Building Moments Around Meals With #NutrishForCats + Maple Salmon Recipe #MC

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Nutrish for Cats. I received a sample of #NutrishForCats to facilitate this review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Momma Told Me: Feed to fuel, not to feel

I do not have human kids yet, but I am not without children. It is no secret that my love for my pets goes beyond household companion- we share a bond that transcends words to a complex communication of nuzzles and nudges. Truffles, the cat, is our 'oldest,' child but easily the most babied. Even at 5 years she still has the wonderment of a kitten, and the magical disposition of being a runt gives her a miniature cat appeal every guest can't help but fall in love with themselves. And every morning I awake to a nose on my face, a swat at my feel, or a tail in my mouth. If I sleep in especially late (past breakfast) I know I will owe some one-on-one time with the dangly things and noisemakers Truffles so loves to play with.

 

TOKhe unfortunate reality, for most pet parents, is that the lives of felines an canines do not match the expectancy of ourselves, as humans. Because of this regular veterinarian checkups, an active lifestyle, and healthy diet are key to enjoying every single purr and woof our furry friends have to offer. My discretion over what went in Truffles mouth did not stop after the midnight bottle feedings of her kitten-hood. We live in a small condo, and she is an indoor cat, so there are constantly lifestyle challenges for us to work around.

Indoor cats, especially, can be prone to weight issues and joint problems due to poor diet and lack of appetite. Pet parents often assume that a cat's lazy nature is due to aging; when in fact it is most often in part due to a nutrient lacking diet and lack of engagement. Cats by nature, will be more active at night, so try to take advantage of special bonding and play times just before you go to bed, or right after you wake, when cats will be most active. Focusing on feeding your cat a meal that is high in protein (it should be the number 1 ingredient, in fact,) and offers essential amino acids and vitamins like Taurine and Vitamin B. Not only will a nutrient rich cat food help aid digestion for more productive metabolism, but it can improve vision and hart health over the life of your pet.

There are a lot of pet food brands on the market, and most veterinarians will often have a pricey in house brand they are contracted to plug (Blue Diamond pays vets and breeders alike to promote their brands.) If you are going to choose a pet food based on the suggestion of a professional, consider asking if they have any affiliation first, then read some labels of your own. Finding a food that supports your cat's health is important, but you also want a food they will love to eat. That's why Rachael Ray has rolled her 'simple recipes' concept into 6 wholesome varieties of #NutrishForCats dry and wet food.

The Nutrish range of premium cat food aims to remove preservatives and fillers from everyday meals, replacing them with real chicken and salmon as the primary ingredient. There are a lot of things in commercials and pamphlets about this food, but I have my own favorite details. First and foremost, the flavorful recipes, like Real Salmon and Brown Rice or Ocean Fish and Chicken Catch-iatore, are inspired by simply good, real, human meals. I can look at the ingredients (beet pulp, brown rice, yeast) and make an inspired meal of my own that would be equally healthy for me to eat. In fact, I did! Scroll to the bottom of the post to see my Rachael Ray inspired Smoky Maple-Glazed Salmon.

The Nutrish for cats range of dry foods offer extremely easy to chew and eat small kernels that allow Truffles to better digest her food, and (yes) feel like she is eating more. I can even put half a serving with some brown rice and (unseasoned) salmon for a special meal we can enjoy together. She may not know what is in the food she's eating, but she knows her Momma is the bringer of delicious, and we craft countless memories and moments from that. I simply enjoy knowing I am doing my best to keep her adorable face in my bed for as many mornings as I can.

Try out the Rachael Ray #NutrishForCats range today with exclusive money saving coupons!

What Daughter Says: Feel and Fuel at the same time with smart meal decisions for you and your cat.

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Rachael Ray's Smoky Maple-Glazed Salmon

**Click here to be taken to a printable page for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown or white rice
• 1 bundle watercress or upland cress (2 cups), stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• 4 medium to large carrots or multi-colored farmer's market carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon all-natural liquid smoke
• 1/2 cup dark amber maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 4 salmon fillets, skin removed (8 ounces each)
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seafood seasoning
• 2 cups frozen sweet peas
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup chives, chopped

Directions:

1.) Prepare the brown or white rice, according to the package directions. When the rice is done, fluff with a fork and combine with the watercress leaves.

2.) When the rice has been cooking for 5 minutes, pre-heat the broiler and heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon EVOO, a turn of the pan. Add the carrots to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Sauté to tender-crisp, 6-7 minutes.

3.) Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring the liquid smoke, maple syrup and vinegar to a boil and reduce over high heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4.) Season the salmon with salt, pepper and Old Bay seafood seasoning. Heat the remaining tablespoon EVOO, a turn of the pan, in a large, ovensafe, nonstick skillet and cook the salmon top-side down, 3-4 minutes. Flip and pour the maple syrup glaze over the top of the fish and place under the broiler for 3 minutes to caramelize the glaze.

5.) Add the peas to the carrots and heat through while the fish is under the broiler. Add the butter and chives to the veggies. When the butter has melted, turn off the heat.
Serve the salmon with the peas and carrots and rice with watercress alongside.

