This recipe was sent in to us from Dawn Kline. She makes all the meals for her dog Cody and has even published a cookbook. She tells us that she started cooking all-natural, real food for her dog about two years ago and he loves it. Her dog’s favorite recipe is in the book is called Cody’s Blend and he eats this for his dinner every day.

Cody’s Blend Homemade Dog Food Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 tbsp. oil

6 cups water

1 cup lentils

2 cups split peas (I substituted chickpeas because my store was out of split peas. FYI: chickpeas are a great source of fiber.)

1 cup rice

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (or other mixed vegetables)

Directions:

*You may want to mash or blend the peas before or after they are cooked. This is so your dog doesn’t swallow them whole – that way, you dog gets the full nutritional benefit of the peas.

If you feed your dog a diet of dry kibble, as a treat you can add a tablespoon of this stew to his meal every once in a while and freeze the rest. That’s what I do with Oscar. He likes the variety and a home cooked meal, and by giving it to him in small portions mixed in with his regular food, it doesn’t give him the runs.

You may be told not to cook for your dog because you don’t know nutritional values, or because you’re not a vet or scientist or heck, even a cook.

But the reality is that cooking for your dog is a really low level of cooking. You can easily please your dog with a few simple recipes that maximize their flavor and emphasize nutrition, provided you’re using quality ingredients.

Most recipes, like this one, are pretty simple and don’t need a culinary degree or chef’s pantry to get right, and the bonding quality you have when you feed your dog meals you make really is evident. There’s something about caring for our loved ones from the kitchen that can’t be beat, and that goes for caring for our furry loved ones as well.

What’s So Great About These Ingredients?

When it comes to choosing ingredients for your dog food, you want to be sure they’re getting a nutritionally sound diet. Turkey is a well-loved protein/meat for dogs. It’s rich in the protein department but low in fat, which is the right combo you want to have for your healthy dog. Turkey also contains good sources of phosphorus and riboflavin for nutritional value and fuels your dog’s daily adventures.

Whether you choose lentils or chickpeas, quality fiber is a key ingredient for every dog’s health journey. Quality fiber allows your dog’s digestive tract to move the food through it’s system at just the right speed for maximum nutrient absorption. Fiber also bulks stool up so that as it goes through your dog’s intestines, it comes out on the other end just as it should–missing the nutrients it left in your dog’s body and solidly (see what we did there?) ensuring a perfect poop that will express anal glands on the way out. Who knew the ingredients in homemade food made such a difference on the back-end of the meal?

We have tons of recipes and guides here on Petguide to get you going in the right direction, and lots of support from doggy-food cooks all over the world. You can do it and even better–you just may find you love cooking for your dog! It’s a great way for you and your dog to bond over meals, and you can really know just what’s going in your dog’s diet.

What are some of your favorite recipes for dog foods? We’d love to know!