Spot’s Chicken Stew from Halo

2 ½ pounds whole chicken
¼ cup chopped fresh garlic
1 cup green peas
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
½ cup coarsely chopped sweet potato
½ cup coarsely chopped zucchini
½ cup coarsely chopped yellow squash
½ cup coarsely chopped green beans
½ cup coarsely chopped celery
1 tablespoon kelp powder
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
11 to 16 cups spring water

Add 8 ounces whole barley and 6 ounces rolled oats, and adjust the water content to a total of 16 cups, or enough to cover the ingredients.

Instructions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a 10-quart stainless-steel stockpot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat as low as possible and simmer for two hours – the carrots should be quite soft at the end of the cooking time. Remove from the heat, let cool, and debone the chicken.

With an electric hand mixer, or using a food processor and working in batches, blend all the ingredients into a nice puree; the stew should be slightly thicker for dogs and more soupy for cats. Using zip lock bags or plastic yogurt containers, make up meal-sized portions. Refrigerate what you’ll need for three days and freeze the rest. Seek your pet’s advice (and your vet’s) on ideal meal sizes.

Serving size:

Amounts will vary depending on age, activity level, health, weight, and season, but here are some guidelines: Because dogs vary so much in size, consult the table below. The amount shown should be split into at least two meals daily.

Dog’s Weight
Up to 10 pounds
11 to 20 pounds
21 to 40 pounds

Total Daily Portion
1 to 1½ cups
2 to 3 cups
4 cups

For each additional 20 pounds, add two cups. Remember, pets are individuals, so let intuition and observations guide you, and always consult your vet.

Personal note: I prefer to purchase and use boneless chicken in recipes because it eliminates the process of removing the bones. It will save some time and I like knowing that there are absolutely no bones and no chance that I may have missed any. Yes, it will cost a bit more to purchase boneless chicken breast but to me it's worth knowing there aren't any bones to worry about.