Clean eating for the dogs

With my 50th birthday approaching I decided to 

implement some much needed changes in my 

lifestyle.

The biggest change would have to be my diet.

I have always tried to eat pretty healthy. 

Maybe a soda once a month.

 You have to have an ice cold Pepsi with a bowl of popcorn!

Fast food  rarely passes my lips.

That could be because the nearest McDonalds is almost 20 miles away!

Never did I imagine putting my dogs on the same clean eating plan as I have put myself on!

But that is what happened after our little yorkie poo suffered an injury to her hind leg.

She had put on a lot of weight after we lost our beagle.

Poor thing was so depressed.

Another reason we got the new lab.

Our vet said she was to old to undergo surgery for treatment.

The best solution would be for her to lose some weight.

I turned to the internet for some recipes ideas for making my own

dog food.

I knew the dog food I had been feeding her was just making her fatter!

The best choice of feed came from the lady we bought Red from.

I put 6-8 chicken thigh/leg quarters in the crockpot.

Turn the cooker on high for 7-8 hours, 

switch it to low for another 4 or 5 hours.

The meat should fall off the bones. 

Most of the bones should crumble away to nothing.

 I add in a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen carrots.

I let this sit for a half hour or so.

Then I use an ice cream scoop to scoop it into muffin tins.

Into the freezer for an hour or so. 

Just until its solid.

I put the frozen meals into a gallon freezer bag, 

and back into the freezer.

Every morning I pop two out and microwave for a minute or so.

Shaggy gets a few bites of Reds venison food mixed in with a dollop of greek yogurt on top.

This is Reds bowl.

They each get a fried egg late in the afternoon for supper.

(Red gets another bowl full for supper)

Shaggy is almost down to her ideal weight.

Only a pound or two to go!

She had such an issue with bad breath before,

now its completely gone!

It makes me wonder if I had been doing this all along

would the beagle lasted longer than her 8 short years?

I have read all the horror stories lately on Beniful

the product we fed her and Shaggy most of their lives.

I take the time to check the labels of the food I buy for my family,

but I certainly never thought about it for the dogs.

That will never be an issue again!

Clean eating will be permanent way of life in this house.

Liz 

Linking up with the Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop

Another Project

If this summer wasn't hectic enough,

traveling between home and the camper,

the pipeliner and I took on another project.

We bought this sad little house in a town close by.

It sat on a double lot near the edge town.

 It had actually become an eyesore to the neighborhood.

The inside had seen better days too.

We were pretty sure a squatter had taken up residency.

There was only one thing we could do.

Early one Friday morning it became a pile of rubble.

Kind of sad.

You always wonder what stories those walls could tell.

There was not much salvageable inside or out.

The pipeliner told me to leave these for the demolition guy.

But he wasn't home so into the back of my truck they went.

(along with a few other things..)

An afternoon with a scrub brush and bucket of cleaner did them a world of wonders!

Boy oh boy were they dirty!

A few coats of apple red paint, a couple quilts from the last auction and some comfy pillows.

The perfect spot to sit and take in the views from our front porch.

Our little lot in town sure has taken on a better view to!

At least I think so!

Liz

Road Trip

Last Friday I rode with the pipeliner to check out the

next project on his work schedule.

The ride was 4 1/2 hours south, 

actually another state away.

The drive down was so pretty with all of the fall colors!

We spent a little bit of time checking out the town closest to

where the pipeliner and his crew will be staying.

You know its important to know where all the good places to eat are!

Then we met with the gas inspector at the proposed job site.

He had a buddy with him.

This little guy was a rescue dog.

You would be surprised how many guys on the pipeline

travel with a fur companion.

The area around us was pretty rural.

They are widening the highway nearby so gas lines have to be moved.

This house is in the way, which means the gas company bought it and it will be torn down.

The lady has until November 1st to vacate.

The pipeliner has always hated this part of his job!

But this lady had a very tragic accident happen here a few years ago. 

I prayed this move could be a blessing for her and a new start.

A little farther down the road close to the right away was a 

very, very old cemetery.

Most headstones dated back to the late 1800's!

Of course this sacred ground will go untouched!

The guys discussed a few more job related issues,

then we were on the road back home.

That was a heck off a long road trip for sure!

Sadly I wont get to accompany the pipeliner on this job.

The campgrounds nearby are closed for the season.

It would just be to hard to handle the grandson plus 2 dogs in a hotel room for a couple of months!

The camper made it home last week after the last job wrapped up.

Now comes the fun task of cleaning it out.

Then back into the shed it will go for the winter.

Who knows what kind of adventure it might go to next spring.

There is always another road trip to find out!

Liz

The Season has Ended

Friday night our growing season came to an end.

We received our first frost and freeze all on the same night!

Zapped it all!

Not that the garden did well to begin with.

I did get one more bouquet picked before the end.

Today I emptied and pulled the remaining flower beds.

A wheel barrel full ready for the compost pile.

I can't say I am sad for the season to be over.

This summer was a LONG one!

Spending time between the camper and home was getting hard.

I  tried to make a trip to see the pipeliner at least a couple of days a week.

