Homemade Dog Treats

The one and only Boo Bear

The Topic: Cheap Canine Treats

The Dish: I adopted my dog Boo this past December, and he's pretty much the best ever. While I grew up surrounded by animals, he's the first that has been solely my responsibility, and I'll tell you the biggest lesson I've learned: Dogs are expensive. Totally worth it? Yes. Could I stand to spend a bit less on toys, treats, and every other ridiculous canine-themed thing I see? Oh yeah.

There are plenty of healthy, store-bought treats that he likes, but just like with my own food, it can be much cheaper—and satisfying—to whip up a batch of dog chow or small bites in your kitchen. I mentioned It's A Vegan Dog's Life last week, and it's definitely worth a read. On top of all the great advice on raising a healthy dog (vegan or otherwise), it has more than 50 recipes, such as Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Peanut Butter Cake, to keep the Boo in your life happy.

In the meantime, whip up a batch of these peanut butter treats, courtesy of VegWeb.com member VeganRun.

Oliver's Favorite Doggy Treats

What You Need:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup water
1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup flax seeds
1-1/4 cups rolled oats
1-3/4 cup brown rice flour

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and water and microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine and add canola oil.
2. In a separate bowl, combine nutritional yeast, flax seeds, oats, and flour. Add to wet mixture and mix well.
3. On a piece of parchment paper, roll mixture out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour.
4. Remove plastic wrap and with a knife, score the dough, making whatever size pieces you wish. If you want to get fancy, feel free to use cookie cutters.
5. Cook the scored dough until crispy and no longer soft in the middle, about 1 hour 45 minutes for small treats. Halfway through, remove the dough and carefully break apart pieces. When they're crisp, take out of the oven and let cool.
   

The Final Word: Once you start cooking for your canine, you can go off-book and design your own recipes featuring his or her favorite foods. Just be sure to stay away from poisonous ingredients, including chocolate, raisins, garlic, and walnuts. With a little research and some time in the kitchen, you'll have one happy pup on your hands.

Bonus: In other huge news, today is the official 10th anniversary of VegNews! Celebrate with us and enter to win one of our brand-new tote bags. We're giving away 10 at 11am, 2pm, and 5pm PST. Good luck, and thanks for making this milestone possible!

Shopping for Sea Shepherd

The Topic: Money Well Spent

The Dish: When I'm in the mood for shopping and low on cash, you know I'm a fan of buying (or swapping) second-hand. Which means when I found out about SOS Thrift, I was pretty ecstatic. An online thrift store you can both buy from and "sell" to, SOS is ran by four Etsy members set on raising funds for the horrific Gulf oil spill. All profits go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who are planning to send one of their ships to the Gulf and assist in rescuing marine life, which is a huge, challenging, and expensive job.

As far as the online selection, it's a mix of gently used items donated by shoppers (who in turn receive 25 percent off their next purchase) and new items that run a bit more price-wise, like this adorable handmade "respect, protect" turtle necklace. If you have a dog in your family, there's currently It's A Vegan Dog's Life for sale, which is a great resource, whether or not your dog is completely veg—including lots of great, easy recipes. New items are always being added, but there's already some great finds available. Oh, and a great steal? This never-used, certified-vegan Arbonne face masque for only $2—it retails for $18.

The Final Word: If you don't feel like acquiring more stuff but still want to help, you can still make a donation to Sea Shepherd, if you're able. But if there's anything on SOS you've been looking for, it's a win-win for everyone.

Bonus: Heads up—Matt & Nat will be on discount site Rue La La tomorrow, which I'm hoping means deep discounts on fancy bags! If you've been looking to splurge but still want to save money, check it out.