# Did It Myself Food



## Jasonator (Jul 12, 2011)

Just thought I would post this so I don't forget what I did !!

I've been wanting to do this for a while, as I have a lot of mouths to feed and I'm sick of spending so much on food. Food that doesn't quite meet mt stansards.

Recipe:

1 cup ground organic beef heart
1 cup fresh medium sizr shrimp - I grabbed the shrimp from Steveston docks a while ago. They were cheap enough - I didn't like the peeling and dealing with heads and eggs and stuff, but o well, fresh is fresh!
1 cup frozen peas 
1/4 cup frozen corn
3 oz reconstituted freeze dried blackworms
half an orange - no peel
3 medium sized broccoli - about 20% stem
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup peeled diced cucumber
1/2 a head of Romaine lettuce
about a dozen medium sized algae wafers - with a lot of spirulina.

All ingredients are organic except for the frozen peas and corn - they are Green Giant brand.

None of the ingredients were cooked in any way. I may regret not at least blanching the garlic! Smells great, tho!

I through it all in the blender with about 2 cups of water that was used to rehydrate the freeze dried blackworms overnight, and put that blender through some mild abuse. I followed the directions on the gelatin box and added that mix after it cooled. Blend a bit. 
I got 5 ziplock sandwich bags about 1/3 full each. This could last several months.

A rough ballpark cost to me would be about $20 at the very most -- not including any time or gas to get these ingredients. Although, the way I do things, I wouldn't be including gas or my time in the cost, as I'm always multitasking my trips.
A rough time to make this - 2 hrs. - But I doddle at times.
A mess index on a scale of 1 to 10 -- a 3. It would be a 2 but I hate cleaning blenders 

So, after an hour or so, it's just not setting. So, 2 more packs of gelatin in a little less than 1/2 cup boiled water. Let it cool and back in the blender. Then bags and in the fridge.

Will update later for final results!!

Thanks for reading.


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

i tried the same thing awhile back, it turned out not too bad. my girlfriend thought i was nuts. hahaha


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## sarcastickitten (May 26, 2012)

that is an awesome recipe!! I made fry food for my baby Platys, definitely cheaper in the long run!


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## Jasonator (Jul 12, 2011)

Update...

The food is a hit!! All the fish in the house go nuts for this stuff. Most are cichlids of some sort.

The mess isn't bad, it gets a bit cloudy, but doesn't last long at all. This was a concern, as I blended the ingredients so much.

The amount of gelatin is great. Holds together but not too solid.

The smell was off-putting at first because of the garlic... p u ... I wasn't looking forward to that pungent smell as I was sipping fresh coffee at 5 in the morning before work. But, it went away!! TOTALLY. it has a very mild smell of fish/shrimp, but you have to stick your nose in the bag to smell anything. Another plus.

Just happy this worked out. I can't find a bad thing about this result! At the cost, effort and quality, I really don't know why everyone doesn't do this!!


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

How much do u thing u spend? like money time etc


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## Smallermouse (Jan 28, 2012)

i would rather just buy it instead cause of the time wasted. unless you have alot of time on your hands


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## bcorchidguy (Jan 14, 2011)

Instead of gelatin for the next batch just fill the bags about the same then push out any air and press them thin and freeze them. You can shred them into water or break off small bits and they'll store for a very very long time. Myself I'd leave out the corn, the cover on the kernels (no idea what it's called) can't be broken down in the fishes stomach so in theory they could end up with a blocked intestine if they got a larger bit, other than that maybe a bit of spirulina powder but you've got a great recipe and yup I bet the fish love it.

Douglas


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