Canine Cupcakes for Rocky & Adrian

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


This month we hit the 9 year mark of when we added our boxers into our lives. I remember the entire first year that we had them I swore I was never going to raise 2 puppies at the same time again. It was ruff (rough lol). Yeah, I'm a nerd :) But here we are, all of these years later, I can't imagine not having one without the other. They are best buddies and the lights of my life. I thought it would be a nice treat to celebrate another year with my babies by making them a special batch of goodies for their 9 year birthday this year. I saw Golden Blossom Honey had a Canine Cupcakes recipe on their website and figured this would make two dogs very, very happy!

The cupcakes are a real treat for the pups, but I wanted to make them extra special so I added frosting to the top. To frost the cupcakes, simply beat together 1 cup of Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter. Or, leave them plain if you think the dogs are going to make too much of a mess with the frosting. Trust me, they won't complain either way!

Ingredients

1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
2 cups flour
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons carob powder (found in health food stores)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE 

Rocky gobbled his up in one go, but Adrian took her time savoring her cupcake. Leave it to the girl to know how to appreciate the good things in life ;)

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Tell me about your pets. What are their names? How old are they? Do you do anything special for their birthdays?

 

Lord Jameson Dog Patisserie = Rocky & Adrian Approved

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


While I'm more into sharing people food these days, some of my long time readers know that I occasionally feature my boxers, Rocky and Adrian, here and there when I get a collaboration request that I think they'd enjoy. My babies turned 7 years old at the beginning of summer, which technically puts them in the senior age group for dogs, so I have become super picky about the products that I give them to play with or snack on. If I'm not 100% certain a product is good for them, back on the shelf it goes.

While we were in Europe, Lord Jameson Dog Patisserie reached out for a collaboration. I admit, I pushed that email aside because I needed time to properly research the products and what the company stood for. Upon our return home, I did a little digging, was intrigued by what I saw and readily agreed to a review of their wholesome dog treats. 

Lord Jameson Dog Patisserie, an organic dog treat company, has created a premium collection of all natural dog treats that are made with human grade ingredients that include fruit, veggies, gluten-free grains, and plant-based proteins.

We tried the Coco Crush and the Savory Sweet Treats. Coco Crush will let your pup indulge in the taste of the tropics since it's made with fragrant coconut and hand selected superfoods including gluten-free rolled oats and roasted peanuts. Savory Sweet is packed with sweet potatoes, orange carrots and coconut and a blend of "savory spices". 

Both of these scrumptious treats are made with high quality, 100% organic, Non-GMO ingredients that are free of wheat, corn, soy, dairy, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.  

When my teenage daughter saw the packages on the counter, she got excited because she thought these were treats for her. She was pretty disappointed to learn that these were for the dogs. I can't blame her though. Just look at them. They do look pretty tasty, no?

Somehow, my dogs just knew that these were treats for them, because they were on me like glue while I taking product photos. Their patience was soon rewarded though, and they happily gobbled up their Lord James Dog Patisserie treats.

Look at those smiles. They may be getting old and slow, but they still know a good thing when they see it!

A portion of every Lord Jameson Dog Patisserie item sold is donated to support service and therapy dog organizations throughout the US. Additionally, they are committed to supporting local animal shelters and other foundations that support advancing the quality of life for dogs throughout the country. So, not only are you doing a good thing for your own dogs by purchasing Lord Jameson Dog Patisserie, you are doing good for pups nationwide. To learn more, or to purchase these treats for your dogs, visit the Lord Jameson Dog Patisserie website.

 What's your pet's favorite activity?

 

10 Minute Craft ~ Stenciled Dog Toy Box

Since the start of the year, home organization has been my #1 priority. I've been going through my house, room by room, scrubbing everything down and decluttering. Most of the junk has made its way to the basement where I'll spend a few days sorting through what we'll keep for later use, what we'll pass on to family and friends, and what we'll be donating to charity.

I'm trying to live a live free of clutter, so I've spent a small fortune at the hardware store on shelving and bins to help me keep everything tucked away, yet easy to access. I'll buy cheap storage solutions for the stuff that's tucked into cabinets and closets, but for the stuff that's within every day view, I'll spend a little more for nice baskets and containers. Since my dogs were puppies, I've always stored their toys in plastic dollar store containers, and even though they are not chewers, they do think the containers that hold their toys are chew toys.

