Crock Pot Bone Broth

If you've been following me you've probably heard me talking about gut health a lot...but for good reason. Your gut is the center of your overall health and if you are experiencing leaky gut, you will be dealing with many other health problems the longer it continues. Gut health is very important to me and one way you can help to treat or heal leaky gut is with bone broth. It's so easy to make you really can't get it wrong.

This is different than the regular old chicken broth you'd get at the store. Most of that is just watered down stock packed full of msg. Bone broth is slowly simmered until the bones break down. You're getting all the nutrients and minerals of the bones and marrow. It's a rich broth that you can use as the base of a soup or even just sip on it plain. Perfect for a cold MN winter evening :)

Some benefits of bone broth:

-It heals leaky gut syndrome. Bone broth helps to seal the lining of your intestines. Leaky gut can cause a whole host of problems. When the gut lining is permeable that waste is seeping into your body and causing health issues that you may not even know are related. It can even help reverse some food intolerance.

-It helps boost your immune system with it's huge array of minerals. Which is why "chicken soup" was always a time tested remedy for sickness, only now days it's condensed, fake, sodium filled chicken broth....not even close to real bone broth like our grandparents use to make. It's been shown to help cure symptoms of auto immune diseases or at least help eliminate symptoms.

-It is a rich source of collagen which is great for healthy hair, skin, nails. Many cosmetic products boast about plumping collagen but why slather it ON when you can boost it from the inside out. Collagen is great for reducing wrinkles and cellulite.

-It helps protect your joints and restore cartilage because it's rich in glucosamine along with chondroitin sulfate which is shown to help prevent osteoarthritis.

-The glycine in bone broth can help you sleep better and also improve your memory.

-It's high in protein, a cup of homemade chicken stock contains around 6 grams of protein, according to the USDA nutrient database (slow-simmered broths made with lots of bones may contain more).

-It costs next to nothing to make! Instead of tossing that chicken carcass grab a few veggies and throw it in the crock pot overnight!

Here I've got all my ingredients ready to simmer. It takes about 2 minutes to prep this :) We had an organic rotisserie chicken for dinner the night before so I just saved all the bones and what was left of the skin and kept them in the fridge until I was ready to use them.

The finished product (still hot) Look at that rich dark color! This is so full of nutrients and it tastes amazing! When it cools in the fridge don't be alarmed if it solidifies at the top a bit, this is GOOD! That means you've got a great broth rich in healthy gelatin, it will all blend nicely once it's warmed again. Never boil your broth at high heat as it will damage all those healthy minerals. Heat slowly to a light simmer.

You can make broth with fish, poultry, pork, beef, and lamb. You want to make sure you use animal products that you know are pasture-fed and free of antibiotics and hormones in order to get all the bone broth benefits. Make sure to add raw apple cider vinegar because it helps draw out the minerals from the bones. There you have it. Adding this to your daily diet will help heal your body from the inside out, and the best part is it tastes great!

Chicken Bone Broth

- Bones and skin from 1 organic rotisserie chicken

- 2 organic carrots cut in half

- 2 stalks organic celery cut in half

- 1 medium white onion cut in quarters

- 2 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar (raw, unfiltered)

- 6-10 cups of water

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 15 hours. Do not boil your broth, it should just slowly simmer. I start it after work so it's done by the next morning When it's done scoop out the bones and veggies and throw them away. Strain the broth as you pour it into your jars. This recipe makes close to 2 quarts. You can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze it in your jar or in ice cube trays then transfer to a freezer bag.