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First, I am not an animal nutritionist or otherwise educated/trained in animal care.  What I know is from my own research.

Formulate and prepare balanced recipes.  This means the recipe should include protein, vegetables, fruits, dairy (unless lactose intolerant), and starches (rice, potatoes, pasta, barley, etc).

There is no consensus on the percentages/amounts of each ingredient within a given formulation/recipe.  For example, in my researching, the protein percentage ranged from 16 to 50% of the total recipe.  Be aware that the higher the protein percentage, the more expensive the food will be.

Yes, I work with formulations and percentages to create my recipes.  Part of it is habit born from making bath & body products, where I can see balance/imbalance.  Formulations and percentages also allows you to scale the amount of your recipes.  For example, if your formulation creates 16oz of food by weight, but you need 5 pounds, you can easily scale/multiply to create a larger batch.  The reverse is also true ... you can scale a 40 pound batch down to 1 pound.

Always work with weights, not volume (e.g. using measuring cups and spoons).  Weight is far more accurate, and water is the only ingredient where weight equals volume.  Get a kitchen scale.  Doesn't have to be expensive or overly fancy.  You need it to weigh in ounces and at least 1/10th of an ounce.

A meat grinder is not absolutely essential unless you want to grind your own raw meat, such as beef for burgers.

A food processer can come in handy.  You can chop or puree fruits and vegetables, as well as blending the entire recipe together (in batches unless the recipe is small) especially if you want a ground or pate type of food.

If you don't have a food processor, a good chef's knife and cutting board will suffice.  After "stewing" a whole chicken until it was fall apart tender, it took me less than 20 minutes to remove skin and bones, and chop the meat.  I chopped in "batches" and transferred the meat to a large bowl.  Then I further 'crumbled'/shredded the meat with my fingers.

To help keep your hands clean, as well as not having to stop and wash them between preps or for interruptions, wear gloves like medical professionals use.  You can find them in stores such as WalMart, Walgreens, and wholesale stores like Costco.  

Do give your dogs fresh, crunchy vegetables and fruits.  The crunchiness is good for their teeth.  Fresh vegetables are also low in calories, so they add bulk without too many calories as well as making good snacks/treats.  Limit the amount of fresh fruit due to the natural sugar in them.  Dogs just don't need a lot of sugar, not to mention more calories than veggies.  You can add the fresh veggies and fruits to the recipe after cooking and cooling (so you don't cook them), or feed them separately.

Corn is not a vegetable.  It is a grain.  If you want to use corn, include it in the starch percentage.

Be sure to remove seeds/pits from apples, pears, watermelon, peaches, plums, etc.  These are not good for your dog.

Fresh vegetables should be a rather high percentage of the recipe.  They provide excellent nutrition, essential nutrients, low calorie bulking, and fiber.  Some of my favs (so far) are green beans, sugar snap peas (limited due to sugar), carrots, celery, and peas.  I do half cooked and half raw.  I also like canned pumpkin (100% pumpkin, NOT pie filling).  Fav fruits (so far) include apples, pears and strawberries.  The apples and pears are included raw in the recipe, as well as used for a snack or treat.  Fresh strawberries are given as a snack or treat.

Do be aware that some foods, such as broccoli and cauliflower, can give your dog gas.  If your dog already has gas issues, these foods will make it worse.  Feed sparingly if at all.

Do be aware that dogs have allergies too, so introduce new foods gradually and one at a time.  If you introduce too many new foods at once, you will not be able to determine which one is causing the problem.

Furbaby has gastric upset?  Start by feeding them rice boiled in chicken broth mixed with a little canned pumpkin.  This is a bland food that is gentle on the tummy and will help stop diarrhea.  After 2 or 3 days on this, and if the diarrhea has stopped, add some boiled chicken to the mixture.  After another 2 or 3 days, add vegetables.  A day or two after adding the vegetables, your dog should be able to return to a normal diet.  NOTE: If the rice and pumpkin does not stop the diarrhea within 3 days, take your dog to the vet.  There is probably some underlying condition causing the problem.

Buy bulk when possible since bulk items have a lower per unit cost.  Whole chicken instead of breasts, the largest size bag of rice you can find and afford, etc.  Buy from a local wholesale club.  The money you save will pay for the membership fee rather quickly.  For example, at Costco the other day, we paid 89 cents per pound for whole chicken, $16.99 for a 50 pound bag of rice (34 cents per ounce), $7.69 for an 8-pack of organic diced tomatoes (96 cents per can ... my local stores charge $1.50 and up), and the list goes on.  In order to save money, you do need to be aware of your local grocery store prices and sales.

Fresh is best, but frozen is a great substitute when fresh is not available.  The only canned items I buy (at this point) are diced tomatoes and unsweetened applesauce.

When buying peanut butter for your pups, buy an all natural brand without added sugar, salt and fats.  It does not have to be organic or expensive.  Jif makes a natural one that costs no more than their regular peanut butter.

For extra nutrition and flavor, I cook rice and vegetables in chicken broth (homemade w/no salt or an organic brand).  When I use canned tomatoes, I sub the liquid for an equal amount of the broth.  I use this broth whenever I need to add liquid to a recipe.  I only use water when I have no other option.

Since I boil whole chickens, there is fat in the broth I make.  I do not add any additional fat, such as cooking or specialty oils, and use low fat ricotta, cottage cheese and yogurt sparingly.

No, you do not need to boil whole chickens if you don't want to.  I do it because I do not work at this time and therefore have time, and because it is more cost effective.  And sometimes you want something fast and easy because you forgot to cook the chicken, or for variety.  I'll eventually be posting recipes of this type.

Brain has died for now, so I'll add more as I think of it.

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Thought of a few more tips/hints while feeding the animals.

If you don't want, or don't have the time during the day, to stew a whole chicken, put it in a crockpot and cook overnight.  The bird cooks while you sleep or are at work.  You can finish prepping the meat when ready.  This also means you'll be making less broth, which is not a bad thing.  Cooking a whole chicken on the stove results in several quarts of broth.

I forgot to mention that spinach, fresh or frozen, is another fav veggie.

"Master batch" the main cooked recipe, and prep fresh veggies and fruits either immediately before serving or ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.  Add the fresh veggies and/or fruit to the bowl with the cooked portion.  This is also a good way to add some variety to the food by adding different veggies and/or fruit from what's cooked.

If you don't want to mix canned pumpkin into the main recipe, add a dollop on top the food portion.  Quick and easy!

Instead of trying to mix large batches of food with a spoon, take a tip from professional chefs and cooks.  Put on your gloves and mix with your hands.  Sometimes the consistency of the food makes it difficult to mix with a spoon or spatula, especially if you have arthritis or carpal tunnel.  Mixing with your hands is faster and easier, and causes less pain to hands, wrists and arms.  And because of the gloves, you have one less utensil to wash.