Low calorie meal topper home made

[givenallthings]

I have been putting a meal topper on my girl’s food (70ish lbs dutch shep mix). I was giving her 0.25 cup of Stella and Chewy per feed, but she doesn’t really need it. I was adding it for extra bulk. She is a bit on the chonky side so she doesn’t need the extra calories. She is by no means huge but I need to keep her at a healthy weight for her joints. She gets one cup 2x a day so I don’t want to go below a cup for weight loss. She gets excersize but unfortunately cannot do lots of running or anything very strenuous as a she has some minor joint issues.

What are some good home made meal toppers? I was thinking like some veggies and maybe egg with broth. If I can make it in my instant pot even better. Stuff that adds bulk without many calories.

 

[pbev]

@givenallthings I make homemade bone broth about once a month for my pup! It is low calorie, full of nutrients, cost effective, and my dog loves it. I usually save any bones leftover from meals and throw them in the freezer. I also keep an eye out for cheap cuts of meat with bones (like turkey necks, lamb neck bones, pork tails, etc) when I'm grocery shopping.

At the end of the month I put my collected bones in my slow cooker, cover with water, and add about 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar to help extract the collagen from the bones. After cooking for 24 hours just strain and let cool to solidify the broth. Once it's solid you can easily scrape the fat off the top. Then just freeze it in portions and thaw what you need! I usually freeze the broth in ice cube trays and use one cube per day.

 

[givenallthings]

@pbev That is a great idea thank you!

 

[pbev]

@givenallthings You are welcome! I think you could soak some steamed carrots or zucchini in the bone broth too to add some bulk.

 

[zacharyb]

@givenallthings Science Diet, Royal Canin, Purina, or nothing.