Peanut Butter ‘n Blueberryz Mini Bakes

What can I say about Zuke’s that hasn’t been mentioned by another satisfied customer?

At five calories per biscuit, it’s one of the few treats Oscar can enjoy without sabotaging his diet!

Zuke’s Mini Bakes are available in three distinct flavors—chicken ‘n cherryz, peanut butter ‘n blueberryz and turkey ‘n taterz—but I decided on the peanut butter and blueberry combo. Can’t go wrong with peanut butter coupled with a shot of blueberries for an extra boost of antioxidants!

There are so many things I love about Zuke’s:

• I can pronounce all the ingredients! Ground oats, rice bran, peanut butter, blueberries, potatoes, oat fiber, blackstrap molasses (possible pirate name?), oil blend (sunflower, olive and canola oils) and natural vegetable flavors.
• The amount of biscuits per box. A one-pound box contains more than 325 biscuits at 5 calories each! Break them in half and you have twice as many goodies that are perfect for training (or dieting dogs).
• The treats are devoid of wheat, corn, artificial colors, flavors, added fat or by-products. Now that’s wholesome goodness!
• Zuke’s cares about our planet. Every box of Zuke’s is made with 100% recycled paperboard and 100% wind energy.
• Zuke’s gives back. Zuke’s donates a portion of every sale to The Dog & Cat Cancer Fund. Last year’s donation was over $30,000!

And the best thing about the Mini Bakes…

• Oscar loves them! Well, Oscar loves anything edible, but he goes gaga over these treats. I’m sure he doesn’t realize they’re only 5 calories a bite!

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Time for another round of the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop. Happy Hopping!

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Cookie Magic at Three Dog Bakery

How can I describe how satisfying it was to enjoy a week away from the daily grind?  I suppose a good word would be reinvigorating.

A reinvigorating week that included a trip to Three Dog Bakery located in Pasadena!

I ran into some trouble finding the little shop dedicated to wholesome baked goods for our four-legged friends because it was situated in an alley practically hidden from view on Colorado Boulevard. Granted, the heavy traffic didn’t help either, but after a few U-turns and safely securing a parking spot, we were in!

Admittedly, the shop was smaller than I expected and the selection behind the counter was surprisingly sparse compared to the treats listed on their website, but the bakery wasn’t limited to just edible goodies. Leash snap during your stroll down Colorado Boulevard? Pick one up here!

I managed to shield myself from the call of the leashes, collars and rawhides, and emerged from the bakery with three “peanut mutter” cookies that Oscar thoroughly relished.

Cookie Fail

My first attempt at making homemade treats for Oscar was a disaster!

Let me explain:

Our friends at According to Gus suggested a mouth-watering pumpkin dog cookie recipe by Get Lick’d in response to my search for wholesome doggie treats. One glance at the ingredients list and instructions reassured me that it would be a simple undertaking, but I was worried about the peanut butter sabotaging Oscar’s diet. So I took to the Internet in the hope of finding a yummy, low-fat cookie recipe Oscar can enjoy without worrying about his figure (gotta impress the ladies, you know).

A quick Google search lead me to Dog Treat Kitchen‘s Sweet Carrot, Banana and Applesauce Biscuits recipe. Fueled by the knowledge that Oscar eats almost anything, I decided to give it a whirl and copied the recipe down on a sheet of paper. Big mistake.

Everything went flawlessly until I started kneading the dough. Its consistency was just… off. The dough was too moist and I couldn’t even roll out the mixture without it sticking to everything. I tried to improvise, adding more flour to soak up the moisture and dropping rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet instead of neatly cut cookies.

I double-checked my notes as the cookies were baking—I didn’t deviate from directions (minus the extra flour), so I was puzzled as to what went wrong. I checked the recipe online and found my mistake: Instead of the 1/8 cup of additional water for kneading, I wrote 1 cup. No wonder!

In the end, the cookies were waterlogged, mushy and way too appalling to document (LOL!). I think we’ll be sticking to Three Dog Bakery goodies for a while until I get over the initial shock.

However, according to Oscar, a waterlogged treat is still a treat, but I was too embarrassed about the finished product to let them stick around for too long.

My cookie fail is well hidden. 😉

Apple Oatmeal “Woof”ers

I plan to take Oscar to Three Dog Bakery during my next trip to Pasadena.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this wonderful shop, Three Dog Bakery is the go-to place for oven-baked goods made with all natural, quality ingredients for your pets. Their products are free of preservatives, artificial flavors, fillers, refined sugars and salt. Love it!

Fortunately, you don’t have to live within driving distance to enjoy their treats. A handful of Three Dog Bakery products can be found at your local Walmart and Walgreens. I usually avoid purchasing dog food and treats at local retailers, but I made my merry way to Walmart to see if I could actually find wholesome treats for Oscar in the doggie aisle.

Sure enough, there they were.

I picked up a box (13 oz.) of Apple Oatmeal “Woof”ers. The ingredients list? Zero salt, refined sugars, article flavors, fillers and preservatives!

• Wheat Flour
• Honey
• Canola Oil
• Rolled Oats
• Applesauce
• Cinnamon
• Whole Egg
• Molasses
• Vanilla
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Natural Preservative (Citric Acid and Natural Tocopherols) To Maintain Freshness

The cookies smell so good. My mouth was watering. If they’re made of all natural ingredients, does that mean I can eat them, too? That way I could comment on its taste and texture…

Size of cookie compared to a quarter.

Back corner of the box. Adorable!

The verdict? The Apple Oatmeal “Woof”ers get Oscar’s paw of approval!