Recipe: Milo's Meatloaf Patties

Oops I did it again.  I took photos with my iPhone.  My ancient iPhone 4S.  The good news is that I got a notification while I was on vay-cay that I am now eligible for an upgrade so iPhone 6 here I come!  I briefly contemplated the 6 Plus but my hands are small and I would not be able to use it with one hand, something I do frequently. Unfortunately though, you have to deal with my crappy photos for this post.  I am hoping to have a new phone by the weekend as long as I can psych myself up to deal with the hassle of the upgrade.  Why is it always a nightmare?  Or am I just lazy?  Oh well.

I am sharing a recipe today that is so easy and straight forward and I have been making it for about 4 years now, at least different variations of it.  And although you totally could, I do not make it for human consumption, I make it for Milo. 

When we got Milo (from what we later found out was a puppy mill but did not look like a puppy mill and I felt sick when I did find out but all I can do now is focus on the fact that we got Milo out of there) he had been eating a raw food and kibble diet.  He was healthy and so we saw no reason to stop as we had both heard good things about a raw food diet.  We bought the raw food for the first year and looking at the ingredient list, I was like, this is basically meatloaf.  Meatloaf that I can make and know for a fact what the ingredients are.  Except I also decided to cook it.  Milo LOVES it.  He gets his meat patty every morning along with a cup of kibble… the patty disappears in less than 10 seconds and the kibble consumption varies.  And if the kibble is still there the next morning, I don’t give him more, or I top it up to a cup.

I have a base recipe that I make every time but sometimes if I have extra vegetables I need to use up I will throw those in too.  I also used to include a cup of cooked rice but he seems to have food sensitivities that irritate his skin so he I cut out the rice and that seems to have helped.

Ingredients

1 lb extra lean ground beef
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 brown potatoes
2 eggs
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Set ground beef out to acclimate – the inside of a chunk of beef is COLD!

2. In a food processor, shred the carrots, celery and potatoes.

3. Combine shredded veggies and ground beef in a huge bowl (or two large bowls – the mixing can get messy).

4. Add the two eggs and salt pepper to bowl (if you are using two bowls, divide as makes sense).

5. Mix that gooey mixture up.  I use my hands.  I no longer bother with gloves but make sure there is lots of soap ready to go once I’m finished.

 

6. Portion the mixture into muffin tins – I just use my hands and portion it to my palm.  Milo is 26lbs and although I’m sure he wishes he could have more this amount is perfect for him.

 

 

 

7. I usually cook 4-5 patties right away for his meals and then freeze the rest, pulling them out in groups of 4-5 as needed.

Baking at 350:
    From frozen: bake 24-25 minutes depending on size
    Fresh or thawed: bake 20-21 minutes depending on size

Milo stalks me in the morning until I give him his patty.  I warm the patty in the microwave for 21 seconds (I think ours is gutless so check the temp. to make sure your furbaby doesn't burn its tongue!) and then mash it up with a fork:

 

He stands there the entire time...

 

... and is literally dancing in between my legs as I walk it over to his dish.  And the patty is gone within 10 seconds.

 

 A very simple way to keep my boy healthy and happy!

 



Do you make your own dog food?  I would love to give him some variety and try new recipes!