I love making treats for these guys. Why? Treats are expensive, for one thing. Also, it’s tough to find reasonably-priced, healthy options. I started whipping up healthy treats from stuff I already had around the house.

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Here are two of my favorite (and easiest) DIY dog treats:

Microwave Bites

Here’s what you need for these goodies:

• 3 jars of baby food (I used sweet potato this time around because of Cooper’s restrictions, but anything – especially the meat varieties – work)
• 1/2 cup of uncooked cream of wheat
• 1 tablespoon of ground flax (optional)

Stir the ingredients together and drop the mixture in bite-sized bits onto a microwave-safe plate. The size can be adjusted for the size of your dog. I like to make teeny-tiny drops so they can work as training treats. Microwave for 3 minutes. They should be firm, but since microwaves vary, you can increase in 30-second increments as needed. Refrigerate until they cool.

Roll-Out Peanut Butter Cookies

These are a smidge more complicated, but are still pretty simple and definitely very wholesome. Here’s what you need:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon ground flax (optional again, but a great addition)

Preheat your oven to 375, and grease two cookie sheets. Using an electric mixer, beat together the milk and peanut butter until it’s really well combined. Slowly add the flour, baking power, and flax (if you’re super Martha-y, you might want to mix the dry ingredients together in advance, though I usually eliminate that extra step).

Roll out onto a floured surface, and use cookie cutters to create fun shapes. (These cookie cutters are on my wish list!) If you don’t have any on hand, the top of an empty glass jar works well. Place them a couple inches apart on the cookie sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before balancing them on your dog’s nose.

Do you cook for your dogs? Any recipes, tips, or tricks to share?

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