Easy Fresh Food Recipe (updated version: April 1, 2007)

You will need a food processor to make this food!

Ingredients:

6 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 lb chicken livers/gizzards, hearts or any combo of those
1/4 lb mixed bland veggies -- OPTIONAL (I use frozen vegetables, the mixed veggies from Costco. But just don't include tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms. I like the mix with broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, sometimes called the "Italian" mix in the supermarket). You may also use fresh vegetables such as romaine lettuce, yams, green beans or the ones mentioned above.
8Tbsp Canola oil (1 Tbsp oil per pound of meat)

Bone meal (from health store, NOT the garden type!!)

Preparation:

Take appropriate quantity veggies out of freezer. Have a large bowl ready for meat/veggie mix. Wash chicken well. Pulse grind the chicken thighs in batches and put into bowl. Pulse grind the hearts/gizzards. If you use livers, you can pulse grind or "shred" with fingers. Grind almost frozen veggies or fresh ones until finely pulverized. Add canola oil.

Mix everything and freeze in containers.

Serving:

Allow to defrost in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Before feeding, add warm/hot water to get to the mix to the consistency of thick chili, add a tiny pinch of bone meal (approx 1/8th teaspoon to a 2 Tbsp serving), stir and serve. Use common sense about leaving out this raw mixture and be sure to wash serving dishes in hot water and detergent.

Alternate choices:

You can also make this recipe using a combination of good quality and very fresh ground turkey/chicken livers, ground beef (use 22 percent fat)/beef liver or other organ meat, ground lamb/lamb kidneys or liver. Heart (from any animal source) is a good source of taurine, a necessary nutrient for cats, so using heart, whether ground into the food, or in chunks, as a treat during the week, is encouraged.

Marva Marrow
7th Heaven Orientals