Another ATTY PATTY Recipe

We thought we would supply you with another Atty Patty recipe that we have been using. When you make them you can change the ingredients from week to week depending on what fresh fruit, vegetables and meat is available to you. Atlas seems to prefer this recipe to the original one we posted at the end of last year.
Please note that the size of the patties should be made according to the weight of your dog. Atlas is a 37kg GSD and he gets one Atty Patty per day (for breakfast) weighing approximately 420g. Keep an eye on your dog's weight and alter the size of the patties if you see them gaining or losing weight. It is also important to thoroughly know your breed of dog. For example GSD are large breed dogs and therefore should have very little fat (you should feel a thin layer of fat between their fur and ribs) - the reason being that if larger breed dogs are too heavy this can lead to hip dysplsia as one example. So make sure you research your dog breed's ideal healthy weight.

ATTY PATTY Recipe Number 2

Ingredients:
1 butter leaf lettuce
1 broccoli head
1 cucumber
2 carrots
1 clove garlic
1 banana
1 apple
1kg lean beef mince
800g ox kidney
3 tablespoons fish oil or 2 eggs (for omega 3)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (see previous blog post for amazing and extensive benefits)

As in the previous blog post on Atty Patties these are made the exact same way. Vegetables, fruit and kidneys are gound/mushed in a food processor (we normally need to split it into a few lots). We then mix all of these ingredients plus the mince and oils into a bowl and then divide them up. This recipe will make approximately 7 x 420g patties.

In the original recipe we did not add fruit, however fruit also contains lots of nutrients and Atlas really likes fruit. We always make sure that there are a lot of green vegetables, and generally the meat is double the weight of the vegetables.

Don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients as it also adds variety to your dog's diet. Just make sure beforehand that they can eat that food. What we mean by this is that avocado is toxic to most animals (see blog post on Indie and Hermes), dogs also cannot eat onions and grapes as other examples.

If you would like to know more just leave a comment and ask us :)

Love & Light xox

Mahli - Now Transitioning on The Earth Diet

We would like to introduce you to the newest animal transitioning on The Earth Diet :)

Mahli is an almost 2 year old Cavoodle and one of the most adorable, cuddly little dogs you will ever meet. Up until now she has been eating high quality processed food - and even though it is high quality; processed IS processed. Her lovely human companion Samantha would also cook her a lot of home cooked meals to feed her everyday made from cooked mince, rice/pasta and cooked vegetables. Compared to what a lot of pets are fed this is actually quite healthy to feed a dog. The issue arises in the fact it is cooked, the nutrient content is lessened considerably; and also the digestive system of a dog is not designed to break down gluten/wheat (see our previous blog on processed food for more information on this).

So after reading our blogs and witnessing the positive effects Atlas is having eating meals based on The Earth Diet principles, Sam approached us about making Atty Patties for Mahli. We made the first batch for her, and now Sam is making them herself for Mahli. And Mahli is LOVING them!!!

As you can see in the above 2 photos, Mahli also likes spending time in nature and getting covered in mud/Earth. Remember The Earth Diet is not just about diet and food; it is also about making lifestyle choices/changes that allow us to connect more to the earth; mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well as physically.
We will be posting more blogs in the coming weeks about all these different aspects of nourishing all areas of yourself and your animal companions'

We will continue to keep you updated on Mahli's progress as well as Atlas'.

Love & Light xox

Homemade Dog Shampoo and Washing Atlas

We have decided to upload our video blog of making homemade dog shampoo and washing Atlas even though the quality is not the best. We had issues including the second video within the first one (see below) in the editing process. The first video has no sound (audio or music) even though it should and the second video has sound but has not been edited...if that makes sense to you so far you're doing very well :)
Basically, we have come up with a recipe for dog shampoo that is organic, natural and only contains five simple ingredients:
Organic Castille Soap (a gentle, natural foaming soap),
Organic Aloe Vera Gel (soothing and mild anti-inflammatory properties),
Purified Water,
Organic Coconut Oil (see previous blog for extensive benefits) and
Lavender Essential Oil (soothing and anti-inflammatory properties).

Note: with essential oils they should be researched BEFORE going anywhere near an animal with them. Some oils are toxic to animals, for example ALL essential oils are highly toxic to cats. A small amount of lavender essential oil is fine for dogs and gives the shampoo a nice scent.

