Sunny Hollow Aviaries, Minnesota

Welcome to the Bird-Friendly recipes page!!  This page is dedicated to providing other bird lovers with "Bird Friendly" recipes for all occasions!!

Think your bird doesn't like the foods you're cooking for him?  Think they'll turn up their beaks if you offer Birdie Breads or other carb rich foods?

Think Again! Learn Simple Tricks To Get Your Bird Eating Healthy!

Great Enrichment treat for the Summer!
Ingredients:

• 1 container of No-Sugar-Added fruit yogurt
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup raspberries
  
• 1 Banana
• 1 pear
• 1 peach
• 1 apple
• 1 mango
• Any other fruits you'd like to include

Suggested Directions:
In a blender, add your Banana, yogurt & any soft fruits that will blend into a smooth mixture.  Cut up your cored & seeded fruits, add the chunks & blend.  [Do not add seeds, cores, etc.]  I take the skin off fruits such as kiwi, mango, peaches & papaya while leaving skin on apples & pears.  Add all berries, and blend.  pour this mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze!  Serve one per day in a dish, mixed in with their fresh foods, or read the tips below for other good serving ideas to pique your bird's interest and add mental enrichment to their meal!

TIPS:

• You can just freeze one whole berry in the middle of the cube and hang it up or set in cage.
• You can substitute a healthy all natural juice, like orange juice or cranberry juice for the yogurt
• You can freeze a leather rope into these Popsicles so that they can chew the rope after it’s melted (or before..) if they want!!!!
• You could add beads/wood toys to the rope/chain for more fun!
• The great part about using yogurt as the base for this sorbet treat is that it freezes softer than with juices or water, so you can stick it on a birdie kabob alone or with wood, mineral blocks or other fresh foods.

Why it's great:
The yogurt is beneficial because of the bacteria cultures found in yogurt which are soothing to the digestive system (in moderate amounts).  The berries are beneficial because Berries contain phytochemicals and flanoids that may help to prevent some diseases.

You could mix & match different flavors & shapes of Popsicles and hang on a Birdie Kabob and let it melt for your bird in his cage all day long! Birdie Kabobs can be purchased at Parrot World USA!

These muffins are my bird's newest favorite.  They are devoured EVERY day!

• 1 Box Jiffy Cornbread Muffin Mix
• 1 Egg w/ Shell (crushed)
• 1/3 Cup Milk
• 2 Very Ripe Bananas
• 2 Cups Rolled Oats
• 1 Tablespoon Oat Bran
• 1 Tablespoon Wheat Bran
• Dash of Cinnamon
• 1 Cup Nature's Harvest Organic Granola Mixture

Mix the Cornbread mix.  Add Egg & Milk.  Mash the Bananas thoroughly, and stir into Cornbread mixture.  Add the Rolled Oats/Oatmeal and a dash of Cinnamon for flavoring.  Scoop into a mini-muffin tin, and sprinkle a little of the Granola Mixture on top of each muffin.  (The Granola Mixture includes Oatmeal and organic, fresh Sunflower seeds- Sure to entice even the pickiest beaks to try!)

This is my favorite recipe to bake for my birds because you can mix & match ingredients to make it more nutritious and tasty for your fids.  As long as you follow the directions on the box for the Corn Bread muffins, you can add basically anything to it that's nutritious. This is what I typically mix in with mine.  Have fun with it!

• 1 Box Jiffy Corn Bread mix
• 2/3 cup milk (or as directed on box)
• 1 egg (whisked) with shell (ground)
• Handfull Craisens
• 2 Tablespoons Harrison's pellets
• Handfull Pumpkin seeds (or any other roasted, non-salted seeds)
• 3/4 Cup cooked Brown Rice
• 1/2 Tablespoon powdered Spirulina
• Anything else bird friendly that you may have on hand

I start by whisking the egg and milk together in a small/medium mixing bowl.  Preheat the oven 400 degrees.  In another bowl, crush up the egg shell from your egg into tiny little bits.  Mix that into your bowl of egg & milk.  Mix in the package of Corn Bread Muffin mix, and add in anything you'd like.  I typically take roasted, non-salted seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and peel the shells off.  If you're feeding for smaller birds, I like to crush the seeds into smaller bits, and stir into the mixture.  Then I add a handfull of 'Craisens' brand dried Cranberries. Mix in Harrison's pellets, a handfull of live sprout seeds (Various mixtures), cooked Brown Rice and powdered Spirulina. If you have any other bird safe food items on hand, like frozen peas, dehyderated fruits, etc. you can add those in for more flavor!!

I use a small muffin tray to cook mine on, makes about 32 small sized muffins.  Grease with nonstick spray, and plop your mixture into the muffin cups, filling each cup about 1/2-3/4 full.  Cook for 11-14 minutes; they're done when the tops have a golden brown tint.  (NOTE: If you use the powdered Spirulina, your batter will look green while mixing, but after they cook, they will be ordinary colored corn bread muffins!)

