"Secret Life of Pets": a Movie Night, a Dog Biscuit Recipe…plus, we have a PUPPY! | Make It & Love It (2024)

Home » Family » “Secret Life of Pets”: a Movie Night, a Dog Biscuit Recipe…plus, we have a PUPPY!

December 8, 2016 - By Ashley Johnston 21 Comments

Did you notice the very end of that blog title up there?! Yes, it’s true. And I’m still trying to figure out how that all happened…..but, we have a puppy! Our very first dog EVER! And let me tell you…….puppies keep you on your toes, but that little stinker has wiggled her little fluffy self right into our family! Ahhhh…..we all love her, especially the kids!

Pets are something we have never had a ton of. Well, I guess we got a couple of outdoor bunnies about a year ago….but now, a puppy. Oh wait, and we had a fish once. But it seems that pets are slowly becoming a part of this family…..and surprisingly, I’m okay with it. (Long story….but I’m not a huge pet person. More about that another time though.) Anyway, we generally don’t go to the movie theater very often (mostly because my 2-year-old Oliver is a stink bug at the movies), but when The Secret Life of Pets was released in theaters, I took the kids to see it over the summer because it just looked so darn cute……and they LOVED it!!! Mostly, because this movie gave my kids a little glimpse of what those silly pets could possibly be doing when their owners leave them alone. Ha!

And now The Secret Life of Pets is available on DVD and Blu-Ray (along with 3 mini movies…and an hour of bonus content) and when I received my copy in the mail the other day and told our four kiddos that we were going to have a family movie night and watch it again…..they were STOKED!!!

We’ve had these little Secret Life Of Pets stuffed characters since we watched the movie the first time over the summer…..so when we popped in the movie, they scrambled to their rooms to find their favorite character!

We’ve had our little puppy Maggie for about 1 month now (we got her when she was 2 1/2 months old) and we are quickly learning that she loves to be around people. She LOVES my kids and is extra patient with them….and for that, I’m so relieved! She even lets Oliver muscle her around and just lets him love the heck out of her!

(I think she must have been curious about those little pets in the movie though, because I kept catching her watch right along with the kids!)

But I do have to admit, sometimes we wonder what Maggie’s thinking! We kinda joke that she’s scheming huge plans like the characters of Secret Life Of Pets (in fact, I think in the picture below, she’s taking notes)! But we’re also pretty sure she feels just like the main character Max and loves these little humans that she now lives with! And that’s why she lets my kids haul her around, add scarves to her neck, push her around in strollers, and even plop her on their lap…..just like she’s a little human herself!

When we moved to Oklahoma almost 2 years ago, my husband Steve was so excited that there was a designated “media room” in our new house. His dreams of finally having a projector and a large screen finally came true……which I will admit, makes our weekly family movie night a lot more cozy (and cheaper) than heading to the movie theater!

With our weekly movie night, we usually have some sort of treat to go along with it. And since we were watching Secret Life of Pets, it seemed fitting to have a special treat for Maggie to enjoy too! So, while the kiddos munched on popcorn, I made her some Peanut Butter Banana Dog Biscuits to snack on! And no joke, this is her new favorite treat!!

Maggie isn’t a food driven dog (she could care less about most foods….but eventually eats her kibble when she’s hungry), so coming up with a recipe that she actually loves (and that we can use for training, rewards, etc.) is so exciting! These little Peanut Butter Banana Dog Biscuits are super easy to make…..all from simple ingredients I had on hand (and include oatmeal, not flour)!

And unlike most other packaged treats we’ve tried from the store, Maggie actually likes these and gobbles them RIGHT UP!

I gotta tell you guys though —- adding a dog to our home isn’t something I ever thought we’d do. But now that she’s here, I’m not sure why we waited so long. And I think that’s because I see how much my children have attached their little hearts to this sweet fluff ball….and I never want to take that away from them! So, enjoying an evening together watching Secret Life of Pets WITH our puppy Maggie, while spoiling her with treats she actually loves……was a perfect night for our family!

Have you seen Secret Life of Pets (which was created by the same masterminds of Despicable Me)?

Here’s a little peek…in case you haven’t!

Anyway….back to the Peanut Butter Banana Dog Biscuits.

Want to give them a try??

I’m sure your pup will love them too! :)

First, gather 5 ingredients; bananas, oats, eggs, peanut butter, and baking powder.

Place 3 cups of oats into a food processor or blender and process until the consistency is more like flour.

Then mash your bananas until you have about 1 cup’s worth.

Mix your 3 cups of oats, 1 cup of banana, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, and 1 tsp baking powder in a bowl and mix until well blended.

Now, I found these really cute silicone molds (HERE and HERE) that produce biscuits that are about 1.5 inches across and 1/2 inch thick….and are perfect for smaller dogs. (They have bigger molds if you need them too.) I sprayed the molds with some cooking spray and then pressed the dough into each shape. But, you could also flour your counter a bit and roll the dough out and use cookie cutters to create shapes from your dough. The cooking time will vary but since my molds made thicker biscuits, my cooking time was about 30 minutes (in 350F degree oven) for semi-crunchy biscuits. (Our puppy has tiny teeth and a tiny mouth, so if I would have continued cooking the biscuits until they were more solid like kibble, they would have been too hard for her to bite through. But you could definitely experiment and increase your cooking time if needed.)

Once they were done, they popped right out of the molds and were ready for Maggie to start eating! (And the extras store really nicely in the freezer!)

Such a fun little doggy treat……that will surely have your pup begging for more! :)

Peanut Butter Banana Biscuits (FOR DOGS)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Delicious and peanut butter and banana biscuits that are easy to make, for your furry friend. Free of preservatives or added chemicals.

Ingredients

• 3 cups oats
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• optional: silicone molds (this is the BONE MOLD I used and this is the PAW MOLD.)

Instructions

1. Place your oats in a food processor or blender and process until a flour-like consistency.
2. Mash your 2 bananas with a fork, until you have about 1 cup of nicely mashed banana.
3. Add all 5 ingredients into a bowl and mix until well blended.
4. Press into silicone molds and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for 30 minutes. These will result in a semi-crunchy biscuit that even small dogs will be able to bite through.

Notes

Optional: Roll out dough on floured surface and use cookie cutters or just cut into 1 x 2 inch strips and place on baking sheet. Adjust baking time as needed, about 15-20 minutes.

What a fun night we had together with our newest pup, enjoying a cute movie that made us all laugh, and everyone munching on a little treat…..even our little Maggie!

-Ashley

This post is sponsored by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment……however, all opinions and tutorials are mine and mine alone.