Short-haired German Shepherd Dogs (GSD) like Atlas have two layers of fur. The under layer is like soft wool and keeps him warm. The outer layer is long and acts as a protective barrier against the sun and rain. As such it does take a bit of effort to wash Atlas because to clean his skin you need to wash two thick layers of fur.
While Atlas LOVES water, he hates being washed hence his unamused facial expressions in the first video. The second video was too funny not to include as it shows what Atlas did after his wash (this was the first time he has rolled around trying to get dirty again though :))

Have a BEAUTIFUL week and watch out for our next blog, we have a new dietee on The Earth Diet - Animals :)

Love & Light xox
 
                                                                 PART ONE

 

PART TWO

Tidbinbilla - One of the most Beautiful place on Earth

We did originally film this blog plus a couple that we will post after this one. However, we have been having issues the last few weeks trying to get them uploaded so you can view them. Instead of stalling any longer we have decided to publish the blogs in written form with photos. In the future is we are able to fix the video blogs we will post them here as well.

This blog is about our visit to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. So peaceful, tranquil and soothing to the soul to get back in touch with nature. We found this place so incredibly amazing that we wanted to share our experience here. These photos are only a small portion of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. There are over 20 hiking/walking tracks ranging from 1km to 8km.

You may be thinking what does hiking through a nature reserve have to do with The Earth Diet and animals. Well as Liana will tell you The Earth Diet is not just about food and the physical. It is about re-connecting back to the Earth, back to nature not just physically, but also spiritually, mentally and emotionally. The atmosphere of walking through places like this is refreshing, rejuvenating and extremely grounding. Also all the animals at Tidbinbilla are on The Earth Diet, they eat no processed or man-made food; they live entirely off the land...so HEALTHY,
                                                       so FRESH, so ALIVE!!

Black Swan

Blue-tongue lizard

Koala

We have seen hundreds of kangaroos (there are probably that many here) but that kangaroo on the left is the BIGGEST one we have ever seen. It was like a bodybuilding kangaroo...no idea what its been eating!!

Sitting 1000m above sea level...most AMAZING view ever

Our advice would be take the time to check out places like this where near you live. Take some water, food, a camera and you will have the most grounding and energising experience getting back in touch with this beautiful Earth :)

Delicious TED Recipes for YOU!!!!

Like our Nut-free Chocolate Balls blog post, this post is also only for humans :).
We are both vegans and on TED - (Steph has been on TED for a year and Lukas for about 6 months).
In this time we have invented new and exciting recipes using ingredients that are fresh and provided to us straight from the earth. So we thought we would share another 2 delicious recipes with you. ENJOY!!!!

(We use organic ingredients where possible)

Chickpea & Sweet Potato Burgers

Makes 10-12 patties

2 cups chickpeas (cooked and softened)

2 cups sweet potato, cooked

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice

¼ brown rice flour

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 gloves garlic, crushed

1 carrot, grated

1 zucchini, grated

Pinch salt and pepper

¼ cup coriander, finely chopped

½ cup basil, finely chopped

Sesame seeds to coat patties

Squeeze of lemon

Coconut oil

 

1.      Add chickpeas to food processor and blend until mushy.

2.      Add all the other ingredients (which should be cooked, chopped, grated or crushed) and mix together.

3.      Form mixture into patties to your desired size and roll in some sesame seeds to coat.

4.      Heat up some coconut oil in a frypan and begin to cook the patties. Turning when golden brown.

5.      Can be served on top of your favourite salad.

RAW Green Salad

(No quantity specified as you can make to your required amount)

All ingredients are RAW

Salad:

Baby spinach

Rocket

Asparagus

Squash

Broccoli

Zucchini (grated)

Dressing:

Avocado (as a guideline about ½ avocado per person)

Coconut oil (½ - 1 tbsp per person)

Himalayan salt

Black Pepper

 

1.      In a bowl combine all salad ingredients.

2.      In another bowl mush the avocado with a folk, then add the coconut oil and stir through. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the dressing mix to taste.

3.      Mix the dressing through the salad, or leave on top as a garnish.

     Also this week sometime we will be filming and posting our first ever video blog!!! We will keep you updated once this is posted on our blog :)

 

     Love & Light xox

Coconut Oil - One of Nature's Many Miracles

Recently we discovered the benefits of coconut oil, especially after reading Bruce Fife's 'The Coconut Oil Miracle.' For those who do not yet know, coconut has so many uses entire books need to be written to explain the many benefits of this amazing food. Many people have the view that because coconut oil is a saturated fat it is bad for you. This is complete garbage, it is actually saturated fats that are good for you and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that are questionable to your health. The reason being is that saturated fats like coconut oil are made of medium chain fatty acids, which is the same fatty acids found in human breast milk. How can something in human breast milk be bad for you? They even use coconut oil in infant formulas (or rather they used to); it is also fed to premature babies and the elderly. Coconut oil has a complete molecular structure; unlike mono- and poly- unsaturated fats (vegetable oils) which are missing pairs of atoms in the molecular structure. What does this mean? Basically, these 'gaps' in the structure which leaves room for free radicals to enter. These free radicals then cause the vegetable oils to become rancid and free radicals can run rampant in our bodies. Coconut oil is also highly stable and does not change molecularly when heated (below 175 degrees celcius); vegetable oils do which results in free radicals leaching into the food you are about to eat!! Coconut oil goes straight to your liver and gets converted into energy immediately without any effort at all from your liver. This means that whenever you are hungry or want to suppress your appetite (to lose weight) you can just have a spoonful or coconut oil which results in you feeling full, energised and healthy.

