I’m so excited to share this meal with you today because, honestly, keeping things simple is where the real magic happens, whether we’re talking about our own plates or our dog’s bowl. If you’re tired of reading ingredient labels that look like science experiments, you’ve come to the right place! This
5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe is proof that wholesome, clean feeding doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. We rely on just five whole items to create a batch of delicious, easy-prep food that gives your best friend exactly what they need. It’s about supporting optimal health with real, recognizable food, which is exactly what my mission at Melt It Clean is all about—supporting what’s already powerful!
Target Audience for the 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
This recipe is absolutely perfect for you if you’re starting to look twice at those long ingredient lists on commercial kibble bags. You’re the pet parent who deeply believes fresh, whole foods are best, but maybe you don’t have hours every single day to cook. You need something straightforward—a recipe that respects your time while giving your pup high-quality fuel. If simple nutrition is the goal, this five-ingredient base is your answer. You can learn more about amazing homemade dog food options here by clicking here.
Tone and Style for Sharing the 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
When I share this, I want you to feel completely supported, not overwhelmed. The tone is encouraging and straightforward—we’re being educational about what your dog needs, but we cut through the noise. I don’t follow the latest fads, and neither should you when it comes to your dog’s health! We focus only on giving you actionable steps so you can feel confident serving them this nourishing, simple meal. Check out our general guide on pure nourishment for more trustworthy advice.
Ingredients for the 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
See? This is what baking (or rather, cooking for your best friend!) should look like—five simple things! We aren’t hiding anything here because real nutrition comes from real sources. This list is straightforward, and you likely already have most of this in your kitchen right now. Having the right components makes the prep time fly by. If you want to see how another simple chicken and rice base comes together, I share one right here.
Dog Food Base Components
- 2 pounds skinless chicken thighs, for shredding
- 1 cup brown rice, Cooked
- 1 cup carrots, Chopped
- 1 cup peas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for drizzling
How to Prepare the 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe: Step-by-Step
Even though we are keeping this recipe simple, we need to tackle things in order so the timing works out perfectly over our 45 minutes. You’ll be amazed how quickly this comes together once you get into the rhythm. If you need some extra inspiration for getting your weekly dog food prep done fast, check out these tips on meal prepping for your pup. This process is incredibly straightforward, making it one of those 10 quick and easy homemade dog food options you’ll come back to again and again, which you can check out right here!
Cooking the Protein and Grains
First things first: let’s handle the protein base. Pop those two pounds of chicken thighs into a large pot and cover them with water. Bring it to a boil and let them cook all the way through. Once they’re done, pull them out—be careful of that hot water—and shred them nicely. You want bite-sized pieces, nothing too huge! While the chicken is boiling, cook your cup of brown rice separately according to the package directions. It’s super important they cook separately so we can mix them perfectly later.
Preparing the Vegetables
Next up are the veggies, which bring so many good things to the bowl. Take your cup of chopped carrots and your cup of peas and steam them. I like to steam mine until they are nice and soft—we don’t want crunchy bits that are hard for little tummies to process. Steaming also locks in a lot of that good natural goodness. Make sure your carrots aren’t rock hard before moving on!
Combining and Finishing the 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
Now for the fun part where it all becomes our final recipe! Grab that large mixing bowl we talked about. Add in your shredded chicken, the cooked rice, the soft carrots, and the peas. Take your two tablespoons of olive oil and just drizzle it right over the top. Now, mix everything really well until it’s evenly distributed. Trust me, you want the oil coating everything for those healthy fats. Once it looks combined, you *must* let the food cool completely before serving it to your dog. I know it’s tempting, but serving hot food isn’t safe for them!
Tips for Success with Your 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
When you’re cooking with real food, you instantly build trust with yourself and your dog, and that’s everything to me. You can check out some super helpful general tips on DIY dog food recipes right here! But honestly, the true test of a great recipe is watching your dog devour it, and this one always passes the test in my house. When I first served this recipe, my dogs stopped eating their regular food for a week. Even my dog who is usually picky ate every bit and kept licking the bowl clean. I remember laughing while they competed for the last bites; it was a small, satisfying win.
My biggest tip for keeping things easy is definitely to batch cook! This recipe makes one batch, but doubling or tripling it is so easy. You cook the chicken and rice once and divide up those steamed carrots and peas. Cool the entire large batch down quickly, then portion it into daily servings and freeze what you won’t use in the next three or four days. It saves so much time later in the week!
Also, focus on the quality of that chicken. Since this recipe relies on just five items, the ingredient quality really shines through. If you can source human-grade, skinless chicken thighs, why wouldn’t you? You’re supporting their body with the best fuel!
Storage and Serving the 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
Okay, so you’ve made your perfect first batch of this delicious meal! Since this recipe only yields one batch, you’ll probably be thinking about making more later in the week, especially if you have more than one pup depending on you. That’s the beauty of keeping the ingredients list short—it’s easy to double or triple!
It’s really important not to leave leftovers sitting out. Remember, this is real food, just like what we eat, so it needs proper storage to stay safe and delicious for your dog. You should divide the cooled food into airtight containers right away. I usually use smaller, individual containers so I can just grab one in the morning and let it thaw if I need to serve it cold, or warm it up slightly.