Taming Darth Truffles With Premium Black Label #ShebaCat Food #ad

Momma Told Me: Come to the dark side.

My children have fur- okay, the dog technically has hair, but you get the point. Truffles, the cat, is my baby. Despite being the oldest, she is a Mama's girl who follows me around the house, especially behind closed doors (can you say awkward in the bathroom?) Because I spend the majority of my days home, it's her companionship that keeps me sane, or not so much, during the day. She'll lay just over my shoulder on the couch and twitch her tiny paws along to whatever cinema is playing in her dreams. I often wonder what, exactly, goes on in those dreams, she spends so much of her day weaving- I asked her once, but all I got was a run of 'Mah-ahs' and chitters. Whatever adventures she's off having all day, I'm sure to fuel her with quality cat food that I feel shows my love.

We don't always serve wet food, but when we do, it's Sheba cat food. Outside of the fact that Ms. Truffles has the nickname 'Queen of Sheba,' this picky eater quickly approved of the single serve 3oz cans the first time I brought them home from Walmart and stacked them on our lazy susan. Within minutes the Queen was nuzzling the golden cans, demanding meal time. While she may be the 'queen' of the house, I still rule over the cans, which can turn Truffles to the dark-side quickly. Have you ever imagined an alternate life for your pet?

When Truffles isn't playing the queen, she's known for being anti-social to anyone but me. And, when she wants to play, it's time to play- dropping Beanie Babies on my keyboard and even flipping stuffed 'mice' on my plate while I eat. If she goes too long without her Sheba cat food, she quickly turns into Darth Truffles- a force so dark, so furry, the mere sight of it's swishing tail strikes terror into the very citizens of Wood residence.

Darth Truffles knows when it's time for Sheba; whether it's the dense texture of their premium pates, indulgent Gravy Desires or Premium Cuts in Gravy, her intergalactic nose can always hunt it's prey. With 'feeding time' falling at 10:30 AM and PM every day, ankles will be swat, and the force will be against anyone who dares to rise from their seat without feeding Darth Truffles. The council has tried to reason with her on many occasions; for Darth Truffles did not always align with the Dark Side. Only recently did Sheba redesign their premium grain and corn free food with a new Black label. But Darth Truffles was un-trusting, what were these new black cans, and where had her Sheba gone?

A darkness enveloped the couch; all trade shut down in the hallway, and citizens were forced to close doors when they went to the bathroom, for fear of an 'attack.' Ankles wore extra armor, and even the avian citizens of Earth dared not pass by Darth Truffles' window. The Force was out of balance, too much darkness there was. But two tiny mice, from the high council, approached the dark kitty with the promise of flavor, texture, and nutrition. With 11 flavors, across 3 texture varieties, newly re-designed Sheba cat food was still the same, responsibly sourced, cat food Darth Truffles had already grown to love. But could her tongue, and her heart come to love Sheba all over again?

The mice spent hours in council with Truffles, who seemed to recall a lighter day; a day where everyone had fought on the same side, everyone had fought for flavor. Her whiskers began to twitch, her tail swept back and forth playfully; but she could not relinquish the dark side entirely, it was a part of her. Black, and white, good and evil, raged inside the tiny tuxedo cat. Should she trust the wrinkled olive who spoke backwards, and what was the brown guy's angle? All he seemed to do was speak nonsense, perhaps he was asking for a good barber? Then the green one spoke wisdom of interest: "Download a valuable coupon when you visit the Sheba website, you will." Coupons! Finally something Momma could understand. A Buy 6, Get One Free printable coupon for premium black label Sheba cat food; Mom would have to give in!

At last, the Empire was in balance again, for Momma went out and bought Truffles her favorite Mixed Grill Cuts in Gravy, and even a few new favorites! Darth Truffles feasted alongside her new friends, pink tongue darting side to side, licking her serving bowl clean. Each 3oz can was the perfect serving size for this 5lb cat, who indulged in the rich, hearty, chunks of real protein in flavorful gravy. And, with 11 flavors to choose from, Darth Truffles was sure to never get bored. Suddenly, the green one was looking less like an olive, and more like a mouse. Not that that was any better, but it's much harder to rationalize eating a mouse in a coat than an olive. But I digress, the Empire was at peace once more, and Darth Truffles soon set down her helmet and saber to preside over planet Sheba again.

 Even as an adult, 4 year old, cat, Truffles is full of personality, and constantly active. She fosters her hunting instinct 'hugging' the fishbowl, and demands a minimum of several rounds of fetch with her favorite Beanie Babies before her humans go to bed. If you talk to her, she always talks back, so much that we set her up with her own Facebook page (with Momma's supervision, of course)- and her favorite thing to eat is a bowl full of hearty chunks of meat. With broth and protein making the first ingredients in all of Sheba's premium black label cans, both Mom and kitty can trust Sheba for high quality food that provides Truffles with the necessary fuel to tackle whatever epic adventures the day will bring. Even more important to mom, Sheba uses 5 varieties of responsibly sourced whitefish, that helps keep the galaxy in balance, one can at a time!

What Daughter Says: Truffles trusts the new dark side of Premium Sheba Cat food with black label cans. After all, it's hard to resist the Darkside when they have salmon.