The reason coconut oil received bad press was because the vegetable oil giants became money hungry, so they tarnished the benefits of coconut oil with misleading information; for example coconut oil causes heart disease - in reality it PREVENTS heart disease as well as diabetes, cancer, etc; it also helps a person to LOSE weight. The South Pacific Islanders and South Americans have been using coconut in their diets for hundreds of years and there is NO obesity, heart disease, diabetes evident in their society...UNTIL THEY ARE INTRODUCED TO PROCESSED FOODS, then their health just deteriorates rapidly.

Coconut oil is:
* Anti-bacterial
* Anti-viral
* Anti-fungal
* Anti-parasitic 
* Anti-retroviral
* Anti-carcinogenic
* Anti-microbial
* Anti-inflammatory

This site has listed 160 benefits of coconut oil http://www.hybridrastamama.com/2012/01/160-uses-for-coconut-oil.html

We have incorporated coconut oil into our own diet through cooking, eating it off the spoon, hair treatments, skin moisturiser and even in salads.



Animals can also reap the benefits of coconut oil. Atlas has been introduced to the miracles of this amazing oil. For the past year he has had the itchiest skin (no he does not have fleas). At least once every hour he would stop and scratch somewhere on his body. We never knew what it was because when we had a look at his skin there was nothing there; not even a rash. When we transitioned Atlas onto TED the itching reduced slightly. However, since we have incorporated coconut oil into his life as well by adding a teaspoon to his meals and moisturising his fur and skin with it; his itching has completely stopped. His coat is shinier and he has a lot more energy.

COCONUT OIL IS AMAZING AND SOOOO BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH ANIMALS AND HUMANS!!!!!

We found ourselves going through so much coconut oil on a weekly basis that we now buy bulk organic, virgin, coldpressed unrefined coconut oil in bulk - 10 litres. It really is amazing.

It is a FOOD and a MEDICINE.
If you live in Australia we use and recommend NuiLife Coconut Oil http://www.kokonutpacific.com.au/NiulifeCoconutOil/NiulifeCoconutOil.php also used by Miranda Kerr and her family. They produce the highest quality oil and their customer service is fantastic!








If you would like more information on coconut oil so you can start incorporating it into your life and your pet (if you have one :) ) then we would strongly recommend Bruce Fife's "The Coconut Oil Miracle." It is beautifully written and backed up with scientific evidence as well for the skeptics :) The last chapter also has some really yummy recipes using coconut oil.

Love & Light xox

Nut Free Chocolate Balls fo Humans

So, this blog has NOTHING to do with animals at all. The recipe we are about to share with you is for HUMAN CONSUMPTION ONLY. Last week I (Steph) came home from work and Lukas had cooked me dinner AND dessert. It has taken 5 years for this to happen, but I guess better late than never (let’s hope it doesn’t take another five years!!).

The dessert was the YUMMIEST chocolate I have EVER tasted!! Words alone cannot describe the divine, delicious, moist taste of these nut free chocolate balls. As such this recipe is too good not share which is why we have randomly decided to include it in our TED-Animals blog.

Lukas made this recipe up himself...yes, I am exceptionally impressed by this as well :) He said he wanted to make chocolate balls that had a moist, creamy consistency as a change to the chocolate balls we make with nuts.

Here is the recipe for the most EPIC and AMAZING Nut Free Chocolate Balls:

Ingredients:

15 fresh organic medjool dates

2-4 tablspoons of cacao powder (or to taste)

¼ cup coconut oil (melted)

1/3 cup desiccated coconut + more to roll the balls in

Method:

1.      Make sure all the dates are pitted. Place them into a food processor until they are of a creamy consistency.

2.      Pour the dates into a bowl and add the cacao powder and coconut oil (melted). Stir until well combined.

3.      Stir in the desiccated coconut.

4.      Roll into balls. Pour some desiccated coconut into a bowl and coat the balls.

5.      If you would like them well presented you can place the balls into mini pattie cake pans.

So there you go, as with all desserts on TED it is simple and easy to make. All the ingredients are provided naturally by the earth...and even though these chocolates are really rich you don’t have to feel guilty about eating them!!

I suggest you all go out and impulse buy these ingredients because it will seriously be the BEST chocolate you ever taste :)

Love & Light xox