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Food for 4 Big Macs!!!!!!!!!!

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TextsFromParrots

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Holy cow! :eek: They make what I feed my fids seem like chump change! What big eaters. ;) Then again Piper is probably the size of Quito's beak so I guess it figures.
 

Merlie

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Oooh Merlie.... their stuff looks great.... I am trying to get more of this quality food for them.... thanks for sharing it....

What do you use for the grains in your base?
I use a mix of organic Quinoa, barley, amaranth, brown/black rices .. etc. Sometimes whole wheat couscous. Trader Joe's has some decent organic blends, and I kinda just add to it depending on my mood .. lol. There's also a brand called "Ancient Grains" .. I believe I get it at Costco, that makes some really nice organic grain blends. Quinoa is always, always my base though .. it's a "super grain" .. very healthy stuff.

Anna, I noticed you have Star Anise in your dry mix, is that part of another mix, or do you add it separately? I always have a heck of a time finding Star Anise, and several of my fiddos love it.


I don't know much about dried foods.
Nutritionally speaking, is there much nutrition in them? Lots, medium or small amounts?
Spoke too soon, I just looked at Merlie's site and it has nutritional info on it. But I don't know what to compare it to.
I'm not 100% sure .. I know .. bad on me .. I've always understood that dehydrated/air dried stuff does retain a decent amount of nutrients though, but I'm sure not as much as fresh. However, there is a certain .. "convenience/yummy" factor to the dried goodies. It's not their "core" diet, but makes a nice addition.
 

Annamacaw

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I don't know much about dried foods.
Nutritionally speaking, is there much nutrition in them? Lots, medium or small amounts?
My understanding is that dried foods are more concentrated, I know many have more calories, some nutrients are decreased, but I really like the dried foods because they can be left out all day without worrying about spoilage.... my birds love to forage in their dried food bowls, of course they throw most of it out!!!

I really look to the fresh veggies for their best nutrition....they love their main meal and they always look forward to the fresh stuff....

I love sticking new things in with the big meals and changing up the special surprise in those meals. I don't substitute dried for fresh, they always have dried food available and the fresh foods are fed morning and evening so I know they have good healthy food all the time.

I am also with them when they eat their morning and evening meals so I make sure everybody is eating a good amount and I see what foods each one prefers ... Quito and Anna love brocoli, and Cauliflower, Kita loves Chard and green beans Capri loves corn on the cob and carrots so they each get extras of their faves in the bowls....

These give general/practical info on the nutrtional value of fruits and veggies (you will find more links on these pages):

Nutrition Dried Vegetables | LIVESTRONG.COM

Nutrition In Freeze-dried Vegetables | LIVESTRONG.COM

Freeze Dried Nutrition | LIVESTRONG.COM

This is old but good info on the dehydrating process:

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ap42/ch09/final/c9s08-2.pdf
 
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Danita

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I use a mix of organic Quinoa, barley, amaranth, brown/black rices .. etc. Sometimes whole wheat couscous. Trader Joe's has some decent organic blends, and I kinda just add to it depending on my mood .. lol. There's also a brand called "Ancient Grains" .. I believe I get it at Costco, that makes some really nice organic grain blends. Quinoa is always, always my base though .. it's a "super grain" .. very healthy stuff.

Anna, I noticed you have Star Anise in your dry mix, is that part of another mix, or do you add it separately? I always have a heck of a time finding Star Anise, and several of my fiddos love it.






I'm not 100% sure .. I know .. bad on me .. I've always understood that dehydrated/air dried stuff does retain a decent amount of nutrients though, but I'm sure not as much as fresh. However, there is a certain .. "convenience/yummy" factor to the dried goodies. It's not their "core" diet, but makes a nice addition.
I am wondering if they will eat more of it, if I add it to my dried mixes. So it tastes better? Sorry to be so full of questions :o:


This thread gave me a light bulb moment. When Merlie said "mix with a base" I thought hey!!!! I have the base, I always serve my foods all seperated, the mash, then fruit, then veggies, like a plate of dinner :hehe: They never ate the mash part!!! well duh
So I just mixed it all together now for todays bowl :D
 

Deejo

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Spoke too soon, I just looked at Merlie's site and it has nutritional info on it. But I don't know what to compare it to.
Dried (dehydrated) foods are simply foods with the moisture content removed.
They retain all the nutrition of fresh foods. This applies to low temp drying.


 

Danita

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I buy my star anise at an Italian Grocers, I wonder if it is something they use more in cooking :confused:
 

Danita

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Dried (dehydrated) foods are simply foods with the moisture content removed.
They retain all the nutrition of fresh foods. This applies to low temp drying.


Woohoo!!!!
:dance4:
Doris to the rescue.

I better skiddadle, I am late for work now with all this interesting stuff :lol:
 

birdlvr466

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Dianne everything looks amazing. I am going to try your birdy bread recipe.
 

Ziggymon

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Frontier has organic star anise: Frontier Bulk Star Anise, CERTIFIED ORGANIC 1 lb. package-(2891)

I like all their spices, actually.

I'm going to have to try freezing some of my guys' veggies. So far, they've been getting fresh prepped every day - they prefer that (the little stinkers even seem to know whether their cooked foods are fresh or reheated) - but it would be handy to have some in the freezer for days when things are crazy.

I second Merlie's endorsement of quinoa as being a super healthy grain. I rinse it well before cooking, otherwise it can have a bitter taste.

My guys tend to prefer cooked foods flavored with spices - they turn their beaks up at *plain* mashes. Since I'm vegetarian, they and I tend to eat much the same meals - I just take their food out before I add salt. They don't like most legumes/pulses, but they do like lentils and tofu in pretty much any form, and we're working on broadening their horizons.
 
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Merlie

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Oh!!! Thanks for the link Ziggy!! They have some awesome looking goodies too!! I love having an arsenal of resources!!
 

Ziggymon

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I need to try some dried veggies and fruits with my guys - I've always stayed awy from dried fruits because of the high concentration of sugars - not good for humans, so I figured not good for birds, but in moderation, there can't be any harm.
 

Annamacaw

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Anna, I noticed you have Star Anise in your dry mix, is that part of another mix, or do you add it separately? I always have a heck of a time finding Star Anise, and several of my fiddos love it.

Mine love it too...it is an aormatic seed and it has diruetic effects ...... so give in moderation.....

Oh I buy it by the pound..... Kathie has it (MSBS)
 
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Annamacaw

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I don't think you can buy it anywhere but thought I better mention that Japanese Star Anise is Poisonous so make sure you get Star Anise. They look alike so be sure to buy from a reputable source....
I can't remember all the details but sometime back there was Star Anise tea that was contaminated with Japanese Star Anise and people got very sick.....
 

expressmailtome

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Thank you for sharing about the japanese star anise. It is important to know.

Matt
 

Leza

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Holy cow! :eek: They make what I feed my fids seem like chump change! What big eaters. ;) Then again Piper is probably the size of Quito's beak so I guess it figures.
Piper is the size of quitos tongue :lol:
 

HollyT

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Wow thanks so much for sharing the details! Really great information.
 

Danita

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Okay, what kind of dried veggies should I get :D
I want to order this weekend
 
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