There are two mixtures that will be combined: The dry mix and the wet
mix. Prepare the dry mix in a large mixing bowl. Prepare the wet mix in
a two quart blender or vita-mixer.
Dry Mix:
(Don't bother sifting or measuring real carefully.
Just scoop and dump the ingredients into the bowl)
1/2 cup ground flax seed ( tip: grind while processor is still dry
before making wet mix. Do not get flax seed wet until you are ready to
add the wet mix to the dry mix because it is high in
muco-polysaccharides, which form a sticky gel when moistened.)
1/2 cup ground nuts (walnuts, pecans, brazils, almonds)
2 cups whole wheat flour -
2 cups oatmeal -
1 cup wheat germ -
1 cup corn meal -
1 cup whey protein or soy milk powder -
1 cup soy flour -
1 cup unprocessed millers bran -
1 cup soy lecithin -
1/3 - 1/2 cup oil
Do NOT use fragile oils that are easily damaged by heat, like flax, borage, evening primrose.
Best oils to use would be coconut or olive oil.
Safflower, sunflower, and corn are high in Omega 6 fatty acids, which
birds already obtain from their diets and have been implicated in
exacerbating some inflammatory diseases.
Don't worry if you don't have all the flour ingredients. Just increase any of the others to substitute.
Wet Mix Base:
6 eggs (including shells)
2 cups chopped carrots
1 peeled Banana
1 large Apple (cored, cut into inch pieces)
To the wet base, process-in any one of the following mixtures:
Italian
1 medium Tomato / 1 1/2 cups fresh leaves Spinach / 1/2 cup chopped
Bell Pepper / 1 cup chopped Zucchini / 1 cup Spaghetti Squash / 3
cloves Garlic / 1 cup Green Beans / 1/4 cup fresh Basil or 1 Tsp. dry
Basil or ½ cup Italian Season Parmesan Cheese
Zesty Garden
1 stalk chopped Celery / 1 cup Corn / ½ cup chopped Bell Pepper / 1 cup
chopped Broccoli / 1 ½ cup Leafy Greens (kale, turnip, beet, mustard) ¼
cup chopped Chives / 1 cup Green Peas / ¼ cup dill weed / 1 Tsp. Garden
Seasoning (rosemary, basil, etc)
Mexican Tomato
1 medium Tomato / 1 cup Corn / 1 cup chopped Bell Pepper / ½ cup choped
Jalapeno Pepper / 3 cloves chopped Garlic / 1 cup Jicama (may omit) 1
cup Winter Squash (acorn, butternut, etc) / 1 cup cooked Pinto Beans /
1 Tsp. Chili Powder / 1 Tsp. Oregano
Golden Harvest
1 chopped Apple, cored /1 cup Winter Squash (acorn, butternut, pumpkin)
/ 1 cup Yellow Fruit (peach, apricot, nectarine, cantaloupe) 1 Tsp.
Nutmeg / 1 Tsp. Ginger / 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
Merry Berry
1 chopped Apple, cored / 1 cup Strawberries / 1 cup chopped Kiwi,
Blueberries or Cherries / 1 cup Raspberries or Blackberries / 1 cup
Cranberries or Orange / 1 ½ cups fresh leaves Spinach / 1 lb Tofu (may
omit) / 1 Tsp. Nutmeg
Citrus Delight
1 chopped Apple, cored / 1 chopped Orange (include peel, wash well) / 1
Grapefruit (no peel or bitter section) / Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon /
Zest and Juice of 1 Lime / 1 ½ cups chopped Kale / ½ cup fresh or 1
Tsp. powdered Lemon Grass / 1 lb. Tofu (may omit) 1 Tsp. Allspice
Sweet Heat
1 chopped Apple, cored / 1 can Pineapple in its own juice (If in syrup,
then you must drain and rinse all the syrup out of the fruit before
processing) 5 large/8 small whole chopped Jalapeno Peppers
Turn on blender or vita mixer and process until you achieve a thick
puree that has some visible small pieces of the contents. If too thick,
add a bit of milk or water.
Directions: Add wet mix to the dry mix in the mixing bowl. Mix
thoroughly. You should have a cookie dough consistency. If too wet, add
a bit of flour...doesn't matter which kind.
Spread onto a lipped cookie sheet that has been well sprayed with
cooking oil. Bake in 300 or 350 degree oven until knife or toothpick
comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes. The wetter the mix, the longer it
will take to bake. This batch might make two sheets depending on the
size of the sheet. This will provide approximately 80 one-inch cubes of
bird-bread.