Chicken feet for the soul! FOOD IS MEDICINE! Bone broth recipe for the cold season.

This is the season for a stuff nose, scratchy throat and head colds that annoy the hell out of you. We don't have time for this in our house! This morning my husband woke up with a stuffy nose and said he was starting to feel like he is getting sick. I haven't made bone broth this season yet so I thought this would be a good opportunity to have some made for when we feel crappy.

Here are some benefits of bone broth:

1. Heals your gut. A cup of bone broth a day works miracles for leaky gut syndrome but it's also good for protecting non-leaky guts. Gelatin in the bones typically used for making broth (such as knuckles, feet, and other joints) is said to help seal up holes in intestines. This "patching" can help ease chronic diarrhea, constipation, and even some food intolerances.

2. Protects joints. Glucosamine is used to treat joint pain and it turns out that bone broth has a lot of it. The broth offers other nutritional and health benefits that can help reduce pain. Chondroitin sulfate, found in the cartilage that protects joints, in bone broth, for example, has been shown to help prevent osteoarthritis.

3. Can keep you looking younger. Bone broth is a rich source of collagen, which is also naturally occurring in the body as a joint protector and stabilizer.

4. Get better sleep. Research has shown that the glycine in bone broth may to help improve sleep and ward off fatigue.

5. Support healthy immune system. Bone broth has a high concentration of minerals and can be looked at as a superfood, which can strengthen your immune system.

6. Help increase bone strength. The phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium in the bones steep out into the broth leaving you to sip all those essential nutrients for your own healthy bones.

How to Eat Bone Broth
Drink it straight up, warm and with a shot of ACV (apple cider vinegar) or a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Use it to make grains. When cooking your rice, quinoa or farro, use bone broth instead of water.
Pour bone broth into ice cube trays and freeze for single serving flavoring.
Soup is a tried and true way to use bone broth. Start from scratch and add lots of fresh garlic, onion and veggies to have a nutrient packed meal.

How to make bone broth:

1. First, you need to start with organic, grass fed, antibiotic free meat. Whether you're making chicken, pork or beef broth you need to start with healthy ingredients to have a beneficial broth. I used chicken feet because they have tons of collagen. (And that is what I had in my freezer)

1. Wash your meat to remove any foreign substance on the surface. If you're using chicken feet you will need to boil the claws for 5 minutes to soften them up so that you can remove the end knuckle and nails. Beware, this smells absolutely terrible! After you have let them cool cut off the nails at the first knuckle.

1. Place the claws in your soup pan with an onion quartered, a halved head of garlic, 2 peeled and chopped carrots, the celery end and a few heart stalks with leaves, a couple bay leaves, a tbs of peppercorns, 3 tbs of salt and any dried or fresh herbs you have around that you want to throw in. You can add anything you want because you will be straining through a cheese cloth at the end. Simmer this on a low rolling simmer for at least 4 hours, adding a few cups of water every so often but you do not want to fill more that a couple inches over the meat and veggies.

Periodically, you need to skim the foam off the top of the broth. This foam makes the broth taste greasy. Cleaning it off makes your broth taste clean.

1. After it has boiled, turn off and let it cool. When it has cooled, pour over cheese cloth and squeeze alllll that goodness out. Your broth should have no particles in it and be a beautiful golden color. I usually have a shot or two while it is still warm because it is so good! I divide it into canning jars and keep in the refrigerator.

If it is a good broth it will turn into a jello like substance because of the gelatin. Just scoop it out and warm it up to enjoy!

This does not last long in my house because I will drink it all day when I am not feeling well. I will also make a quick soup with fresh garlic and a few veggies for lunch with this broth for added nutrients. I sometimes add turmeric and ginger root to really pack in the goodness and it really helps to clean out any infection quickly.

Here is my @xtrodinarypilot enjoying the benefits of FOOD FOR MEDICINE!

Comment and tell me your favorite recipes and remedies for when you and your loved ones are sick.
I will be making my love chicken soup tomorrow for more nutritious healing.

It takes a village.