In the refrigerator, this food stays fresh and safe for about three to four days, max. If you made a big batch and know you won’t get through it in that time, pop the extra portions right into the freezer! Frozen meals are my favorite trick for keeping up with clean eating during crazy weeks. If you want some extra tips on maximizing your prep time, I talk all about my favorite dog meal prep ideas here.
When it’s time to serve, you can offer it cold straight from the fridge, or if your dog prefers a warmer meal—which mine definitely do, especially in the winter—just microwave a portion for about 15 to 20 seconds until it’s just slightly warm to the touch. Never serve it hot! We want it comforting, not scalding. They’ll absolutely love getting this real nutrition every single time!
Nutritional Considerations for This 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
Okay, let’s talk nutrition for a second, because that’s the whole point of feeding your dog real food—we want amazing, visible results! While I champion clean, whole-food nutrition for both humans and pets, I have to be absolutely honest with you here, just like I am about my own clean eating journey. Since this recipe is tailored to rely purely on whole food sources—chicken, rice, carrots, peas, and olive oil—the exact numerical breakdown floating around on commercial food labels just isn’t applicable.
The nutritional profile, like the guaranteed analysis on a bag of kibble, changes depending on the exact cut of chicken you use, the size of the carrots, and even how much water evaporates during cooking. My focus is on balance and avoiding fillers, not hitting rigid lab numbers. This is about feeding food that your dog can readily recognize and use!
What I *can* assure you is that by sticking to these five components, you are providing high-quality protein from the chicken, complex carbohydrates and fiber from the brown rice, plus vitamins and antioxidants from those vibrant carrots and peas. We’re skipping all the weird powders, synthetic vitamins, and artificial preservatives you find in commercial foods. If you want to read more about building everyday balanced dog food bowls based on real food concepts, I share some great ideas over here!
Frequently Asked Questions About the 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
It is so smart to ask questions when introducing new food to your dog’s diet; knowledge is power when it comes to their health! We want to make sure this simple meal fits perfectly into your dog’s life. So many folks look up info on homemade dog food recipes for small dogs, and the same principles apply here!
Can I use a different protein source instead of chicken in this recipe?
Oh, absolutely! This is why I love this base recipe; it’s so adaptable. While skinless chicken thighs are what I call for to keep the fat content reliable, you can totally swap that out for ground turkey or lean ground beef. Just remember that changing the protein source will slightly alter the fat content and the overall nutritional picture—that’s why we call it ‘real nutrition’—it changes based on what you put in! Just make sure whatever you use is fully cooked through before you shred it or mix it in.
How long can I safely store the 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe?
Because this is made with completely fresh ingredients and a little drizzle of olive oil, we have to treat it like any other cooked meal. You can safely store the completely cooled, mixed batch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. If you are using this recipe as your weekly prep, I highly recommend portioning it out after it cools and freezing anything you won’t serve within that four-day window. It thaws beautifully overnight!
What are the Nutritional Benefits Of Pumpkin Dog Treat Balls For Dogs?
That’s a great question, and it shows you are focused on the right things! Now, since this particular recipe is a full meal base and not specifically pumpkin dog treats, let’s talk about the benefits of the ingredients we *did* use that bring that ‘real nutrition’ factor. The carrots are packed with Vitamin A, which is fantastic for eye health and skin quality. The peas add necessary fiber, helping with digestion and keeping things moving smoothly. Even the olive oil contributes healthy fats that support coat shine and energy levels. It’s all about those simple, dense nutrients, which is why I stick to this five-ingredient core!
Share Your 5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe Experience
Now that you’ve made the simplest, cleanest meal for your dog, I really want to hear about it! You know how much I love hearing about the real-life impact these simple habits make. Did your picky eater finally clean the bowl? Did you find the 15-minute prep time was easy to manage during your busy week?
Please, please, please leave a rating below—even just a quick star rating helps other dog parents find this clean, straightforward recipe. And if you snapped a photo of your happy pup diving into their bowl, tag me on social media! Seeing those happy faces is truly the best reminder of why we put the effort into feeding them whole foods. You can read some of my general thoughts and inspiration on clean living over on my main blog right here!
Don’t forget to come back and share any genius ways you modified this base recipe for your next batch!
By EMILIA, founder of MeltItClean.com – your digital space for natural weight loss, real wellness habits, and clean-living inspiration that actually fits your life.
For years, I struggled with the ups and downs of dieting. I tried everything — juice cleanses, low-carb crazes, fitness challenges — but I always ended up back where I started: tired, bloated, and frustrated. I didn’t just want to “lose weight” — I wanted energy, mental clarity, glowing skin, and confidence without sacrificing my joy or sanity.
After years of experimenting, learning, and unlearning, I discovered a simple truth: your body is already powerful — it just needs support, not restriction. That’s when I created Melt It Clean — a site dedicated to real transformation through clean, intentional, and nourishing daily habits that anyone can follow.
My goal was simple: build a place where people could feel informed, supported, and empowered without being overwhelmed by wellness fads.
5 Real Ingredients – Real Nutrition Farmer Dog Food Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Boil the chicken thighs until they are fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the water and shred it into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the brown rice following the directions on the package.
- Steam the chopped carrots and peas until they become soft.
- Place the shredded chicken, cooked rice, steamed carrots, and peas into a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture. Mix all the ingredients together well. Let the food cool completely before you serve it to your dog.
