Bone Broth: Your Daily Dose
TIPS & TRICKS FOR GETTING BONE BROTH IN DAILY
In my previous blog, "Bone Broth: What's the Big Deal", we concluded that this glistening superfood really does deserve it's reputation as being one of the most nourishing foods you can consume. It has benefits ranging from gut-healing to anti-aging, boasting bone building and cardio-protective properties amongst many more. I want all of that! So how do we start incorporating this superfood in a way that makes sense for our fast paced lives? Well, let's brainstorm shall we?"
HOW TO MAKE IT
The process of making your own bone broth at home is often what deters most people from actually consuming it. Honestly, it is a long process and when you want to be consuming it every day, you pretty much have to have a constant brew going.
Unfortunately, if you want to make it yourself, there's really no cutting corners. You have to brew about 2 lbs of bones in 1 L water for 1-3 days to extract all of the goodness! Here is a sample recipe that adds some veggies and herbs for maximum flavour & nutrition!
Ingredients
· 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rough chunks
· 3 celery stalks, cut into rough chunks
· 1 onion, chopped
· 2 ½ lbs chicken bones
· Bouquet of rosemary, thyme and sage
· 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
· 2 L filtered water
· Sea salt to taste
Directions
· Place bones, water and apple cider vinegar in a large stockpot. (the apple cider vinegar helps to draw nutrients out of the bones)
· Bring to light boil and then reduce heat and simmer on low for anywhere between 8 and 24 hours. After broth has reached desired colour and flavor, strain and reserve just the liquid.
· Add sea salt to taste and store in large mason jars in fridge for future use.
Of course, it can be difficult to be home for a full 24 hours and it can be scary to leave the stove on while you're out of the house. SO a low stress way to side-step this problem is to integrate a slow-cooker! What I'll do is just make sure that I do still bring everything to a boil in a pot with the apple cider vinegar to draw the nutrients out but then I will transfer it to my slow cooker and leave it on low for however long I can wait. Usually, I try to hold out for 48 hours.
The slow-cooker definitely reduces the stress of the situation, but it doesn't reduce the time it takes until you get your bone broth. So I always recommend making as big a batch as you can! But Megan, I can't drink 2 L of bone broth before it will go bad! Ah yes, well that takes me to my next suggestion...
HOW TO FREEZE IT
Once you'e brewed a big batch, divide them up into mason jars and put some in the fridge for use over the next few days and store the rest in the freezer to use at a later date.
Sometimes I will fill an ice cube tray with some of my leftover broth. That way, I can just add a little dose of goodness to a single serving of soup!
WARNING: Make sure the mason jars that you place in the fridge don't have a shoulder. The sides must go straight up. Otherwise, the shoulder may crack due to the expanding liquids!
HOW TO USE IT
Ok, so now you have a big batch of bone broth waiting to be enjoyed but you don't know how to incorporate it into your diet! What's the best way to drink it? How much should I be drinking? What can I mix it with? Well, honestly, there aren't any hard and fast rules. You can enjoy it however you want in whatever dose you want! Here are a few of my favourite ways to get through my batches:
1) Sip it straight
Honestly, if you're using the recipe I gave you above, it's just crazy delicious on it's own. Instead of a tea, I just heat up a cup and sip away. It so comforting and so nourishing, especially as these winter months creep up on us!
2) Use it as a base
You can use it the same way you would use any other broth. Any recipe that calls for a beef or chicken broth as the base for a soup can easily sub in bone broth - I even do it when it calls for vegetable broth! It makes a crazy good base for any soup or stew! I've also used it as a base for dressings, dips and sauces! Experiment and have fun!
3) Cook with it
If you're cooking up some rice or quinoa at home, why not add some flavour and nutrition by cooking them in bone broth! They will absorb all that goodness and make those grains way more delicious & nutritious!
Now if all of this still feels a little overwhelming and just wants to make you give up on the idea of bone broth altogether, PLEASE DON'T! Keep reading, it all gets pretty convenient from here...
HOW TO BUY IT
Because the process is particularly long, many people are resistant to the idea of making their own bone broth at home. Luckily there are many reputable brand making ready-to-use bone broth that you can purchase in stores! Obviously, this is a much less affordable option, but if you can, it is well worth it to get this healing food into your diet!
Some of my favourite brands (no affiliation):
They have a wide variety of flavours using different bones. All 100% organic, grass-fed, pastured animal bones steeped for 20+ hours.
Convenient grab & go bottles. Chicken & Beef. 100% pastured, grass-fed, no antibiotics or hormones.
High quality grass-fed, pastured meats. Found in the freezer section for bigger batches!
You can also find bone broth powder now! This brings next level convenience because it is shelf stable and can be used whenever you want, however you want as a way to amp up the nutrient profile of soups, dressings, dips, smoothies, grains, etc.
Personally, when I don't have time to make a batch, I use Organika's Bone Broth Powder.
It is REAL BONE BROTH that has been slowly dehydrated to maintain it's full nutrient profile. The only ingredient is chicken bone broth made from organic, pastured chicken, hormone & antibiotic free! It can be added to regular broths, soups, dressings, dips or - if you want to get wacky with me - SMOOTHIES! Yep, it is the perfect paleo replacement for a protein powder! It boasts 15g of protein per serving, PLUS all of the benefits we went into above. I'll take that in a pinch!
Check out this soup smoothie recipe to start getting bone broth in to your regular routine!
GREEN SOUP SMOOTHIE
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup frozen kale
1 thumbnail size piece of ginger
1/2 frozen banana
1/4 tsp raw honey (optional)
2 tbsp organika's bone broth powder
1 tbsp coconut flakes
Directions
1) Place everything in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth
2) Top with coconut flakes and chew as you drink!
Experiment with your broth! It is worth getting it in. If you need a refresher on why, check out my previous blog "Bone Broth: What's the Big Deal?!"
Here are few other recipes that use bone broth you might be interested in trying: