I healthify a lot of recipes for M<3 and I but in our house, our pet[s] – depending on if we have a foster boxer that day or not – are our babies. Since we want them to be at the top of their health, I like to give them healthy, whole food treats that include some of their favorite eats!
When I say whole food treats, I mean food that isn’t processed or filled with chemicals to help “preserve freshness or flavor.” Our pups don’t get table scraps, litterings of crackers, or stray pieces of cereal that have fallen to the floor. Stella doesn’t eat “people food” and instead is treated with whole, unprocessed food – ensuring that she keeps a clean diet and maintains her health. <3M & I have also worked to keep Stella away from any wheat products as Boxers tend to do better on a wheat-free diet.
When it comes to whole foods, Stella’s heart flutters for all things peanut butter, carrot, and banana. You can find her sitting at my feet any time I’m making a salad [which is most days] or begging for a bite of my banana and lick peanut butter as I make oatmeal each morning.
Since she is our princess, I decided to make her some special Valentine’s Day treats that include all her favorite foods – treats that I knew our other foster pup would enjoy as well!
- 1 egg
- 1 medium banana mashed
- ⅓ cup natural peanut butter [remember, you're going for no added chemicals or processing]
- ¾ cup old fashioned oats, ground + ¼ cup old fashioned oats, whole
- ½ cup ground flax meal
- 1½ cups shredded carrots [I've also used carrot pulp from juicing in place of shredded carrots]
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper [trust me, this will make your life easier during clean-up]
- In a food processor, grind ¾ cup oats until it reaches a course grind and set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the banana, egg, and peanut butter. Add in ground oats, remaining whole oats, and ground flax seed. Mix until thoroughly combined then fold in shredded carrots.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop batter onto the parchment lined cookie sheets, flattening each into a small 1½ inch disc. There won't be much need to leave room between each flattened disc as these treats do not expand while baking.
- The treats are done when they are slightly pliable & light golden brown in colorOnce both baking sheets contain flattened treats, place both sheets in the oven [one on the top rack, one on the bottom] and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove trays from ovens, flip each treat over and switch the top baking sheet to the bottom oven rack and the bottom sheet to the top oven rack. Bake for an additional 30 minutes - checking at the 20 minute mark for browning.
- The treats will harden more as they cool. Be sure to cool the treats completely before sharing with your pups.
- The treats can be stored at room temperature for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months for later use.
