Only Natural Pet Review

Happy Thursday everyone, only one more day till it's the weekend! I'm very excited about this post for two reasons: one because it's going to a series of reviews and two it involved Cora!! I try not to appear like a crazy dog lady, but let's be real Cora is like my child.

In my house Cora is not just a pet, she's a family member. As with any family member I care about her overall well-being. I'm very particular about her care because I want her to have the longest, healthiest, and happiest life possible. One of my number one concerns is what she eats. Cora has allergies (a lot of them) and a sensitive stomach, so it can be hard to find food that meets her needs- not to mention I refuse to give her food with an ingredients list a mile long and filled with ingredients I can't pronounce. 

PetSmart reached out to me and asked if I'd be interested in trying a new line of products they are carrying called Only Natural Pet. After taking some time to learn about the brand I readily agreed. What I loved about Only Natural Pet was all the treats and food is made with minimal ingredients and they are focused on the quality of ingredients. It's paleo-inspired which means your pet is getting high protein, high quality food that will actually benefit them. Only Natural Pet honestly cares about the well-being of pets and for that reason I agreed to test their products, of course Cora was thrilled.

I swear Cora has a sixth sense when it comes to packages that are for her. She loves the UPS man anyway, but she was all over this box. Cora kept sticking her nose in the bully stick treats bag, so we tested that out first. The only "treat" I will give Cora is all natural peanut butter, so she was thrilled to be getting a treat. Best of all the the package says low odor and it should say no odor because I couldn't smell a thing! I hate the dog raw hides that smell really bad at the pet store, but the bully sticks didn't smell at all. 

Cora gives the treats two paws up! She snatched the treat out of my hand and started chowing down right away. I later asked Cora's vet about the treats and he gave his stamp of approval. He said they are great for her teeth, they won't upset her stomach, and he approved of the ingredients (or lack there of). It also kept her occupied chewing, so I didn't have to worry about her getting into trouble while I wasn't looking.

Another one of Cora's favorites from Only Natural Pet is the all meat bites. I've been trying (and failing) to teach her some new tricks, so we have been using these to try to aid the process. Again, they are only high quality ingredients, so I don't have to worry about what she is consuming. I'd say they are helping teach her new tricks, but it's not working- she just snatches the treat when I'm not looking. 

Overall, I'm very impressed and very happy with all of the Only Natural Pet products and Cora is too. I think this has been her favorite product test to date :) So far, her top four favorites from the new line are: low odor bully sticks, freeze dried bison bites, freeze dried chicken bites, and freeze dried beef bites. Of course I always recommend talking to your vet before giving your pet anything because they will be able to tell you what's best for your pet. 

Let me know if you try any of the Only Natural Pet products and what you think of them! PetSmart carries a huge line of their products and I know a few of the products will find their way into Cora's Christmas stocking ;)

*PetSmart supplied me with products from the Only Natural Pet line to do this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Spiced Pear and Pomegranate Baked Oatmeal

TGIT! Only one more day till the weekend and closing in on a week until graduation!! I picked up my cap and gown yesterday, which made everything very real- like holy crap I have to be a real adult now kinda real. So, I'm going to enjoy the last of my three day weekends while I can. I applaud my younger self for never scheduling Friday classes :)

I wasn't planning on sharing a recipe this morning, but I made some seriously tasty oats for breakfast and I couldn't not share! Baked pear oatmeal is one of my favorites, but this morning I kicked it up a notch by spicing things up and adding pomegranate seeds!! It's an easy and delicious breakfast that is sure to make your tastebuds very happy!!

Spiced Pear and Pomegranate Baked Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• heaping 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• heaping 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch ground nutmeg
• pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons liquid egg whites
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 pear, sliced
• 1.5 Tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• OPTIONAL: 2 Tablespoons POM pomegranate juice

Preheat oven to 350F degrees and spray a ramekin with nonstick cook spray or coconut oil.

In ramekin combine oats, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, and ground cloves until well combined.

Add in egg whites, vanilla extract, and almond milk. Stir until mixture becomes thicker. If you are adding in pomegranate juice for an extra pomegranate flavor reduce almond milk by 1 Tablespoon.

Next, stir pomegranate seeds into the mixture- be sure to stir well so the seeds are distributed throughout the ramekin.

Finally, layer pear slices on top of the batter and add an extra pinch of cinnamon to the top. 

Bake at 350F degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cook time will vary depending on your oven. 

Allow ramekin to cool for a few minutes before eating oats. I added some more pomegranate seeds on top before I ate the oatmeal (one can never have too many pomegranate seeds). Enjoy!

Gingerbread Waffles For Two

It's waffle Wednesday and I must admit I've been so excited to share this recipe! I have been toying with this recipe for a number of weeks because waffles are an art folks- an edible art at that (totally the best form of art). 

I must admit I've never had gingerbread anything. No gingerbread cookies, no gingerbread houses, nothing, until I Wild Friends gingerbread peanut butter (AMAZING by the way). That peanut butter got me thinking about making something gingerbread and somehow waffles popped in my head. I love this recipe because it reminds me of Christmas. Even though I never had gingerbread until recently it just reminds me of Christmas and rest assured I WILL be making these waffles a LOT during the holidays! 

Gingerbread Waffles

• 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour, sifted (whole wheat flour works too)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• pinch of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 3 Tablespoons egg whites
• OPTIONAL: mix 1/2 tablespoon slightly melted Wild Friends Gingerbread Peanut Butter into the batter

In a medium mixing bowl combine sifted flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking powder, and baking soda. Make sure to sift flour before combining other ingredients or your batter will be lumpy.

Once the dry ingredients are combined, add in molasses, vanilla extract, almond milk, and egg whites and whisk together all ingredients. 

If you choose to do so mix in 1/2 Tablespoon Wild Friends Gingerbread peanut butter into batter. You need to slightly melt the peanut butter first, so microwave it for 10-15 seconds. 

Let batter stand for two minutes, it will thicken slightly, but the batter is very thin. 

Heat up a waffle iron and spray with nonstick cook spray or coconut oil. You definitely want to spray the waffle iron to prevent the waffles from sticking and ripping.

When the waffle iron is heated up pour half the batter on the iron and close. I have a HUGE Belgian waffle maker, so if you have a small or normal sized waffle marker it will make different amounts of waffles. 

IMPORTANT: These waffles cook VERY quickly. Mine cooked in less than 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. 

Serve waffles topped with fresh berries and more Wild Friends gingerbread peanut butter.

Nutrition per serving (serving= 1 giant Belgian waffle):
MACROS: 31C/2F/6P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 2.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 153
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2 g	3 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	0 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 877 mg	37 %
Potassium 338 mg	10 %
Total Carbohydrate 31 g	10 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g	15 %
Sugars 9 g
Protein 6 g	12 %
Vitamin A	3 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	13 %
Iron	11 %