Cooking for you pet bird or parrot is a great way to bond with your parrot as well as providing nutrition that your bird will love to sink it's beak into!
Here is one word of caution before running to the kitchen. Make sure any cooked food is sufficiently cooled before giving it to your bird. The following recipes can be used in cases where you want to give your bird a special treat. Even though these recipes are not all perfectly healthy, they are perfectly "bird-elicious".
Birdy bread - This is very popular and there are hundreds of different recipes for Birdy bread. The basic ingredients are corn muffin mix, one more egg (shell and all) than the box calls for and one of the following (or a mix).
cup of mixed vegetables (fresh - if possible, frozen, canned - last resort)
4-ounce jar of vegetable baby food
hulled seeds
some pellets
Blend well and bake in a muffin or cake pan using the instructions on the box. This can be preserved in the freezer in appropriate sized chunks.
Rice and Veggie Mix - Cook a cup of brown rice, add in a vegetable mix of corn, peas, and carrots, and add in a finely chopped very hard-boiled egg.
French Birdy bread - This is French toast with a twist. Add hulled seeds to the egg covered bread and cook as usual. You can use egg substitutes for a healthier recipe.
Polly-Cakes - This is regular pancakes with a twist. Add hulled seeds to the pancake and cook as usual.
Parrot Pizza - Use regular pizza crust. Bake the crust and let it cool. Smear peanut button (low fat) on the crust and add nuts, seeds, and chopped vegetables. For those that are really in a hurry, use whole grain toast instead of pizza crust.
Cherrio Necklace - String a bunch of Cheerios through a piece of wire. Twist the ends together to form a loop. Spread peanut butter onto the Cheerios and dip the ring into seeds. Hang it up.
Peanut Butter Breakfast Balls - Mix peanut butter (low fat) with Grape-nuts cereal and roll into balls. You can substitute with another of your bird's favorite breakfast cereal (crushed). You may also add seeds to the mixture or substitute seeds for the cereal.
Pine-Nutty Cones - Thoroughly rinse off a pinecone and allow it to dry in the sun if possible. Spread a thick layer of peanut butter (low fat) on, around, and in a pinecone. On a sheet of wax paper spread seeds and crushed cereal out and roll the pinecone repeatedly until well coated.
Popcorn Cakes - Popcorn cakes (look like rice cakes but are made from corn) can be found in most health food stores. Smear a thin coat of peanut butter (low fat) onto the cake. Apply seeds, fruit, and/or diced vegetables to the peanut butter.
Fruit and Vegetable Kabob - take some pieces of fruits and vegetables and poke holes in them. Thread a piece of untreated rawhide through the fruits and vegetables to make a kabob.