Stop Throwing Out Your Bones! Use Them to Make This Powerhouse Drink Instead
If you’ve been in the habit of throwing out your bones from dinner, it’s time to stop that! Those bones are filled with vitamins, minerals, and so many other amazing nutrients. You’re throwing away healthy stuff needlessly.
Do this with your bones instead.
Have you heard of bone broth? Maybe youโve heard it mentioned but arenโt quite sure what it is and why it is so highly praised by many. Let me break down bone broth for you so you can incorporate this delicious and healthy meal into your keto diet meals.
What is Bone Broth?
PinBone broth is simply a liquid obtained from boiling bones from chicken, turkey, pork, or beef in water. The biggest difference between bone broth and regular stock is that bone broth is cooked a lot longer. The end result is a tasty liquid thatโs delicious on its own, but also makes a wonderful and nutritious base for soups and stews.
Speaking of nutrition, itโs one of the main reasons people make and consume bone broth regularly. Of course, itโs also very tasty, but more on that in a minute. When you boil bones for a long period of time, you leach all sorts of nutrients, minerals, and other things that are good for you like glucosamine and collagen.
Itโs also good for your immune system. Remember grandma making a big pot of chicken soup anytime someone would get sick? The same principle is at work here. Think of bone broth as a more concentrated version of Grandmaโs healing soup. The broth may even help you sleep better at night. Sip a cup of the tasty liquid before bed. Itโll work better than the hot milk your mom used to bring you.
How to Make Bone Broth
PinTo make bone broth, you take bones like those from that leftover chicken or turkey carcass sitting in the fridge. Cover it in a large crockpot with plenty of water and simmer for several hours. How long you cook your broth is up to you. 12 hours gives you a very decent broth, but cooking it even longer makes it even more nutritious. If youโre using the bones from a roasted chicken, consider tossing them in a large crockpot and making your broth right in there. They can safely bubble away as you go about your day.
You can drink the finished hot broth as is, season it up with your favorite herbs and spices, or use it to make a pot of soup or stew. The cooled broth can be stored in the fridge for about 4 days or in the freezer for up to a year.
The next time you pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or roast that Thanksgiving turkey, donโt toss out the bones when youโre done. Use them to make a batch of delicious bone broth thatโs good for you. Once you try it, youโll be surprised just how easy it is to make and how truly wonderful it is.
The Nutritional Benefits Of Bone Broth
PinBack to the point of breaking down animal bones into bone broth. More than just being tasty, bone broth is seriously very good for you!
1. It’s Tasty
Letโs start with the obvious… homemade broth, stock, or bone broth tastes really good. If you havenโt tried making any of these, do yourself a favor and get in the kitchen now. Bone broth, in particular, has a deep, rich flavor that you just wonโt get out of a cartoon of chicken stock.
Drink the broth on its own, or use it as the base for soups, stews and sauces. You can use bone broth in any recipe that calls for broth or stock. Or try simmering your rice or vegetables in the broth for added flavor and nutrition.
2. Itโs Frugal
Bone broth is made from the bones youโd toss in the trash otherwise and water. It doesnโt get a lot more frugal than that. For no more than the cost of a little power or gas to boil the bones, you have something thatโs just as tasty or better than the high-end stock you buy at the store.
If youโre buying quality chicken, turkey, or beef, you can make the most of every dollar you spend by utilizing every little bit, including the bones. Then, take it even further by making soups and stews with the broth. Itโs a great way to make even little bits of meat and veggies go a long way.
3. Itโs Good For You
Letโs not forget about the health benefits of bone broth. Thereโs a reason grandma would put on a pot of homemade chicken soup when someone got sick. Bone broth is full of minerals, including magnesium and calcium. The fat content in the broth helps our bodies absorb the various minerals.
Itโs also full of collagen and gelatin, which are good for your skin, hair, and joints. Add to that the immunity-boosting properties of a good cup of broth, and itโs no wonder this has been praised for centuries.
Bone broth is one of the tastiest and most inexpensive health foods that you can make right in your own kitchen.
How To Make Your First Batch Of Bone Broth
PinThe easiest way to make your first batch of bone broth is to start with a cooked chicken. Roast it yourself or head to your local grocery store and pick up a rotisserie chicken. Pull the cooked meat off the chicken and serve it for dinner.
Put everything thatโs left โ all the bones and any remaining bits and pieces of meat โ into a large pot that has a lid. Fill it with plenty of cold water. The more water you add, the more broth youโll get in the end. Donโt fill it all the way to the top, or you risk the liquid bubbling over.
Next, add a good splash of apple cider vinegar to the pot. This step is optional. If you donโt have the vinegar in your pantry, donโt fret it. You can add a splash of red wine or white vinegar if youโd like. The vinegar helps get all the minerals out of the bones and into the broth. But again, donโt worry if you donโt have it. Your broth will be just as tasty and almost as good for you without it.
Cover the pot with the lid and crank up the heat until everything comes to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook your bone broth for a minimum of 12 hours. Although, if you can cook it for 48 to 72 hours, that is better. Of course, you donโt want to simmer the broth while youโre out of the house or sleeping.
Start the broth in the morning on a day when you know youโll be home. Simmer it all day until youโre ready to go to bed. Turn off the burner for the night, but keep the broth sitting on the stove. In the morning, bring the liquid back to a boil and continue simmering.
The broth will be tasty after a few hours of simmering but will get better with time. After it has cooked for 12 hours, you can start to use it. Just replace the liquid youโre taking out with more water to keep stretching the broth.
Pour some of the finished bone broth into a smaller pot, and add shredded chicken along with some lupin rice or noodles and leftover veggies to make some soup. Or just drink the broth. Itโs delicious. And good for you!
Here’s a recipe if you want step-by-step bone broth instructions.
