Help formulating next chop batch

[chris-md]

Here’s some fun, I wanna crowdsource my next chop batch! I’m tired of the usual “peppers, rice, barley, frozen veggies” stuff. I want to try something new but im not very creative. My partner proved that when he rocked my world by shaving walnuts and Brussels sprouts on cheese grater for Parker last night.

I will say my base right now will be cooked sprouts. Interesting fact: when you sprout, you take a starchy food (bean) and convert it to a vegetable (sprouting breaks down starch into a bunch of micronutrients, which makes the sprouts the health food they are known to be). Cooking will make certain nutrients far more available.

Low carb, high fiber, multicolor, 6-8 ingredients - GO! Also Include how you would prepare it (shredded, chunked, whole, etc).

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

chopped zucchini, shredded carrot & peas

rice, oats

garbanzo beans -cooked from dried (or from can if no salt added)

 

[chris-md]

Thanks! Garbanzo beans will actually be in the sprout mix

Can zucchini’s be frozen? I suppose I can just google that...

I should have pointed out this will be a bulk batch and frozen.

Hmmmm, carrot shredded then cooked. he’s gotten food processored carrots in his last couple batches. That might actually be a cool different way to serve to him. He generally avoids carrots.

Maybe shredded and cooked sweet potato...hmm

Spaghetti squash!!!

 

[Oliver17]

Cauliflower? Pumpkin? Broccoli?

 

[Eitak579]

Fun topic! I'll be following this thread too.
Some non-traditional things I've added to "spice" it up

- Baked and ground eggshells
- A small amount of local bee pollen
- Whole flaxseed
- Chia to help dry out
- Acorn squash and add the seeds to entice
- Milk thistle seeds - no liver problems but again the seeds entice and are healthy in moderation
- Wheat grass
- Quinoa
-Golgi berries
- Various herbs from the garden
- Chamomile

I usually sprinkle cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne or mix organic red palm oil when the chop starts to be boring (we freeze ours too). He LOVES investigating the new ingredient.

Excited to see the other posts!
Kate

 

[Soyajam]

Here, have the chop I made last week:

Into a food processor, pulse 3-4 times:

* Cauliflower, raw
* Fennel
* Kale and spinach
* Broccoli, raw
* Celery
* Birds-eye chilli
* Carrot - Raw
* Beetroot - Raw (but not much, maybe a quarter, otherwise it'll look like a murder scene!)
* Half a bunch of coriander
* Half a bunch of parsley

Now, mix into this chopped mess:

* Cooked quinoa
* Cooked Pasta
* Cooked rice
* Cooked "soup mix" beans + grains

Portion, and try to fit in freezer

Note - There's sweet potato and pumpkin missing from this since I'm also doing a "red" mash for my girl, who's not quite ready for the solids yet. Add those if you want more of that Vit A.

 

[chris-md]

Now we’re cooking! Such great ideas.

Kate, you nailed it. I’m hoping for more nontraditional. Love the idea of bee pollen and milk thistle seeds. But where on earth do you find those?? Wheatgrass too!

Sam - great ideas too! I’m tempted by the beets and beet tops. And thanks for the parley reminder

So here’s where I think I am so far:
Cooked sprouts
Spaghetti squash
Green beans
Pomegranate seeds
Fennel and or Bok Choy
Kale
Bee pollen
Sweet potato shredded then cooked (he’ll never touch chunks of it)
Parsley
Chia seed
Flax (he gets this with every meal already)
Beets/beet tops
Oats
Red palm oil after defrost - he gets this with about every meal also


Any one else wanna throw in?

 

[chris-md]

Maybe I’ll bypass the kale LEAVES and just do kale STEMS. He does love celery but there’s a lot of salt in there so he doesn’t get it too often.

But he’d like it for the crunch so Would need to be fresh as a topping like the red palm oil to maintain that crunch.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Wheat berries as a suggestion.

I buy and give Plum Bee Pollen but not in his chop. Have read that soaking and giving is a better way as Bee Pollen straight provides 2-7% of the total nutrition. Soaking for at least 12 hours obtains nearly 100%. It can be soaked in yoghurt and in smoothies, fruit juice or water. Store in the fridge.
I usually crush in M&P and then add some water and then add to food with dropper. Buy a good source and take care re keeping instructions.

Have you thought of prepping and freezing some separate ingredients to have convenient for swaps. I do this mostly with cooked beetroot. Adding to chop makes everything red and fairly wet. Quite nice as a little side dish LOL.

Find cooked Brussels make chop smelly?

 

[chris-md]

Wheat berries are actually in the sprouts .

As I recall, the sprout mix contains:
Wheat berries
Spelt
Tricolor quinoa
French lentils
Green lentils
Garbanzo beans/chickpeas
Amaranth (maybe, not sure, remember staring at the bag debating)
Mung beans
Adzuki beans

I’m so on the fence with those beets. I know they’re gonna be messy. Not sure how fussy I wanna get here. Decisions decisions. It’s not somethign he’s had before.

Maybe jicama. Need one or two more chunky things here.

 

[plumsmum2005]

OK, you are going to sprout all those. I cook wheat berrries and add to chop.
I won't sprout Amaranth after reading that un-sprouted seeds have caused liver damage in chickens. DYK Popping corn can be soaked and sprouted? I didnt 'til recently.

Really getting into sprouting again and am very interested in your mix. Let us know how it goes

 

[BeatriceC]

My last batch of chop was

-brown rice (mostly cooked)
-oatmeal (not cooked)
-butternut squash
-yams
-zucchini
-broccoli
-turnip
-radish
-rutabaga
-kale
-spinach
-carrots
-red bell pepper

Everything goes into a food processor and gets chopped up tiny, then mixed with the grains.

 

[katie_fleming]

Love the idea of bee pollen and milk thistle seeds. But where on earth do you find those?? Wheatgrass too!

I got milk thistle seeds from Things for Wings

 

[plumsmum2005]

Making and Feeding ?Chop? mix to your bird

As a rule Chris I like to roughly follow your recipe (why change what works!). I do however try and ring the changes for Plum with produce that is in season to give some variety and doing separate little pots of cooked squash or beetroot to add some interest.

This was interesting reading http://www.animalenrichmentaustrali...ads/2017/02/Healthy-Food-List-for-Parrots.pdf