The process of slow cooking extracts amino acids, collagen, vitamins and minerals out of the meat and vegetables creating a nutrient-dense, easy to digest, immune boosting liquid.

You know if you’re broth has worked if it has plenty of gelatin which makes it set like jelly once it has cooled. If once cool your bone broth doesn’t gel, don’t panic, it just means it’s not going to be as  rich in gelatin or protein but still delicious and full of goodness.

Troubleshooting ideas to get your broth to gel:

1. Check the ration of chicken pieces to water (fill your slow cooker with chicken pieces then water level shouldn’t be more than 2 inches above).
2. It may need to simmer for longer next time, make sure you get the pot to boil first before turning down to a gentle simmer, this should help.
3. You may need to add some meatier bits to the broth, like wings, frames, feet and necks.

Use the broth for soups, sauces, casseroles, stews, rice, noodle or quinoa dishes, or just sip half a cup with your meals which is excellent also to aid digestion.

You can make my delicious Chicken Noodle Soup for starters. Add extra garlic, turmeric, ginger and some chilli flakes for that extra immunity and delicious flavour.

Bone broth is also a great addition for your freezer if you’re stocking up.

Did I mention it also supports your joints joints and gives you beautiful hair, skin, strengthens nails and improves cellulite due to its high collagen content!

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Homemade Bone Broth

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2 kg of healthy chicken pieces - I use a mix of chicken frames leftover chicken bones and chicken wings or chicken feet
• 4 litres of filtered water
• 2 teaspoons natural salt
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar helps to extract collagen from the bones
• 2 medium carrots cut into chunks
• 1 large onion cut into chunks
• 1-2 stalks celery with leaves cut into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves chopped

Instructions

• Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high until boiling, then switch to low setting for 4-12hrs
• Remove all bones and vegetables from the broth and strain into a large bowl.
• Allow to cool then pour into individual jars ( I use a funnel for this).
• Put jars into the fridge and leave overnight until the broth thickens and turns into a jelly consistency.
• I keep all the vegetables which have soaked up all the amazing broth and either blend or chop into a soup,
• Jars of broth can be frozen, just don't fill them to the brim otherwise they may explode.

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

You an also use bone broth in these recipes Pea and Ham Soup, Cauliflower and Potato Soup, and swap 2 cups of water for broth in this delicious recipe for Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Rice.

Growing up in a Middle-Eastern family, one of those dishes was a popular cultural dish, mums delicious and comforting spinach, lentil and lemon soup.

Mum still cooks it for me. Well, to be honest it’s my kids she’s really cooking for these days. Every second week she’ll come around and stock my fridge full of foods to last up to three days, the selection based on the specific requests of my kids. Some of her popular dishes are za’taar, homemade pies, spanokopita and her cannelloni. It’s really special to see that they also love her lentil soup as much as I do.

It’s unassuming in in it’s simplicity, but manages to pack a truly delicious punch, and makes a perfect mid-week meal the whole family will enjoy and leftovers can be packed to take to work or school for lunch.

I’m often asked how to keep the food hot until lunchtime.

Well, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Boil the kettle and then pour the water into the thermoses, be sure to pop the lids on
2. Heat up the food
3. Pour out the hot water  add the warmed up food into the container,  then pop the lid on immediately.

Here are my fave insulated jars which have lasted me years:

Lunchbots Insulated Stainless Steel Container 470ml 16oz
In these containers I pack soups, pastas, any hot meals and also cold salads.

Kleen Kanteen TKCanister with insulated lid 8oz 237ml
I like this smaller size option to keep things cool like yoghurt, granola and fruit, overnight oats or to keep things warm like the chicken nuggets or smaller serves of things like soup, stew, pasta.

If you’re looking for more lunch inspiration, take a look at my new recipe ebook,  Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes. It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

There’s even a delicious recipe for Kale and Cannelleni Bean Minestrone which my kids love taking to school in their insulated container.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Olive oil or coconut oil
Lentils
Salt and pepper

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Spinach, Lentil and Lemon Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 5

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• Splash of olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 cups red lentils
• 6 cups water or vegetable stock I throw in a couple of my frozen chicken stock ice-cubes too
• 1 bunch English spinach leaves washed and chopped
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over medium heat
• Add the onion and gently fry for up to 5 minutes
• Add the lentils and water/stock and bring to the boil
• Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender and starting to fall apart, adding in spinach in the last 5 minutes of cooking
• Stir in the lemon juice just before serving and season with salt and pepper
• Ladle into bowls and serve with toasted buttery, garlicy sourdough and extra lemon juice to taste

Notes

You can blitz the soup until smooth if texture is an issue for little kids

I always encourage having a few staples on rotation in the fridge because it can make healthy eating a breeze.

Here’s what I had:

Grass Fed sausage

Meat from animals who eat grass (what they are born to eat) and not grains (which is very difficult for them to digest) are “rich in all fats now proven to be health-enhancing, but low in the fats that have been linked with disease”, as Doctor Mercola so neatly puts it.

Broccoli Pesto

As broccoli is in season and is a nutritional powerhouse, I thought I would make a batch of broccoli pesto. I lightly steamed it before adding my usual healthy pesto ingredients and, hey pesto! Broccoli is cancer fighting, immune-boosting and great for your bones and nervous system. It’s so versatile that I’ve been using it as a dip, an addition to a warm vege salad, spread on a piece of sourdough and on top of my omelettes. Yummo!

Cup of chicken stock

Having attended a wonderful bone broth workshop by Alexx Stuart, I’m ecstatic to report that, for the the first time, I’ve managed to get my chicken stock to the consistency of the much sought-after gelatin. Yeah baby. For me this was like striking gold after so many failed attempts. Seems I’m enjoying the imune boosting, mineral boosting, ultra-nourishing , wrinkle smoothing benefits of stock. You can read more on the top 10 reasons to make your own stock on Alexx’s blog.

Carrots and beans

Carrots and beans are super tasty right now, mostly because they are in season. Carrots are full of nutritional benefits, and an excellent source of vitamin A and are anti-aging, great for your skin, cancer fighting, cleansing for your body, amongst other things.

Beans are a great source of vitamins and minerals and have great cardiovascular benefits. They are a wonderful source of dietary fibre (great one to have if you are … umm … constipated) and help to prevent infections in the body.

So I received all of these benefits from my simple lunch and you can too with just a smidge of planning.

Oh , and I may or may not have had one of my delicious and energy boosting raw cacao balls after lunch : )

Have a wonderful day.

Bren x