The past couple of days, my middle child and I have been battling a pretty nasty cold: coughing, congestion, headaches, ear aches, and just overall feeling like garbage. Colds are never fun, but they become especially problematic when you’re pregnant and can’t really take much for it. (Plus, sleep is already difficult and adding a cold to the mix just makes everything worse.)

What’s a mom to do?

Well, besides the obvious Tylenol and Vicks combo, the greatest trick up my sleeve is to make bone broth.

Our grandmas and moms were onto something when they made us chicken noodle soup to fight off the cold or the flu. Broth made from the bones of a chicken (or other animals: pig, fish, etc.) are incredible nutrient-dense, full of gelatin and collagen, boosts immunity, and are very warming and soothing.

I probably make a pot of bone broth at least once a week. It truth, each of us should be drinking a cup a broth a day just to keep our nutrient stores full and our gut healthy. If Hippocrates was right and all disease starts in the gut, then we need to be healing our gut with yummy, healthy, and proper food! Bone broth helps heal the gut by promoting healthy bacteria and by supporting the lining of your intestinal tract! (You can read more of the science-y stuff here.)

In additional, bone broth can help with a number of other issues from joint health to skin! You can read more about the benefits here.

You can use bones from any animal. I save all the bones from beef or pork in a bag in my freezer until I have enough to make a rich stock. The additional ingredients not only add plenty of flavor, but also have health properties like helping fight inflammation and boosting immunity.

If you read one of my previous posts, I talked about why I buy whole chickens. After you’ve roasted the beautiful bird, save the bones and make some broth!

Recipe for Bone Broth

Ingredients

• Bones from one whole chicken (go ahead and throw in any skin and connective tissues with it!)
• Neck and giblets from chicken (if available)
• 3-4 carrots, washed and cut into chunks.
• 3-4 stalk of celery, washed and cut into chunks
• 2 large yellow onions, cut into quarters
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 pieces seaweed (optional, but boosts iodine, and you can’t taste it)
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 Tbl apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is my favorite)

To Make:

1. Throw all ingredients into a large pot or stock pot.
2. Fill pot with water.
3. Over high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, spooning away any foam that rises to the top.
4. Let simmer for at least 6 hours. Can be left overnight up to 24 hours. The longer you let it simmer, that more nutrients you extract.
5. Let cool. Strain stock into jars or containers. Discard the rest. Any fat that rises to the top you can skim off and throw away, or (if the chicken was organic) keep and use for cooking.
6. Can be kept in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for several months.

Enjoy! I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Do you have any additional ingredients you and to your broth?

Related:

How to Eat Healthy on a Budget
Is Organic Worth It?
How to Do Whole 30 on a Budget
Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken

 

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