Recipe Ingredients
1��-cup sugar-free applesauce
1��-cup all-bran cereal
11��-cups whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1��-teaspoon baking soda
11��-cups canned pumpkin
1 egg, beaten
1��-teaspoon ground ginger
1��-teaspoon ground cloves
11��-teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-cup cranberries
1 banana, mashed
Plain pumpkin seeds (optional)

Preparation
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
• Blend all-bran cereal and applesauce together in a large bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the cereal to soften
• Mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda in another bowl
• Add canned pumpkin, egg, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, cranberries and mashed banana into the cereal-applesauce mixture
• Fold in the dry mixture. Make sure to blend it in, don’t over mix. The batter should be lumpy. (Over-mixing the batter will make it tough.)
• Spoon 1�� cup of the batter into muffin cups
• Top each with three to four plain pumpkin seeds on top for decoration
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (depending on how hot your stove cooks). Cool muffins on a wire rack for three minutes before you remove them from the muffin pan

How We Made It Bird-Friendly
We removed the sugar and the milk from the original recipe. We used cranberries and banana as natural sweeteners, the amounts of which you can adjust depending on your preferred sweetness levels. Experiment with other natural sweeteners like apples or blueberries. You can also substitute 13��-teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in place of the ground ginger, ground cloves and ground cinnamon. Sugar-free applesauce was used instead of milk to add moisture and additional sweetness to the recipe.

(Compliments of Bird Channel)

Recipe Ingredients
11�� -cups chicken or vegetable broth
11�� -cups water
2��-cup cornmeal
31��-cups plain breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
2��-cup chopped celery
1��-cup cranberries
1��-cup plain cracked sunflower seeds
2-teaspoons rosemary

Preparation
• Bring broth to a boil in a pot
• Add cornmeal to broth, continuously stirring to reduce lumps
• Add breadcrumbs, egg, chopped celery, rosemary, cranberries and sunflower seeds
• Let mixture stand for 5 minutes

How We Made It Bird-Friendly
This recipe is a healthy version you can share with your bird. We made our own breadcrumbs from toasted whole-wheat bread that was cut into bite-sized cubes. We removed the salt from the recipe and added cranberries and sunflower seeds to add flavor. If you prefer a stronger flavor, add in other spices or herbs to your portion.

(Compliments of Bird Channel)

Here's the recipe I use for birdie pumpkin bread. I put a small square or two with their fresh food every morning, and it's one of the first things they eat. Substitute things and be creative. For example, you could sprinkle a Kashi cereal on top or add other fresh foods.

1 can of organic pumpkin or sweet potato puree(15 oz)
4 oz yogurt
1/2 cup applesauce (instead of oil)
Some ground flax seed
1 whole egg (including shell)
1/4 cup of mango or carrot juice
2+ TBL quinoa
Mixed un-sulphured dried fruits and raw sunflower seeds
About 2 cups Arrowhead Mills Organic Cornbread mix-enough to make a stiff batter

EXTRA Nutrition: If you have a juicer, add the pulp from a carrots or other great veggies. Other items can be added, just adjust texture using more mix or liquid. Almond Milk is just as good as mango juice.

Bake about 30 minutes @ 375 degrees
Freeze in sections, keep 2-3 days worth fresh.

(Compliments of Bird House)

3 c. apple juice
1/4 c. oat groats
1/2 c quinoa
1/2 c. millet
1/4 c Raisins (optional)
1/4 c. almonds, chopped
1/4 teas. cinnamon
1/8 teas. sea salt

Place all the ingredients in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat
and simmer for 30 minutes or until the cereal is creamy. Toward the end of
the cooking time, stir occasionally to prevent scorching.

This makes up enough for several days, depending on your appetite and the
fids, so you can make it ahead and then just heat it up on work days, or if
just for the birds, freeze in portion cups. This is the original recipe, as
I got it. However, I find it a little sweet for me, so instead of all apple
juice, I usually make it half juice and half water. You can vary the
proportion according to your taste buds. I also don't think the small amount
of salt in it is harmful, but you can always leave it out if you're worried.

(Compliments of Bird House)

1 cup ground bird pellets
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup ground almonds
4 whole eggs
1 jar baby food carrots

baby juice ( I used apple) or water to mix into firm dough
roll into small balls, place on a lightly greased cookie sheet,
Bake at 325
for 20-30 minutes. Cool, refrigerate or freeze.

(Compliments of Bird House)

• 1 ) Cook one large sweet potato in the microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until very soft. Split the skin, and scoop out the flesh. Mash it up well in a large bowl.
• 2) Add 1/3 of a very soft, ripe banana, being sure not to use any part of the banana that has brown spots.
• 3) Add one jar of any baby fruit and one jar of any baby vegetable. I like to use the ones that are a mixture, like sweet potato and applesauce, etc. Just seems like more flavor than a straight vegetable.
• 4) Add one cup of frozen peas or corn.
• 5) Add 1/3 or 1/4 cup of a natural peanut butter.
• 6) Add a little cinnamon. Since I never measure spices in my own cooking, I can't suggest how much to use.

Mix it up well. It will be a sticky mess at this point, but it will roll up into balls, or you can also use an ice cream scoop.

Pour out some Grape Nuts cereal onto waxed paper, then roll each ball in the cereal until it is well covered. Put them into a container and then into the freezer.

I put three at a time in my microwave, set it on defrost for about 45 seconds to one minute. The time will depend upon how many you defrost at a time, and how "hot" your microwave is. Be sure that they are warm clear through, as sweet potatoes are heavy and take longer to get warm. Also, be VERY sure not to burn your fingers when you are breaking them up into the birds' dishes.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can change it around, add anything that your birds really like. I have at times put in the crumbs of NutriBerries or the small remains of pellets. You can add fresh, finely chopped veggie, or any kind of baby food, or chopped up nuts. Just use your imagination and your birds' favorite treats and they will really go for it! And with the sweet potato being the main ingredient, they are also getting Vitamin A. Experiment and enjoy !

(Compliments of Bird House)