Many of my students, friends & clients ask about the special holiday meals I prepare for my four legged family members, so I thought I'd share them with you here:

Savory Soup with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock (low-sodium preferably)

2 cups pureed sweet potatoes or yams (squash can also be used)

1 cup pureed red apples

1 T. olive oil

1 tsp. sea salt (optional)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

This soup can be served raw or cooked (I typically serve it raw).

Cooked: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Cool soup completely before serving.

Raw: Combine all ingredients in a blender and add a tablespoon or two to regular meals.

Frozen: Freeze in ice cube trays for future treats and meal fixings.

Finicky Feline Fish Fondue

This was a regular "special" meal for Sheba, my Siamese cat, and Grace and Clover get it sometimes too. It's a typical Christmas Eve dinner for them.

Ingredients

1 can wild caught salmon (I use red salmon for for holidays and pink salmon for regular days)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh catnip or parsley (I use parsley)

Instructions

Finely chop catnip or parsley with a knife or in a food processor or blender. Wisk in olive oil. Arrange salmon on a special serving dish for your feline (or canine) friend, then drizzle with catnip/parsley and olive oil glaze.

Turkey and Sweet Potato Savory Loaf (Grace & Clover's FAVORITE)

Ingredients

1 lb. ground turkey

1 cup shredded sweet potato or yams

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh cranberries, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated

1 tsp. sea salt (optional)

1 c. chicken or vegetable stock (low-sodium preferably) or use The Honest Kitchen's Bone Broth.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a loaf pan (I use coconut oil).

Combine ground turkey, lightly beaten egg, garlic, salt, a 1/4 c. of cranberries , and about 1/4 of the sweet potato in a bowl and mix together well. Place 1/2 of the meat mixture in the bottom of the loaf pan. Gently press down. Layer the shredded sweet potatoes & sprinkle with parsley. Layer the remaining 1/2 of the meat mixture. Gently press. Layer the remaining cranberries and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Add just enough stock to moisten the loaf. I use about 1/4-1/3 c (it shouldn't be swimming in stock). Bake in oven for 1 hour. Cool completely and serve. Don't forget to garnish before serving!

I often double this recipe to have leftovers for several days.

All of these recipes are modified from recipes originally from the Dec. 2007 issue of Animal Wellness Magazine (Vol. 9, Issue 6).