4 Healthy Recipes You Can Enjoy With Your Dog Or Cat

Attention all friends of the furry and the four-legged: It's National Pet Day, and we'd like to celebrate by introducing you to one of our favorite pet food companies, The Honest Kitchen. Before you ask: Yes, you're still on The Daily Meal. And yes, this will pertain to food for humans, so hold on to your horses (or dogs) — at least for right meow.

How can a pet food company have anything to do with healthy human consumption, you ask? The answer has been sitting there before us this whole time, like a nutritionally sound treat just waiting to be gently taken.

The Honest Kitchen produces a line of 100 percent human grade dehydrated whole foods for dogs and cats. Each of these foods is made with love in a human food facility as opposed to a pet food plant, ensuring the highest possible quality standards. With that being said, you (yes you, human... the one with the thumbs) could benefit from the nutritious kibbles, meal toppers, and treats that The Honest Kitchen produces.

Much of this food is made using a method commonly found in human fare (dehydration), but The Honest Kitchen's noshes are a much healthier choice than often sugary dehydrated human foods like fruit. Dehydration is a gentle technique that removes only moisture, retaining most of the natural nutrients found in raw, whole foods. The Honest Kitchen's dog and cat products contain nutritious, appetizing ingredients such as chicken, apples, pumpkin, chard, blueberries, celery, bananas, green beans, and sweet potatoes, just to name a few. That's right — your pets could be eating just as well as one of those food-picture-posting, macro-counting Instagram fit chicks.

This private, family-owned company was founded by Lucy and Charlie Postins in 2002 and is based in San Diego. The company employs 33 people, 31 dogs, and six cats (when they see this, I hope that they know my golden retriever Goose featured in the photograph above is an able-bodied communicator with a year of experience in deadline-driven work environments seeking gainful employment along with plenty of stick play west of the Mississippi). The Honest Kitchen's products are developed with uncompromising attention to detail by a company of pet lovers with a passion for food.

If you consider yourself a pet-lover, a passionate food enthusiast, or a combination of the two, then the following human- and pet-friendly recipes (courtesy of The Honest Kitchen) may just be for you. Happy National Pet Day, and bon(e) appétit!

Liver Love Hearts

This recipe uses heart-shaped cookie cutters (or the shape of your choosing) to make pretty treats as a gift for your pet and slash or his or her boyfriends and girlfriends. They're perfect for parties or special occasions. Puréeing the liver is slightly stomach-turning, but it only takes a few seconds, and it creates a perfect liquid base for these treats.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh raw chicken liver, preferably organic
2 free range eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cups instant quinoa flakes
3 tbsp applesauce
1/4 cup dried cranberries or blueberries
1 tsp of dried basil
Filtered water sufficient to make a batter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Process the liver in a blender or food processor, until completely puréed.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and pour in the oil.
Add the puréed liver.
Mix in the dry ingredients slowly, stirring continuously so they are thoroughly combined.
Add water gradually, until you have a 'batter' consistency.
Pour this batter into a medium sized flat cake or brownie tin.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes.
Cool in the tin until able to be handled, then gently turn out the 'cake' onto a rack and refrigerate to cool completely.
Use heart-shaped or other cookie cutters to gently press out individual shapes.
The scraps can be added to your pet's meals as a delicious crumbly topping.

Bone Broth Blueberry Frappe
This refreshing beverage can be served as a drink after summertime play sessions, or poured over your dog's regular food for added moisture, probiotics, flavor, and nourishment.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp bone broth mix, such as Honest Kitchen instant Bone Broth mix
4 tbsp goat's milk mix, such as Pro Bloom® instant goat's milk mix
2 cups warm filtered water
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
3 or 4 ice cubes (optional)

Directions:
Mix the Bone Broth and Pro Bloom powders together in a medium-sized bowl, using a whisk.
Slowly pour in the water, whisking constantly.
Transfer the liquid to a blender. Add in the frozen blueberries and ice cubes, if using.
Replace the lid and blend until everything is thoroughly combined and the blueberries are broken up.
Serve a portion that's sized appropriately for your dog, and refrigerate any leftover frappe for 2 to 3 days (mixture may separate slightly; just re-blend or whisk before serving, if desired).

Green Force & Ham Treats

These baked treats are quite healthy and super easy to make.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup dehydrated dog food, such as Honest Kitchen Force® dehydrated dog food
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup diced ham
1 free-range egg
2 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp canola (or safflower) oil
1 cup whole oat flour or instant oats

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the Force® and water, mix thoroughly and allow to rehydrate in a bowl for about 5 minutes, then add all the remaining ingredients and stir well.
Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes for best results.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and drop spoon-sized dollops about 1 inch apart or squeeze 'balls' from a pastry bag with a large nozzle.
Bake for about 7 minutes.
Cool before serving.
These treats will store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.

A Mighty Breakfast
This recipe is perfect for a memorable breakfast on your pup's birthday, or another special occasion. It also makes a rather good supper the evening before something daunting, such as a spay or neuter surgery...

This recipe makes one breakfast for a 50- to 70-pound dog; for larger or smaller dogs, adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:
1 cup superfood dog treats, such as Honest Kitchen Proper Toppers
2 tbsp instant goat's milk, such as Pro Bloom® instant goat's milk
1 cup warm filtered water
2 rashers bacon
1 large free range egg

Directions:
Start a pan of water simmering on a medium-high heat.
Pour the Proper Toppers into your dog's bowl.
In a separate bowl or large mug, hydrate the goat's milk powder with the warm water and whisk briskly. Set aside.
Very gently crack the egg into the simmering water, to poach for about 3 minutes.
Cook the bacon in a pan or under the broiler until crisp. Set on a paper towel to cool.
Pour the goat's milk onto the Proper Toppers.
Carefully lift the poached egg out of the water and place on top of the Proper Toppers and goat's milk.
Snip the bacon into small pieces and sprinkle on top of the egg.
Serve immediately.