NYC DoggiesEggs, Asparagus, & Potatoes
by Jennifer Wheeler
If there is one food that is an absolute staple of our family meals it is eggs. They are perfect little gems of delicious nutrition! We always have them on hand for supplementing the dogs’ food or for whipping up a breakfasty dinner…in this case, a frittata! Tip: throw a raw egg or two on top of your pup’s regular food or to enhance the flavor of vegetable trimmings.
Breakfast for Dinner!
Ingredients: Eggs, asparagus, potatoes plus milk, cheese, and herbs for the frittata.
Budget: Eggs are an inexpensive protein so we usually go for the premium farm fresh or pasture-raised kind. They typically range from $.25-.75/egg. Potatoes are budget-friendly all year, and you can swap in different seasonal veggies.
Nutrition: Go for the pasture-raised eggs, and you will be able to see the difference. The yolks are bright orange because of the varied diet that the hens are eating, and this translates into more vitamins and other nutrients for you and your pups. In addition, you’ll get fiber, folate and vitamins A, C, E and K from the asparagus, plus vitamins B, C, iron, calcium and potassium from the potatoes.
Waste Not: The only thing thrown out with this recipe are the egg shells. The chewy asparagus stalks go to the dogs, as do the nutritious potato peels.
The Humans Get:
This is a one-pan meal, hoooray! Cubed potatoes, onion, and sliced asparagus are sauted until softened in a large skillet. Mix eggs with milk, cheese, salt, and pepper before adding to the pan. Stir over medium-low heat until curds are forming, leave 1-2 more minutes until the bottom is set, then place under the broiler until browned. You can experiment with ingredients and cooking techniques, but we like the ratios of fillings-eggs-milk as set out by The Kitchn.
The Big Guy Gets:
- 6 raw eggs
- Lots of asparagus stalks
- Potato peels and a few cooked potato cubes
Hint: Even if your pup doesn’t love asparagus, give her some time with them. Azzy usually spits them out after chewing for a while, but that chewing is great for his teeth! Ollie comes around at the end of the meal and eats the remaining asparagus, which he is strangely fond of.
The Little Guy Gets:
- 2 raw eggs
- Cooked potato cubes and a few peels. He usually spits out the peels unless I stir them up with the eggs.
- Lots of asparagus. He loves it! The stalks take a while to eat but they are full of vitamins.
Hint: If there is anything in your pup’s meal that they don’t love, try mixing it up with raw egg.
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About the author
Jennifer is a writer and graduate of NYU School of Law. Jennifer researches and writes original, science-based articles for the NYC Doggies blog, and her writing on other topics can be found in the Huffington Post. Jennifer and Ovidiu have co-authored the upcoming book, WHOLE DOG PARENTING: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO RAISE AND TRAIN AN URBAN PUP
