Bone Broth for sippin' Postpartum

I love bone broth, for so many reasons - for illness, general gut health, autoimmune flares, and for postpartum recovery. It makes the house smell delicious, tastes great, makes me feel cozy, and I know it's providing me with a tonne of nourishing benefits.

For postpartum recovery, bone broth is a great way to get extra nutrients into your depleted body. It's a great natural electrolyte drink, is rich in collagen for tissue repair, and is super hydrating which is especially important for milk supply.

It would be a great idea to make a batch or more to store in the freezer as part of your meal prep.

There are many ways to make bone broth and everyone has their own way. I used to make bone broth from a collection of cooked bones, in the slow cooker for 24+ hours. It smelled divine, but it was a lot of work. I much prefer to use the Instant Pot now, but the slow cooker is a great way to do it, too.

My method now is using raw bones, and double cooking the bones. I add some vegetables part way through the cook.

Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth

10-12 cups total

Cook time: 2 hours Total time: 4+ hours

Ingredients

1lb raw bone-in chicken parts (ex. legs, thighs, breast bone, etc) (skin-on is fine)

10-12 cups filtered water

2 carrots (peeled and in chunks)

2 celery sticks (cut into large chunks)

3 whole cloves garlic (local if you can) (peeled)

1 onion (any variety, yellow will be great for colour) (peeled)

Salt and pepper to taste, if desired

Directions

1. Add desired amount of water (ex. 10 cups) and chicken to the Instant Pot. Seal, and cook on manual for 1 hour. Allow to naturally release for 30 minutes.

2. Open the lid, remove the chicken and take the meat off the bones. Set the meat aside for another recipe, and add the bones back to the IP.

3. Add vegetables to IP. Close the lid, reseal, and cook for 1 more hour. Allow to naturally release for as long as you want (I let it sit for at least 1 hour).

4. Remove the large pieces of bone and vegetables. Run the liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Allow to cool, fill containers, and refrigerate/freeze/enjoy right away!

Notes

• if you can, use organic vegetables

• I add salt to each "mug"ful as opposed to adding salt from the beginning. This way I can use the broth for my 9-month old daughter if needed

• I usually eat the mushy vegetables (carrots at least) before composting the rest

• Store in wide mouth glass mason jars with BPA-free plastic lids. Let cool completely before freezing.

• Use in soups, stews, to cook grains in, or simply sip by the mug!

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