Bone Broth—Warm, Cheap, Easy and so Good (for you too!)

Bone broth became a staple in my household for a couple of reasons. Firstly, in these winter months, having a warm cup of anything is comforting. Second, I’m frugal and bones are cheap. Lastly, I like to minimize the amount of groceries that I need to carry back to my condo.

Bone broth has several benefits: helping to heal your gut, reducing inflammation & joint pain, inhibits colds & flus, helps you sleep, and good for your hair, skin & bones. Why? Because it contains easily absorbable calcium, collagen, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur, gelatin, l-glutamine, chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine. It also contains amino acids like glycine, proline and arginine that fight inflammation.

So back to being cheap and lazy, next time you hit up your local butcher shop, lighten your load and pick up a bag of bones.

RECIPE (hyperlink to Recipes)

Bone Broth

1.5-2lbs of beef or chicken bones (good quality from a local butcher like Bespoke)

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

Bunch of herbs

Water to fill your Instant pot, pressure or slow cooker

Instant pot or pressure cooker time: Beef bone broth 4 hrs; chicken bone broth 2hrs

Slow Cooker time: Beef bone broth 48 hrs; chicken bone broth 24hrs

Let cool enough that you can remove the bones and veg, strain, bottle and refrigerate for a week or so, or freeze it in batches and it should keep up to a month. If you like, strain the fat if you have a separator, or on those colder wintery days, place it covered on your balcony to cool and you can skim off the fat with a spoon. Enjoy a cup a day and stay warm and healthy year round for a lot less than it would cost you to buy these healthy nutrients in a bottle at the supplement store!