Olden Oasis

Peanut butter oatmeal dog treats Today, I am super excited to share my techniques for making another truly wholesome dog treat with you. After-all, your furry companions deserve healthy food, so that they can be their best selves. These pup treats are the perfect snack to make ahead of time for your cuddly pooch as a reward for their love and companionship, obedience, potty-training, or for any other training in general.  My fur baby seems to think that the treats taste better when they're made in different cute shapes. So, I use three different cookie cutters when I make these dog treats. Plus, using different cookie cutter sizes also allows me to make good use of the leftover dough pieces. The three shapes that I am using for this recipe are a gingerbread man, a star, and a flower-shaped cookie cutter. (I use regular cookie cutters to make mine.) If you don't have any cookie cutters, that's okay too. After rolling out the dough, cut it into squared-shaped pieces, or use a...

Homemade sweet potato dog chewy treats To make this dog treat recipe, you'll need sweet potatoes, a sharp knife, a dehydrator, and time. The hardest part is slicing the sweet potatoes. For this recipe, I do not peel the potatoes, because the peels have so much goodness in them for my fur baby. Contrary to some beliefs, the skin of sweet potatoes is not poisonous. My dog loves sweet potato chewy treats and I love that she does, because they're so healthy for her. They're not only high in fiber, but they're also loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, calcium, potassium, riboflavin, magnesium, and iron. Vitamin A alone helps build healthy muscles, eyes, skin, and fur.  One sweet potato makes several treats, but when I make these treats for my fur baby, I generally slice at least six to eight (depending on their size) sweet potatoes at a time to dehydrate. Ingredients: Sweet potatoes (the amount depends on how many trays that you have to fill) Instructions: Wash the...

Keeping an indoor garden alive If you have an indoor garden, or want to have one, and need some gardening tips, such as how to keep vegetable plants alive indoors, when to water your plants, what to do if your plants are dying, then today's article is just for you!  Most of the edible plants that can be grown outside can also be grown inside in containers, hydroponic systems, and greenhouses and really do well under the right conditions. As we go into fall, your gardening doesn't have to end! If you're a beginner, there are several basic vegetable plants that are fairly easy to grow inside. These plants can be picked all throughout their growing season and, with some TLC, you can keep growing them all year long inside.  Micro-greens include a mix of greens and herbs, and can also include beets, radishes, kale, Swiss chard, basil, and arugula. Grow your micro greens in a large container and cut them as seedling plants.  To stay ahead of the game, sow new seeds every coupl...

Chickpea dog treats This is a healthy dog treat that's packed with nutritional benefits. The dough in this dog treat recipe can be prepared in two ways, baked or dehydrated. I am baking mine today, but I will also include the instructions (towards the end of my article) on how you can dehydrate the dog treats.  The chickpeas are super easy to smash once they're cooked. Ingredients: 1 cup of chickpeas, cooked ½ cup of sweet potato, cooked and peeled ½ cup of carrots, cooked 2 tablespoons of oil 1 cup flour ¼ cup water Instructions: If you need the cooking instructions for chickpeas, go back to read my article "Chickpeas for pooches". In that article I went through all the steps to show how I cook them specifically for pet food. To cook the sweet potato, place it into a pan of boiling water and cook it until it's tender. Boiling a sweet potato usually takes about thirty-five minutes. Drain the water off, allow the sweet potato to cool; peel it and mash it. Set aside...

News at Olden Oasis From this Past Week by Gin Lee on December 14, 2024 I took the time to make homemade honey divinity for Christmas this week. If you'd like my recipe you can find it at “Cooking Exceptionally With Gin Lee.” Also, I recently decorated Olden Oasis for the holidays, keeping everything vintage! If you haven't already, check out my Simplified Christmas blog post where I go into more detail about it. My Christmas tree is a special 7-foot artificial tree from the 80s that my dad bought for me. Since he's no longer with us, the tree holds a lot of sentimental value for me. It's truly a cherished piece in my holiday decor. I also have a vintage Santa Claus decoration that originally belonged to my dad. It just feels right to have it displayed next to the tree, by the chimney and hearth. The pairing of these two pieces brings a sense of nostalgia and warmth to my home during the holiday season. The majority of all my tree decorations are also vintage pieces da...

Homemade chickpea dog food Yesterday, I showed you how to cook chickpeas for pooches. Today, I will be showing you how you can make nutritious homemade chickpea dog food at home. (This recipe can also be made for cats. Just add the ingredients to a blender or food processor to make pâté.) I prefer making homemade dog food and homemade dog treats for my sweet fur baby whenever it's possible, and it's as easy as throwing a pound of chickpeas into a crock-pot overnight to cook. When I wake up, all I have to do is finish stirring in a few essential ingredients and tah-dah, it's finished. There is no hurry, no mess, and no extreme prices! Plus, my dog Princess loves her homemade food. Princess is a very healthy pooch. She weighs in at 89 pounds and all 89 pounds of her is pure muscle. Although, she still believes that she's still a little puppy. She was one out of five newborn puppies that I rescued eight years ago on September 25th. The rescue mission also involved me savin...

Chickpeas for pooches I'm not that crazy about the flavor or texture of chickpeas, but my pooch sure loves them mixed in with her dog food. I also make her homemade chickpea dog chow and treats that she truly enjoys and begs for. Today, I will be going over why chickpeas are healthy to cook for your pooch and how to cook them simply for your loyal companion. When dried chickpeas are cooked plain, with no additives, such as salt, chickpeas are highly nutritious for dogs to eat.  Chickpeas are quite often used in several natural brands of commercial pet food, such as Taste of the Wild, Boss Dog, Paw Tree, Nulo Freestyle, Nutro Limited Ingredient, Nutro Max, Halo Holistic, Rachel Ray, Dogswell, Zignature, Grandma Lucy's, Canidae Grain Free Pure, Tiki, and so many more. One cup of chickpeas has 14.5 grams of protein, 12.5 grams of fiber, and 45 grams of carbohydrates. They also contain calcium, magnesium, folate, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C. Feeding your dog chic...