, sustainably produced – and, it must have eye appeal, since we begin eating with our eyes the moment a dish is set before us. When we find that deeply satisfying dish, we save the recipe to share with those we love, or if we’ve dined out, we ask for a doggy bag.

For pet owners wanting to extend the same high standard of nutrition and palatability to enhance their pet’s overall well-being, chow time can be a frustrating experience. Wet, dry, canned, raw or special diet? Browse any pet food aisle and the choices are endless. However, if you venture off the continent, you won’t find other countries devoting endless aisle space to market commercially prepared food for our canines and felines.

So why do U.S. consumers believe our beloved companions must survive solely on a commercial pet food diet? It is due in large part to the successful campaigns of pet food corporations who, in recent years, have tried to redefine their products by including ingredients such as brown rice, seafood, poultry, whole grains and vegetables. Turns out, whole foods are just the requirement our pets need. And while these corporations may have added better ingredients, it will never compare to delivering a fresh meal directly from your kitchen.

What your pet consumes is more important than the hours you spend walking or playing with him. A pet whose eyes naturally sparkle and one that has a healthy, parasite-free coat that doesn’t shed, reflects one whose diet is most likely nutritionally sound. As you fuel your body to boost your immunity, mental and physical health, know that it only takes a few simple steps to bridge the nutritional gap for your companion as well. By turning table scraps into meals for your pet, you will save money, improve your pet’s health, and lower your footprint on the magnificent planet we inhabit.

To start, think about the foods you discard on a weekly basis. If you’re like most consumers, it’s overripe fruits, limp vegetables, hard rolls and Friday night’s take-out. If you’re thinking, “Not in my house,” consider what you throw out both in the trash and down the disposal. These are foods that came from your fridge and pantry.
That might not sound like much, but according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Loss Project, we throw away more than 25 percent, sometimes as much as a whopping 25.9 million tons of all foods we produce. A 2004 University of Arizona study raises the figure closer to 50 percent, citing that Americans waste some $43 billion annually on food. It was reported that on average, U.S. households waste 14 percent of their food purchases, estimating that a family of four tosses out $590 per year in meat, fruits, vegetables, and grain products – that’s about 1.28 pounds of daily waste. This waste does not include composting or food that has gone down the garbage disposal.

There are consequences to our national habit of sending food to landfills. Some rotting foods take years to decay, and American food waste has significant environmental, economic consequences. Once food gets into the landfill, it generates methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide, which traps heat within our atmosphere. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that food found in landfills are the primary source of methane in the U.S., or roughly 34 percent of all methane emissions. To complicate matters further, wet food waste is the main threat to groundwater or stream pollution if there is a storm or a container breaks and leaks. Which means that the lunch you made and didn’t have time to consume yesterday is increasing your personal – and our collective- carbon footprint.

Still not convinced you should feed your pet whole foods? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also has a program in place that helps companies convert food discards into commercial animal feed and pet food. So when you feed your pet commercial pet food, you may already be feeding it someone else’s scraps.

Back to your kitchen – oftentimes, the food we throw out is consumable – it’s just not up to our demanding standards. That limp stalk of celery and stale cereal may have lost their crunch, but they are still perfectly edible.

For years, table scraps have been considered taboo for pets or only reserved for their birthdays. Unless you are addressing a specific health concern, shifting from a commercial diet to a kitchen diet should be a priority. By incorporating sensible ingredients, you can diminish health deficiencies and diseases, keep energy levels sustained, and build a healthy skin and coat. The benefits to you include a lower food bill – you won’t be buying pet food anymore- and a significant reduction of personal waste. Your pet will love the new variety of meals as opposed to dry, tasteless kibble, and reap the benefits of a diet free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.

To begin turning scraps into meals, follow these simple steps:

*Designate three containers in your refrigerator for your pet’s food – protein, side dishes, and ‘gravy’.

Place leftover proteins in one tub: beef, chicken fish, eggs, soy and beans.
Trim these into bite-size pieces so they are easy for your pet to chew and
swallow. Remove all bones.

Place side dishes in the second tub: pasta, potatoes, rice, breads, and grains.

Reserve the third tub for vegetable ‘gravy’.

*Vegetable gravy: When salads and other vegetables go limp, cut them into small pieces and place in a pot of boiling water 1” above the vegetable line. Cover and cook just long enough to soften vegetables. Puree the cooked vegetables inside the pot with an immersion blender, cool, and place into the vegetable tub to use as a gravy to moisten your pet’s food.

*After each meal, place leftovers into each designated tub.

*When initially preparing vegetables, save the unused portion for your pet – thus using the entire vegetable, like the tops of celery or bases of cauliflower and broccoli.

*If you find you have excess food for a particular week, freeze those portions for extra use.

*Finish and rotate foods every 3-4 days.

To feed your pet, combine equal portions of each tub for the meal. (1/3 protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables.)

Take a week to introduce whole foods. For smaller animals, introduce 1 tablespoon per day until you have transitioned completely to a whole food diet. For larger animals, introduce ¼ cup each day.

If your pet has allergies or has a special dietary concern, please discuss whole foods with your veterinarian first.

Once you get used to using table scraps for your pet’s meals, you can combine all the foods into one large tub, and create additional meals with these straightforward recipes.

Veggie Biscuits

2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup cooked, mashed vegetables

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Blend in margarine until it resembles corn meal. In a separate bowl, beat sugar and egg with a whipping fork. Add mashed vegetables to the sugar and egg bowl, mixing together until a stiff dough is formed. Combine with flour and salt. Turn out onto counter and knead with hands until well mixed.
Flatten to ½” thick, and use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes. Bake in the oven 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Fruit Biscuits
2 cups cereal (basic cereal like Cheerios or Corn Flakes)
1 cup flour
¼ cup oil
½ cup nonfat milk
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Diced fruit: select one of the following – 2 bananas,1 apple or pear, ½ cup blueberries or strawberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix with a hand mixer until a soft dough forms.
Using an ice cream scoop, place ½ scoop of batter 1” apart on a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Meatballs
2 eggs
1 cup cooked meat, any type, shredded or finely diced
1/3 cup shredded cheese, any type
1 tablespoon dried parsley
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup carrots, finely diced or shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked, leftover rice or mashed potatoes
1 ½ cup stale bread, cubed
¼ cup olive oil

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Incorporate meat, carrots, bread and rice or mashed potatoes. Mix together, then roll into 1” balls.
In a small, deep skillet, heat olive oil. Add several balls at one time and brown, turning every few minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve warm and refrigerate remaining meatballs.

Vegetable Meatloaf
1 ½ pounds cooked meat, any type, shredded or finely diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, finely diced, or grated
1 apple, cored and diced
2 eggs
2 slices of bread, torn into pieces
1 cup stale cereal (basic cereal like Cheerios or Corn Flakes)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a glass baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients with your hands. Place the mixture into the roasting pan and free-form into a large loaf. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm, cover and refrigerate the remainder.

Rice or Grain Casserole
1 ½ cups cooked rice, grains or pasta
2 teaspoons oil
¼ teaspoon ground thyme
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheese, any type
1/3 cup beef bouillon
1 cup cooked meat, any type, shredded or finely chopped

Lightly spray a glass pie plate with cooking spray and set aside. Mix all ingredients except cheese and spoon into glass pie plate. Sprinkle cheese on top and microwave for 60 seconds until cheese melts. Serve warm, cover and refrigerate the remainder.