Having a hard time getting your picky parrot to eat their vegies? You can hide a multitude of good things in birdie breads and your feathered angels will gobble them up!
Our imagination is the only limit, really, when making the bread! You can find lots of recipes. When I see canned ingredients, I try to substitute something fresh or different altogether. Don’t like those sweet cornbread mixes? Just use half cornmeal and half whole grain flour. I found these variations quickly:
ETA: Our ‘Too prefers vegetables to fruit. We rarely add any fruit, just substitute grated or chopped peppers, squash, carrots, yams, etc.
Basic Birdie Bread
* 2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
* 3 T. baking powder
* 1 tsp. Spirulina
* 2 eggs and shells (puree in blender)
* 4 jars baby food (carrots, sweet potatoes, a fruit, chicken/turkey with rice, noodles, or vegetables)
* 3/4 c. peanut butter
* 2 c. baby cereal (buy lowest percent of iron)
* 1 1/2 c. shredded/chopped veggies (usually carrots or brocolli)
Almost any of the baby foods can be used but choose those with a high Vitamin A content.
Note: – the batter will be hard to mix!! Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. Combine wet and dry ingredients along with shredded/chopped veggies. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray and bake about 30 min. in a 400 degree preheated oven. Cool on rack, cut into squares and freeze in 3 day batches.
Optional additions: Chopped nuts, toasted soybean bits, shredded low fat cheese, dried fruit (small pieces), shaved cuttlebone, toasted sunflower kernels, pureed bananas peeled, pureed fresh mango, papaya or kiwi {reduce number of jars of baby food)
Birdie Apple Cinnamon Muffins
* 3 c. flour
* 3/4 c. sugar
* 1 1/2 t. cream tartar
* 3/4 t. baking soda
* 1/2 t. orange peel
* 1/2 t. cinnamon
* 1/2 c. butter
* 1 c. finely chopped apple
* 1 c. french vanilla yogurt
* 2 eggs, beaten
Mix all together. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3rds full. Makes 22 muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. 325 degrees for Baker’s Secret pans. Afer baking, brush tops of warm muffins with melted butter & then dip in mixture of 1/2 t. cinnamon & 1/3 c. sugar.
Birdie Pumpkin Bread
* 3 c. sugar plus bit of molasses
* 1 c. vegetable oil
* 4 eggs, beaten
* 16 oz. canned pumpkin
* 3 1/2 c. flour
* 2 t. soda
* 1/2 t. ground cloves
* 1 t. each cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg
* 2/3 c. water
* 2 c. nuts (optional)
Mix sugar, oil & eggs together. Add pumpkin, then add dry ingredients then water, stirring until just mixed. Pour batter into 2 greased & floured loaf pans. Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour, or makes 6 mini loaves in 40 minutes
Birdie Apricot Nut Bread
* 1 c. snipped dry apricots
* 3/4 c. sugar
* 2 T. soft butter
* 1 egg
* 3/4 c. orange juice
* 2 c. flour
* 1 t. cream of tartar
* 3/4 t. baking soda
* 3/4 c. chopped nuts
Soak apricots in warm water for 30 minutes. (optional) Cream together sugar, butter & egg. Stir in orange juice. Combine flour, baking soda & cream of tartar. Drain apricots well; add to batter. Stir together. Add nuts. Pour into a greased 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min or until bread tests done. Cool ten minutes in pan before removing to wire rack. If use mini loaf pans makes 4 loaves & Baker’s Secret pans 28 minutes. A double recipe yields 7 loaves at 325 degrees for 33 min in Baker’s Secret pans.
Birdie Banana Nut Bread
* 3.5 c. flour
* 2 t. cream tartar
* 1.5 t. baking soda
* 2/3 c. applesauce (or 2 apples chopped finely)
* 1 1/3 c. sugar
* 4 eggs, well beaten
* 2 c. ripe mashed bananas
* 1 c. chopped baby carrots
* 2 c. pecans
* 1 jar baby food, winter squash or sweet potato (optional)
Bake 350 for about 30-33 min makes 6 mini loaves or approx 1 hour for 2 large loaves
Pineapple Carrot Bread
* 3 cups flour
* 2 cups sugar (can use less)
* 1 t. baking soda
* 1 t. cinnamon
* 3 eggs
* 2 cups shredded carrots
* 1 cup vegetable oil (or 1 c. applesauce)
* 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
* 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
* 2 t. vanilla extract
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon. In another bowl, beat eggs, add carrots, oil, pineapple, nuts & vanilla. Stir moist ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Spoon into 2 greased & floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes or until loaves test done. Cool 10 minutesin pans before removing to wire racks. Makes 6 mini loaves, if baked in Baker’s secret pans at 325 degrees takes 35-40 minutes.
Birdie Corn Bread #1
* 1 box of cornbread mix
* 1 extra egg (included shells)
* 1 c. frozen mixed vegetables
Bake as directed. Cut into serving sizes and freeze. Defrost and serve as needed.
Eight Grain Corn Bread
* 2 boxes(8 1/2 oz.) Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
* 2 c. Eight Grain Cereal, not cooked
* 1 c. peanut butter
* 4 eggs with shells
Mix ingredients in a large bowl, adding enough water to make a cake-like batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
A Great Birdie Bread
* 2 C cockatiel crumbles
* 1 banana
* 1/3 C wheat germ oil*
* 6 eggs–with shell
* 3T pumpkin, yams or squash
* 1/3 C vegetable oil
* 1 1/2 T applesauce or 1/2 apple
* 1 C thawed frozen mixed vegetables
* 1 C cooked dry beans
* 1 C cooked brown rice
* 2 C corn meal
* 4 T baking powder
Food process first 8 ingredients. Add beans & rice and blend til pulverized. Add to cornmeal and baking powder. Mix well. Add water if too thick. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes til done.
*You can find wheat germ oil (for horses) at most feed stores. Freeze the stuff crumbled, zap about 1 T. per bird per day.
copied from Mytoos.com
Feathered Angels 