Somebody had to do his laundry!

The grandson loved to tag along to see his grandpa.

The beach was the highlight of each trip.

And there is always ice pops in grandmas camper freezer.

Of course there were things to take care of back at home.

I am lucky to have a neighbor lady down the road who took care of my chickens.

Her pay was in eggs!

I had to take care of all the yard work with the hubby gone most of the time.

Well I did have some help!

We watched the new pup Red, go from this little guy

(second day we had him, first trip to the camper!)

to this big bump!

He really adapted to camper life pretty easy.

We still haven't got the camper moved home and cleaned out yet.

Hopefully next weekend!

But I am done with camper season,

ready to settle at home for awhile.

The only reminder of summer is baseball

and the Cubs!

That part of summer I am still holding on to!

Go Cubbies!

Apple Pie with Oat Crust

I am sure many of you have noticed the over abundance of apples this season.

It is like Mother Nature is making up for last years lack of fruit do to the bitter cold previous winter.

We have two little apple trees the owners before us planted.

They both were loaded to the point where I was ready to prop up the branches.

These boxes are just from one tree!

I canned 10 or so jars of Candy Apple Jelly.

A batch of apple butter and a  tried a new recipe for

Caramel Apple Butter.

Love apple butter stirred into my morning oatmeal!

I froze about 10 pints of  apple pie filling for a winter treat.

And of course quite a few pints of apple sauce for the grandson!

Yesterday I noticed a few apple stragglers still hanging around on the counter.

(My son had some huge Granny Smiths on his tree too!)

I might as well put them to some good use.

I remembered a recipe that was printed in the September/October issue of my Grit magazine.

It kind of sounded like a cross between an apple crisp and a apple pie.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Crust:

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup uncooked oats, quick or old fashioned

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt. Add butter, water and vanilla and mix well.

Press mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9 inch glass pie plate, forming 1/4 inch rim around edge.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until light golden brown, cool.

Filling

1 carton (8 ounces) sour cream

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

4 egg whites, slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 ground nutmeg

4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples

Combine sour cream, brown sugar, flour, egg whites, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Add apples toss to coat.

Arrange over cooled crust.

Topping

1/4 cup uncooked oats, quick or old fashioned

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Combine oats, brown sugar, and flour; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle over filling.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center

comes out clean.

I really like the oatmeal cookie tasting crust!

Even better with a scoop of ice cream on top!

Here is the whole recipe from the Grit magazine!

Apple Pie with Oat Crust

Linking up with Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop

49 things to do before I turn the big 5-0

 I turned 49 a week ago. UGH!  I have to admit I am not looking forward to 50. I know, age is just a number.  I thought I would put together a do-able list that would make the journey a little bit more fun! 

1. Finish that damn quilt!
   
2. Clean out the basement. (slowly working on that)
3. Walk 49 miles a month. (thats only a couple of miles a day)
4. Find my biceps and triceps!
   
   When I saw this pic I asked the hubby, why didn’t you tell me my arms were fat!
5. Run a 5k. ( I really want to run this one at Lambeau Field next July)
   
6. Buy a compost barrel.
7. Buy some new jeans. ( I think its been over 2 years since I bought any.)
8. Get fitted for the proper bra!
9. Oh what the heck buy some new underwear too!
10. Re-read To Kill a Mockingbird. (I just finished it)
11. Read Harper Lees newly published novel (on waiting list at library)
12. Read 1 non-fiction book a month
13. Buy myself a pretty new teacup
14. Drink green tea at 3.
15. Visit the Morton Arboretum
    
16. Refinish the chairs in my basement
17. Remove all pictures from my old cell phone
18. Develop all of Gunners picture/put in photo album
19. Make a prayer box.
    
20. Memorize 49 Bible verses
21. Donate more to one of my favorite groups.Cup of Cold Water Ministries
    
22. Step out in  my faith/witness to others
23. Make a souffle’
24. Make something once a month from my pinterest crafty board.
25. Buy folders/sort my magazines/create my own pinterest folders
26. Write down ALL internet passwords/put in safe place. (Remember safe place)
27. Develop a business plan for a flower farming business 
    
    I grow most of these all ready. Why not expand and sell!
28. Buy a violet for the house. (My grandma had over 50 violets in her home)
29. Raise and butcher our own meat birds.
30. Have 3 active bee hives.
31. Learn to make soap from beeswax.
32. Take a cheesemaking class.
33. Have a family portrait with all the kids.
34. Memorize the words to Zou Bisou
35. Donate some time to our local nursing home
36. Get a massage
37. Go to a concert
38. Be a bleacher bum.
    
39. Hike the canyon at Starved Rock all 4 seasons.
    
40. Have drinks at the Signature Room, 95th floor of the Hancock Building in Chicago.
    
41. Eat oysters at the Acme Oyster House in New Orleans
    
42. Have lunch with just my mom and I.
43. Do a cleanse
44. Visit the dermatologist.
45. Reconnect with an old high school GF who is turning 50 too!
46. Sew my own apron
47. Buy a bike
48. Ride the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier
    
49. Raise turkeys

This is my list!

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