We thought we'd try a metal basket after the destruction of several of those cheap plastic bins. See how well that turned out?

I was sick of looking at that twisted metal bin, so I went to Michael's to see if they had any cute, yet cheap solutions. There I picked up this wooden crate for about $3.50 after sales and coupons. It was kind of boring to look at, but I knew I could spruce it up rather quickly with a few stencils cut out from my Silhouette Cameo.

It only took me a few minutes to type up some font and add a paw print to the design. I cut out 2 more paw prints for the sides of the bucket and I was as good as done.

If you have a steady hand and are good with paint, this can easily be made without vinyl. I do not have an artistic bone in my body, so I had to work with what's easy for me. 

If you don't have a cutting machine, or you don't want to mess with paints, you could also hand cut the designs yourself from a sheet of vinyl.

Here's hoping that my dogs don't have a taste for wood and this bucket actually sticks around for a while! Either way, at least it was cheap and easy to decorate :)

Have you done any home organization this year?

Santa Paws is Delivering SmartBones® This Year! {Giveaway} #SmartBonesChews

Disclosure: I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions stated here are my own. The SmartBones information, product samples, and gift cards, and have been provided by PetMatrix.


Christmas music has made its way to the Mahoney house, I've busted out my holiday sweaters, and I am pleased to announce that I am more than 1/2 way done with my holiday shopping. High 5 to me! Santa will be stopping by with a few fun gifts for the family, but his sidekick, Santa Paws, is going to be the star in my dog's eyes this holiday season. I like to make sure everyone in my family gets gifts on Christmas, and that includes the dogs too. So, what do 2 spoiled boxers and 1 spoiled pug get to open on Christmas Day? SmartBones® from PetMatrix, of course!

When it comes to what I feed my pets, I always strive to give the very best. My boxers are sensitive to a lot of foods, so we are very cautious on what they consume. I love PetMatrix because they are committed to providing the healthiest, tastiest pet chews available. SmartBones® chews are raw-hide free, highly digestible, and my dogs can attest, 100% delicious. 

SmartBones® chews outer layer is made from wholesome, flavorful vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas. The inner layer includes real chicken, for a treat that dogs can't resist. SmartBones SmartChews® are made with a grain-free formula, making them an easy to digest chew. They are vitamin and mineral enriched, contain no artificial coloring, and also come in a variety of fun animal shapes. 

Wrigley, my little pug, doesn't make an appearance too often on here because she is about 15 years old. Her main hobbies include sleeping pretty much all day, so she doesn't get too thrilled when we try to take her photo. Since she's an older dog and doesn't have very many teeth left, we can't give her the SmartBones® chews. So, I was really excited to learn that PetMatrix is now offering SmartNaturals, a 100% natural meat treat. The pieces are small and soft, so even my little granny pug has no issues eating them. They are available in 2 different flavor varieties, grass fed Beef and Sweet Potatoes or grass fed Lamb and Rosemary. 

Look at that smile! If SmartNaturals® can get this old girl's tail wagging, I'd call that a winner in my book any day!

We tried giving the boxers Rawhide® when they were puppies and they had a terrible allergic reaction. Our vet said she would never recommend feeding a dog any kind of rawhide treat because it is just not a healthy option for them, even for the ones that aren't allergic. It can pose several health risks, including stomach and intestinal blockage and possible ingestion of the toxic chemicals used to process rawhide chews. Independent digestibility studies show that SmartBones® chews are highly digestible, and tests demonstrate that 9 out of 10 dogs prefer SmartBones® chews over the leading rawhide chews.

PetMatrix offers a wide variety of treats to fit your dog's needs. Don't let your pets go through the holidays empty-pawed this year! Fill their stockings with delicious SmartBones® chews!

If you would like to learn about the SmartBones® and SmartNaturals® chews and treats featured here, or if you would like to see all of the other available varieties, be sure to check out the SmartBones® website. 


WIN IT! 

One lucky Theresa's Mixed Nuts reader is going to win an assortment of SmartBones® chews + a $25 Visa Gift card to purchase additional holiday gifts for your pet! The giveaway is open to residents of the USA. 18+. No P.O. boxes will be accepted. The giveaway will run through 11/30/16. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email before a new winner is selected. Please enter on the giveaway widget below. Good Luck!

