I did not talk to my vet first, I did try and do a lot of research. As my last dog got into old age, we started making food for her, so my current recipe was adapted from that. My typical recipe is:
*6-8 bone-in skin on chicken thighs
*60 oz bag of Bird's Eye Normandy Blend frozen vegetables (has carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, and zucchini)
*1 cup water
I add the chicken, skin side down, to the crock pot first. I put the vegetables on top and add the water. Cover, let cook until chicken is done and meat falling off the bone. I like to do low like maybe 6 hours, if you are more pressed for time you can cook it on high for less time. YMMV. I like to use chicken thighs for the fat content, and the ease of pulling out a single bone. I have tried doing this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but the meat did not become as tender for whatever reason.
After the meat is cooked, I stir the pot and fish out the bones, making sure the chicken becomes broken up/shredded. I then add half of a 42oz container of old fashioned oats. I stir this through, it adds fiber and bulk and absorbs the fat and water to thicken the mix. I then let it cool and then portion into containers that go into the freezer. I take out a container the day before to put in the fridge to thaw. My girl is 81 lbs and bordering on obese, and she gets 13oz of food per day, split into two meals. She is also fairly sedentary so she is eating less than a lot of other dogs on here, and she also generally gets the last bite of whatever "Daddy" is eating (because I eat spicy foods and she can't have that). She is also very treat motivated (plain Goldfish crackers).
I also make sure to give her a multivitamin daily. I use this one.
My vet is very supportive and is impressed that I am well informed. Had I not looked into it or was not giving a vitamin, she would not recommend it. She's also not fond of the BARF diet. I thought about the BARF diet, but I think it would be too messy for us.
I started doing this for a couple of reasons. When she was a puppy she would eat the kibble of our other dog, but then she stopped eating kibble. But also the horror stories of pets getting sick from kibble, even the high end brands. She is the world to us, and making sure she has safe food is such an easy thing for us to do.
At one point I was making her treats, but that was more labor intensive. I try to keep her treats small because she is so treat motivated and I don't need her to gain more weight! I usually use Bunny Grahams, but the store was out last time so I bought plain Goldfish crackers.
edit: formatting, and I forgot to mention that in addition to the frozen vegetables, I might add any other fruits or veg that need to be eaten. Especially if it is frozen with freezer burn. I had blueberries that I didn't want to go bad and added those in one time. The only things I try to stay away from is corn, since my previous dog had corn allergies, and potatoes, because this dog has a hard time digesting potatoes (throws up, never fun.)