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Matilda and Cow turn 5! Plus, Flourless Low Carb 4-Ingredient Dog Birthday Cake Recipe

Matilda and Cow turn 5! Plus, Flourless Low Carb 4-Ingredient Dog Birthday Cake Recipe

Matilda and Cow were born sometime in May about five years ago.

Matilda was probably born at the end of May, making her a Gemini, according to a pet psychic we met. Cow is probably a bit older.

I like to celebrate any day of the month with a special treat and a quiet “just for us” adventure that lends itself to plenty of time for reflection.

This year, I made Matilda and Cow a peanut butter banana cake (recipe below) and took them to a new dog park. Here’s what I was thinking about during our day out:

What’s Changed In Five Years

Me, Matilda and Cow have moved three times. We’ve made new friends, discovered new parks, new towns, new foods and new ideas.

Matilda and Cow weren’t born under the best circumstances.

Cow was lucky to have any food at all, and spent many nights without a roof over her head.

They didn’t have access to veterinary care. Each were at one time covered in fleas and ticks. As puppies, Matilda survived parvovirus, and Cow survived distemper – deadly viruses that kill thousands of young dogs each year.

I’m so glad we found each other. I’m so glad I’ve been able to give them a better life, and I still want to make it even better.

In return, they smother me with kisses when I’m sad. They give me so much reassurance. They make me feel needed.

Without Matilda and Cow, I’d struggle to go outside and interact with people. Having them makes me feel more confident, even if it’s just to say hello or wave to a neighbor.

It’s easy to start talking to people because they take the pressure and focus off myself.

I’m in a much better place than I was five years ago, and Matilda and Cow have made a huge difference. It’s amazing what barely 30 pounds of love and fur can do!

We’re 1/3 Of The Way

My dream is to throw a Quincenera for Matilda and Cow when they truly turn 15… in 2029.

That’s ten years from now. I can’t imagine what my personal life would be like. I don’t believe I’ll be living in the same apartment, though I do really like it here. I hope we’ll have our very own fenced-in backyard by then.

With any luck, they won’t run into any serious health issues by then. With a primarily fresh diet and daily exercise, we might be able to avoid the most common senior dog health issues: obesity, dental disease, cancer and diabetes.

Of course, I’d rather have my dogs die sooner than live a long time with a low quality of life. Best case scenario, they’re old and wise, yet happy and living with as little pain or discomfort as possible.

We’ve learned so much together already, and we still have so much more yet to come. Hopefully, I’ll still be blogging, and we’ll have many more words of wisdom and lessons to share with you all.

Thank you so much for being a part of our lives, whether you’ve been here since day one, when I started this blog around their first birthday, or you’re just getting to know us.

Four Ingredient Low Carb Peanut Butter Banana Dog Cake

I adapted this recipe from a popular recipe for flourless pancakes (for people!).

Making the pancakes was a no-go – the lack of flour makes the batter cook into very delicate pancakes that I could not manage to flip without crumbling. Instead of cooking, the pancakes stayed soggy on the inside and burned on the inside.

As a small cake, though, this recipe was a success. It took a while to actually cook through for a clean toothpick, but the end result was a puffy, squishy confection, somewhat like a cheesecake in texture.

Total Cook Time: 90 Minutes

Yields: One 6″ diameter mini-cake, with a bit of batter left over. I don’t think many people own the exact same round porcelain ramekin that I used. You might have to adjust this recipe to fit whatever cookware you want to use.

This isn’t a beginner’s recipe, and it’s not tried-and-true, I only made it once. It’s better for someone who doesn’t mind experimenting and adjusting to create their own version. Think of it as a baseline.

Ingredients:

Two ripe bananas

Two eggs

5 Tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix ingredients until you reach a smooth consistency.
  3. Grease pan with cooking spray.
  4. Pour batter into pan.
  5. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes, or until edges are golden brown, center is puffed up like a muffin, and toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Let cool, then turn onto a plate. Slice and serve with fresh or frozen berries.

Lindsay Pevny
Lindsay Pevny lives to help pet parents make the very best choices for their pets by providing actionable, science-based training and care tips and insightful pet product reviews.

She also uses her pet copywriting business to make sure the best pet products and services get found online through catchy copy and fun, informative blog posts. She also provides product description writing services for ecommerce companies.

As a dog mom to Matilda and Cow, she spends most of her days taking long walks and practicing new tricks, and most nights trying to make the best of a very modest portion of her bed.

You'll also find her baking bread and making homemade pizza, laughing, painting and shopping.
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lisa

Friday 19th of November 2021

LOVE the recipeā€¦will try tonight. Sad part is, the part of the body containg the poo sac is the most flavorful! We ust the neck and tough parts for chowderā€¦.the whits ā€œsoftā€ part is for other dishes (like pasta). Next time you come to the coast to clamā€¦take that bit of extra ytme to carefully disect the colored material from the soft body. Great recipe thoughCoffee Recipes

lisa

Saturday 9th of October 2021

There are some interesting deadlines on this article but I donā€™t know if I see all of them middle to heart. Thereā€™s some validity however I will take maintain opinion till I look into it further. delicious food recipes for dinner

lisa

Friday 12th of February 2021

I cook at home very often and always look for new recipes. I actually just got a new Mexican cook book that I canā€™t wait to start cooking from. Your veggie burritos sound lovely, especially that youā€™ve packed superfoods such as kale in them as well.pizza box

Cheri Janssen

Saturday 27th of July 2019

Happy belated 5th birthday Matilda and Cow!! I am so glad I found your site. I have three fur kids. Two are rescues from Texas, with much the same history as Matilda and Cow. It's great to hear happy adoption stories and see what wonderful lives dogs who came from such difficult beginnings are enjoying now!

Jennifer Berg

Friday 12th of July 2019

I love the idea of homemade birthday cakes for dogs. I'm a dog trainer/dog walker and I make homemade dog treats and meals for some of my clients dogs. One client asked me if I could make a doggie birthday cake for her Yorkie/Maltese cross; the owner was inviting her family and friends over for a birthday party -- no other dogs, just human family and friends. I made a little cake that was safe for the dog to eat (no sugar, flour, a few simple ingredients) AND the humans could eat it too, if they wanted. It was a carrot cake (she wasn't sure if her dog liked bananas), baked in a 4-inch round glass oven-safe container, and I decorated it with little slices of carrots. I cut it into 6 tiny wedges and then put it in a cupcake box. She could then serve one piece and, if the humans did not want to eat the rest of the cake, put in the freezer, to pull out one piece at a time over the next month or two. It was so cute and her dog LOVED it. And her friends and family LOVED the dog birthday idea.

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