Entry-Form

Dogs Just Wanna Have Fun! + $25 Visa Giveaway #SmartBonesChews

Disclosure: The information, gift card, gift pack and giveaway has been provided to me by SmartBones®.


It's no secret here that our dogs are a huge part of our family life. Our boxers just turned 5, but I swear they still have the energy of dogs less than half their age. In addition to being highly energetic, boxers are extremely intelligent. We have to be sure they have plenty of activity to stimulate their minds each day to keep them from growing bored quickly. Outdoor play is a favorite activity, and Rocky just learned how to use the outdoor doggy water fountain to grab a drink when he gets thirsty during these hot summer days.

Adrian prefers to find a sunny spot in the grass to roll around.

And they both love frolicking at the beach!

As much as they would love it, their human family can't spend all day playing out in the yard or at the beach. In order to keep them busy when we can't dedicate every waking minute to their needs, we give them SmartBones® chews.

Chews are an excellent way to not only stimulate a dog's mind, but they also help to keep dog's teeth clean and jaws strong. Because Rocky has food sensitivities, when it comes to what our dogs consume, we only buy the best. SmartBones® chews are made with real chicken on the inside and wholesome vegetables on the outside, are rawhide-free, highly digestible, and 100% delicious!

I love that SmartBones® chews are a healthy way to satisfy our dog's natural chewing instinct. Our vet strongly discourages the use of rawhide because of its potential health risks to dogs (and it causes Rocky to break out in hives), so giving our dogs SmartBones® chews gives me peace of mind.

They say 9 out of 10 dogs prefer SmartBones® chews, and I can honestly say that Rocky and Adrian are part of the 9. When asking if they want a "cookie", they always run to the cabinet where I store the SmartBones® chews, instead of to where I keep the biscuit jar on the kitchen counter.

Rocky and Adrian give SmartBones® chews 2 paws up! You can find SmartBones® chews in 4 delicious varieties: Chicken, Peanut Butter, Sweet Potato, and Dental, and each are available in sizes mini to large so you can always find a chew that's right for your pup. If you would like to learn more about SmartBones® chews, check out www.smartboneschews.com
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WIN IT!

One lucky reader is going to win a $25 Visa Gift Card + an assortment of SmartBones® chews! Giveaway is open to residents of the US. No PO Boxes will be accepted. Giveaway will run through 8/21/16. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.

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This Bed Is Your Bed, This Bed Is My Bed....

Our dogs have pretty much free reign over the house. The only rule I have ever had was no dogs on the bed. We tried letting our little pug sleep with us a long time ago, and let's just say Bed. Hog! I wasn't willing to even try with the boxers. Allison decided to break this rule and let our female, Adrian sleep with her a few months back, and that's all it took. She now senses when it's about 9:00, and patiently waits for the door to open. And when it doesn't, she scratches and cries at the door waiting to have access to HER new bed. And when I say HER bed, I mean she really thinks it's her bed!

Look at her, laying center of the bed, giving off this "What? I'm being generous here! Allison still has a smidgen of bed left!" look. And now Allison has learned that when you break the rules, you deal with the consequences. Good luck trying to get your bed back now, kid!

Do you share the bed with your pets?

Mama's Boy #TBT

Even as a puppy, Rocky has always been a mama's boy. He follows me around all day long, never letting me out of his sight. I couldn't even load the dishwasher without him curling up on the door. But I'm sure if his 85lb body tried it now, he'd snap the dishwasher door right off.

Where is the strangest place you have found your pets resting?

Valentine's Homemade Dog Treats!

We got busy this weekend making treats for Valentine's Day and thought it would be fun to make some Valentine cookies for the dogs. Allison had so much fun rolling out the dough and cutting little heart shaped cookies out for them, and the dogs LOVED them! I've never seen them go so crazy for a treat before!


We made Peanut Butter Bites.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 15 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container.

These had a bit of crunch, but were still a bit soft in the middle too. If you want a full on crunchy treat, bake for 20 minutes, but keep an eye on them because they can burn easily.

Allison working on training skills with their tasty treats!