Balance by bistroMD: Healthy Meals Delivered To Your Door (Because Pet Parents Should Eat Well Too!)

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Ever feel like you take better care of your fur kids than you do of yourself? You’re not alone! Whether you are too busy, or just tired of adulting, home food delivery has become a popular alternative to cooking. Woof Woof Papa and I love to cook but often get tired of meal planning, shopping and the prep-work that goes into making healthy meals. And our schedules mean that we don’t always have time to cook and eat at the same time. Sometimes it just seems easier to grab takeout or order delivery, and that isn’t the healthiest or most economical way to eat.

We were recently invited to try the meals from Balance by bistroMD. It’s the first meal delivery service to offer chef-prepared meals a-la-carte, without the constraint of minimums, memberships, or recurring orders. The top-rated diet delivery and weight loss program, bistroMD, created this subscription-free service to provide healthy meals with convenience and flexibility.

Balance by bistroMD fits health-conscious lifestyles, whether you’re trying to lose weight, adhere to a specialty diet such as gluten free, or just want to eat healthy without the struggle. When we went to their website to place our first order, we were impressed with the wide variety of over 100 meals and snacks available, and prices start at just $5.95.

The ordering process is super easy…the only hard part was deciding which meals to get, because they all looked so good! To narrow down the choices, you can filter meals by diet type, including Low Sodium, Heart Healthy, Gluten Free, Diabetic Meals and other options. We ordered a few breakfast items, because we are trying to do better at not skipping breakfast. And we also ordered a variety of lunches and dinners, too. Everything arrived within a few days, shipped in an insulated cooler packed with dry ice. Even though the box sat out on our porch in the South Florida heat for most of the morning, all the meals were still frozen when I unpacked everything.

In addition to doing the cooking and delivering your meals straight to your door, the folks at Balance by bistroMD also send the instructions and info you need to make the most of your food delivery. For example, although you can microwave the meals straight from the freezer, they recommend you move your upcoming day of meals to the fridge the night before to thaw for more even reheating. They also suggest that you place your entree on a plate because visualization is an important part of dining.

This was my attempt to plate the Ham and Cheese Frittata. It came with a side of peaches with a tasty whole grain granola crumble. I added avocado slices because I cannot go a day without eating avocado! Although I can see the logic in their suggestion to plate the meals to make the dining experience more enjoyable, most times we opted for convenience over aesthetics, and just ate our meals straight out of the BPA-free microwavable trays they came in. Less dishes to wash!

Overall, we were impressed with our order and happy to have a week of no meal planning or prep. The nice thing about the service is that there is no commitment or subscription required. You can order when you feel like you need a break from cooking, or need a little extra help with eating healthy. It’s also a thoughtful gift for a friend or family member, and would be great as a Housewarming present or Mother’s Day gift, too!

Balance by bistroMD Coupon Code

Right now is a great time to try it because you can get 20% OFF with Balance by bistroMD coupon code: SAVE20 at checkout. You also get Free Shipping on orders of $99+. Head on over to balance.bistromd.com to learn more about how it works and try it for yourself. Less time spent cooking means more time (and energy) to play with the fur kids!

Free Kindle Book! Paleo Chef for Dogs: Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Food Recipes

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paleo for dogs

Snag a FREE copy of Paleo Chef for Dogs: Homemade Gluten-Free Dog Food Recipes eBook for Kindle or any device! Remember to verify price is still $0.00 when you download it ($2.99 reg). Kindle books are readable on iPhones, Android, PC and more so be sure to snag your Free Kindle Reading App to get started.

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Clear Conscience Pet Treats – Made in USA from Sustainable Family Farms {Product Review}

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Clear Conscience Pet Treats

Like most dogs, Daisy wants treats…can’t blame a dog for that! She also can be a picky eater and tends to have a sensitive tummy. As a good mama, it’s my job to care about where her treats come from, what ingredients are used and how they are made. Not only do I care about her food and treats being safe and healthy, but I also prefer to support small businesses and farmers when I shop for myself and my family. So I was very excited when Clear Conscience Pet invited us to try 3 of their pet products!

Clear Conscience not only makes all of their products in the USA, but they also pledge that ingredients are 100% humanely sourced from sustainable family farms. This means that livestock sources used in their treats are free to graze on range or pasture lands, and are raised without any growth hormones, steroids or antibiotics. They also insure that their products are grain-free, GMO-free and gluten-free as well as free from artificial or synthetic ingredients. With a mission like that, it’s no wonder that Clear Conscience Pet has been selected as a winner of the 2012 Pet Age Green Spirit Award!

The first product we tried was SuperGravy. This all-natural superfood powder in Bison and Beef Recipe is made with picky eaters or low-appetite dogs in mind. It makes any pet food taste better and enhances nutrition. It can be mixed with water in a separate container and poured over dry kibble but since I like to do things the easy way, I chose to just sprinkle the SuperGravy Powder directly on Daisy’s dry kibble and then add some water to the food bowl. Daisy scarfed down her food so fast that she almost tipped over her bowl! I’m hoarding this for those times when she isn’t feeling so great and needs to eat but doesn’t have an appetite. This actually is a problem we have from time to time although she’s getting better about it, so I like having something on hand to entice her to eat if she starts skipping meals. This dry powder is so much more convenient that opening a whole can of wet food just to put a spoonful on her kibble!

SuperGravy

Daisy also tried the Lamb Airy Bites. These cube-shaped treats are made with only 4 ingredients: Lamb lung, organic spinach, organic pumpkin, and organic carrot. The lamb is roasted and then the veggies are made into a SuperVeggie coating! From watching Daisy down these, I can tell you that they are a little crunchy and very easy to eat… and yummy. It was almost impossible to get a photo of her eating one because she kept devouring them so fast that none of the pictures actually show the Airy Bites! The product info describes them as “melt in the mouth delicious”! Here, you can kind of see one before she runs off with it!

Lamb Airy Bites

The third pet treat Daisy sampled was Lamb Trachey Chewz. As weird as it sounds, these are actual lamb trachea, which are a good source of glucosamine and chondroitin as well as high-quality protein. The Trachey Chewz are coated with the same SuperVeggie coating as the Airy Bites but are more chewy. Because they are actual trachea, they are a long hollow tube so they don’t last as long as something like a solid bully stick, but are apparently delicious because after Daisy finished her first one, she went snooping around the kitchen to see if there were more! Since these treats are high in protein and a generous size, we are dolling them out slowly! You can see that Daisy is thoroughly enjoying this one (and also that it’s time for me to trim her nails)!

We are impressed with the line of Clear Conscience Pet Treats.  Not only do I feel good about the sourcing and ingredients used, but they also pass the Daisy test for deliciousness! I’d say these are a great idea for a special treat, or  (if your veterinarian recommends) for dogs who need to increase their nutrient and protein intake. To browse more treats and find a store near you or online retailer, you can visit the Clear Conscience website.

Stay tuned for a chance to Win Clear Conscience Pet Treats during our upcoming giveaway! To be sure you don’t miss it, take a sec and Subscribe to our Daily Email Update here!

Disclosure: We were provided with the products described above so that we could tell you about them. All experiences and opinions are 100% mine and Daisy’s. This is NOT medical or pet nutrition advice. Be sure to speak with your veterinarian if you have questions or concerns about your dog’s appetite or nutritional needs!