Nicole's Meal Prep Tips for Home Cooking for Your Dog
|
Hi, I’m Nicole, the founder of Dog Child! Home cooking for your dog is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a dog parent. However, preparing meals every day can feel overwhelming, which is why meal prepping is a game-changer. Let me share some of my favorite meal prep tips to help you save time and money while still providing your dog with balanced, healthy meals.
Highlights
1. Plan Your Dog's Meals in Advance 2. Batch Cook Using a Slow Cooker 3. Incorporate Dog Child Meal Mixes to Simplify Nutrition 4. Use Freeze-Dried Organs for Convenience 5. Source Cheap Meat for Bulk Cooking Dog Child's Essential Nutrient Mix 6. Use Frozen Veggies for Convenience 7. Buy Seasonal Produce for Freshness and Savings 8. Label and Date Your Meals 9. Rotate Proteins for Variety 10. Set Aside Time for Prep Conclusion Other Relevant Blogs
1. Plan Your Dog's Meals in Advance
The first step in meal prepping is planning. I like to map out Billy and Cricket’s meals for the month, making sure they get a variety of proteins, vegetables and other ingredients like berries & nuts. We advocate feeding the rainbow at Dog Child and rotating different foods to build your pup's gut microbiome and getting different nutrients from different foods.
2. Batch Cook Using a Slow Cooker
A crock pot or slow cooker is one of my top tools for meal prep. I’ll toss in a variety of meats, veggies, and other ingredients, set it to cook on low overnight in the morning, I’ve got meals prepped for the whole week. After cooking, I add in all my nutrients & oils & I portion out meals into containers and freeze them for easy feeding throughout the week. It’s a huge time-saver!
Using Dog Child Essential Nutrient Mix to Simplify Nutrition
One of the easiest ways to ensure your dog’s meals are balanced is by incorporating Dog Child’s Essential Nutrient Mix. Using a nutrient mix can cut down the number of ingredients you need by 10. Instead of sourcing multiple individual supplements, the mix provides all the essential vitamins and minerals in one mix, simplifying the entire process.
4. Use Freeze-Dried Organs for Convenience
Instead of using fresh organs, which can be tricky to handle & sometimes hard to find, I recommend using freeze-dried organs. They’re easy to store, less messy, and still packed with the same nutrients as fresh organs. Simply add them to your dog’s meals during meal prep, and you can skip the hassle of buying, cooking, and preparing fresh organs. If you want to know how to convert fresh organs to freeze dried read our blog here.
5. Source Cheap Meat for Bulk Cooking
Buying meat in bulk is one of the best ways to save money when meal prepping for your dog. I often shop at Costco or other warehouse stores where I can find deals on chicken, beef, or turkey. I buy whatever’s on sale, portion it out, and freeze it for future use. By doing this, I always have high-quality proteins on hand without overspending.
6. Use Frozen Veggies for Convenience
Frozen veggies are perfect for meal prepping. They’re pre-chopped and ready to go, saving time. I like to keep frozen spinach, broccoli, and kale on hand to quickly mix into my dogs’ meals without having to prep fresh produce every time.
7. Buy Seasonal Produce for Freshness and Savings
Another great way to save money and ensure your dog gets fresh ingredients is by buying seasonal produce. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are typically more affordable and at their peak nutritional value. Here’s a quick guide to what’s in season:
- Fall: Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples
- Winter: Squash, Brussels sprouts, kale, parsnips
- Spring: Asparagus, peas, spinach, strawberries
- Summer: Zucchini, blueberries, green beans, cucumbers
By shopping for in-season veggies, I can keep costs down and make sure my dogs are getting the freshest ingredients possible.
8. Label and Date Your Meals
After portioning out and freezing meals, I always label and date the containers. This helps me keep track of which meals to use first and makes it easier to grab the right one at feeding time. It’s a small step that saves a lot of time throughout the week.
9. Rotate Proteins for Variety
To keep things interesting for Billy and Cricket, I rotate their proteins each week. By switching between chicken, beef, and turkey, I ensure they get a range of nutrients. Buying meat in bulk makes it easy to change things up without extra cost or effort.
10. Set Aside Time for Prep
I like to set aside a specific time each week, usually on Sundays, to batch cook and prep meals. Spending a couple of hours one day a week ensures I don’t have to worry about what my dogs are eating every day, and it makes feeding them throughout the week super easy.
Conclusion
Meal prepping for your dog can be simple and effective with a little planning and the right tools. By using a slow cooker, sourcing cheap meat in bulk, incorporating freeze-dried organs, and adding a nutrient mix like Dog Child Meal Mixes, you can save time and reduce the number of ingredients needed, all while ensuring your dog is getting balanced, nutritious meals.
Happy home cooking!
Sign Up for More Tips & Recipes
Have any meal prep tips you swear by? Share them in the comments, and don’t forget to check out more recipes and tips in our Dog Child recipe community!
Other Relevant Blogs
For more insights and tips on feeding your dog fresh, home-cooked meals, explore these blog posts:
