Foggy Thursday

I have to admit I am in a bit of a mind fog today. I'm sure it is due to the Chinese food I ate yesterday. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my current coffee habit and that I had tea with breakfast. Nor could it have anything to do with today rapidly becoming the fourth 10 hour workday of this week. And moreover I'm certain the mind fog has nothing to do with my new exercise routine. Really it has to be the weather report...fog then misty rain then real rain. Yup, let's just blame it all on the weather. Even the dog is feeling the need to curl up and take a nap, on my lap right now to be precise!

What is on the stove today?? I'm thinking bone soup would be GREAT today. The foggy chilly weather is reaching into my bones and a wonderful soup would help. And what is Bone Soup? It is a broth made from leftover bones from other meals. I only eat poultry, so for my soup it will be chicken or turkey bones. I save the bones from roast chicken throughout the month. I keep them in the freezer until I am ready to make the soup. On soup day I pull them out an put them all in a large stockpot.

Bone Soup Broth

leftover chicken bones
1 bunch parsley
3 stalks celery
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp sea salt
2 bay leaves
2 tsp oregano

Wash and rough cut all the veggies. (What is rough cut? Chunky but not whole.) Put all the ingredients in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring this to a boil and then simmer for 10-12 hours. Why so long? This process pulls the "good stuff" out of the bones. This "good stuff" will help your body build healthy bones and joints. You can do the same process in your slow cooker. Set it up at night and cook while you sleep if you want to. I usually make this stock on a Saturday or Sunday and then it is ready for the week. I am making a large quantity to save time later in the week. Once the bones are soft the broth is ready. Strain the liquid off and store for later use. I usually freeze what I don't intend to use up in the next few days.

How do you use the Bone Soup Broth? As a base for other soups. Try starting with 4 cups of broth and add veggies of your choosing. For example:

1/2 cup chopped celery
1 diced onion
1 cup cut green beans
1/2 cup corn
1 cup cut carrots
1 peeled and diced sweet potato
1 can pinto beans rinsed
1 TBS olive oil
4 cups Bone Soup Broth
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
Pepper to taste

Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil until clear. Add all the veggies, herbs, and the 4 cups of broth. Simmer until the veggies are cooked through. By adding the pinto beans you have enough protein without the need to add meat.

Enjoy!