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Home » Blog » Hill’s Ideal Balance Crafted: Pet Food Made One Small Batch at a Time + Slow Cooked Chili Recipe #InspiredbyCrafted

Hill’s Ideal Balance Crafted: Pet Food Made One Small Batch at a Time + Slow Cooked Chili Recipe #InspiredbyCrafted

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Last Updated on March 2, 2023 by Alaina

This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Ideal Balance Crafted, but Bullock’s Buzz only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Food trends are constantly changing, and lately, it seems as though they may be changing for the better. Society is becoming more aware of how the foods we eat affect our health and overall well-being. Now more and more Americans are choosing their foods based on nutrition, naturally and locally sourced ingredients, and a healthier preparation process. And it’s not just their own plates that they are thinking about, they are thinking of their pets as well.

Calico cat eating Hill's Ideal Balance Crafted dry cat food

Hill’s Ideal Balance CraftedSlow-Cooked Goodness Packed with Nutrition

Keeping this in mind, Hill’s has developed the new Hill’s® Ideal Balance™ Crafted™ line of pet food which is made the same way you make meals for your family – one small batch at a time. Using only carefully selected, natural, authentic ingredients, the new line contains no poultry by-product meal, no corn, wheat, or soy, and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Balanced Nutrition Your Cat or Dog Needs

In addition, it not only provides your pets with great-tasting food, but it also provides the 100% balanced nutrition your pet needs to live a healthy, active lifestyle. In fact, Hill’s Ideal Balance Crafted was actually created by a team of highly trained Veterinary Nutritionists in order to deliver the ultimate in nutrition for your pet in a way that you would do it if you could on your own stove and oven. 

Hill's Ideal Balance Crafted dry cat food, wet cat food, and cat treats in packaging
hills_crafted_small_batch_badge

Carefully Sourced Ingredients

Each uniquely Hill’s Ideal Balance Crafted recipe is made with care by experienced, dedicated master bakers in small batches using the same ingredients you’d find in your own kitchen. Ingredients include novel proteins from animal sources such as trout, salmon, tuna, roasted beef, and chicken – all of which are slow-cooked to ensure the highest quality of taste and texture – wholesome vegetables like sweet potatoes, barley, and peas, and ancient grains including, quinoa, and buckwheat.  

Tasty, Healthy Diet for Finicky Felines

If you have a finicky feline like our cat Sookie, Ideal Balance Crafted is an ideal choice! This is because the Ideal Balance Crafted cat foods are made using an unusual slow cooking process (instead of being mass-produced and quickly made) along with new, unique, and custom shapes to maximize appeal for finicky felines.

This innovative process is the result of many years of Hill’s research with pets to understand the important impact of texture and shape in improving palatability for cats! Ideal Balance Crafted pet foods will perfectly complement Hill’s existing range of products, such as Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet, that meet specific requirements for pet diets.

bowl of Hill's Ideal Balance Crafted dry food

Food for Choosy Canines

And the same goes for choosy canines! The new Hill’s Crafted dog food recipes call for oven-roasting dog dry kibble – still an uncommon, but very effective way of making dry kibble. Most kibbles is extruded, but this process gives it the texture dogs love! Plus the entire process can be managed with more attention and care which locks in even more flavor and nutrition.

In addition, new technology in wet dog food helps deliver the texture dogs love (shredded in gravy like human stir fry!) along with perfectly balanced nutrition!

plate of Hill's Ideal Balance Crafted wet food

Made the Same Way I Make My Family’s Meals

Hill’s Ideal Balance Crafted reminds me of the way I like to make my family’s meals – in small batches, using high-quality ingredients, cooked slow and with lots of love! In fact, the Crafted way of making wet cat and dog foods (combining the meat, gravy, and vegetables into a delicious, slow-cooked stew) is the same way I make one of our favorite recipes, Slow Cooker Chili! Using only high-quality, fresh ingredients, I combine the meat and vegetables to gether with seasonings, then cook it all together for hours inside my slow cooker. The result is a richly flavored, delicious meal we all love! Be sure to try the recipe below!

ingredients for chili on a glass top table

#InspiredbyCrafted Slow-Cooked Chili

This recipe for Slow Cooked Chili has been a family favorite for years. It is simple to prepare, and slow-cooked to perfection!  

Slow Cooked Chili 

Begin by dicing a garden-fresh green pepper and white onion into small pieces (full printable ecipe at the bottom of this post). ext, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the meat, onion and green pepper stirring until browned. Tip: I like to add a bit of chili powder to the meat and veggies while they brown.

browning beef, green peper and onion in skillet

Drain, then add the meat and veggies to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and the seasonings, mixing well.

chili in a slow cooker with timer set

Set your slow cooker on Low, and cook for 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Once finished, serve with cheese, sour cream, and/or crackers, and enjoy!

bowl of cooked chili

Where to Purchase Hill’s Ideal Balance Crafted

I don’t have the time or a nutritionist’s background to create delicious, balanced cat food so I rely on the experts like Hills! Hill’s Ideal Balance Crafted is currently available at your favorite pet specialty store, with the complete line available by June.

Connect with Hill’s: Website | Facebook | Twitter

What is your pet’s favorite meal?

Yield: 4 bowls

Slow Cooked Chili

Slow Cooked Chili

A rich-flavored chili slow-cooked to perfection!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 can, 1lb 13oz stewed tomatoes
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 small Vidalia onion
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 – 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp paprika

Instructions

  1. Begin by dicing a green pepper and a white onion into small pieces.
  2. Next, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the meat, onion and green pepper together until browned. At this point I like to add a bit of chili powder to the meat and veggies while they brown.
  3. Drain, then add the meat and veggies to the slow cooker.
  4. Add remaining ingredients and the seasonings, mixing well.
  5. Set your slow cooker on Low Heat for 6 to 8 hours.
  6. Once finished, serve with cheese, sour cream, and/or crackers, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 bowl

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 462Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 4071mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 7gSugar: 11gProtein: 38g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated with ingredients and serving size and may not be accurate. Please always double check with your own nutritional apps as well.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram and tag @bullocksbuzz

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Carol Bryant

Friday 8th of May 2015

I love how the Crafted is so delicately made for dogs and my pooch goes bonkers for it.

Felissa (Two Little Cavaliers)

Wednesday 6th of May 2015

Davinia and Indiana got to taste test the CRAFTED for Dogs and thought it was really yummy. We met the Crafted lady at PetSmart the last time we went for a visit!

AlainaBullock1

Wednesday 6th of May 2015

How fun! Sookie adores the Crafted dry and I cannot wait for her to get to try the wet!

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