Warm Your Bones this Winter with Broth

This highly nutritious stock is commonly used in soups, sauces and gravies. It has also recently gained popularity as a health drink.

Herbal Bone Broth

Ingredients

1-gallon water (or whatever quantity your crockpot will carry)

4-6 fresh sprigs of parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme (Thymus vulgaris) (or 1 tablespoon dried thyme)

2 sprigs fresh rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) (or 1 tablespoon dried)

2 sprigs fresh sage (Salvia officinalis) (or 1 tablespoon dried)

1 bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) leaf

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 pounds of animal bones (ex: lamb, beef, fish)

Directions

Add the animal bones and vinegar in a crockpot then cover with water until there is 1 inch of water above the bones. Turn on the crockpot to the high setting until the broth is simmering. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 48-72 hours. The water will reduce while the broth is cooking, check on the broth periodically and add hot water as needed to maintain the original water level. If the bones float to the top of the liquid, simply keep the crockpot relatively full of water. Add the parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, and bay laurel leaf when the broth is 2-3 hours away from completion. Turn off the heat and let the broth cool slightly once it is done cooking. Strain the broth into a soup pot then discard the bones and herbs. Allow the broth to cool completely before pouring into a container to store in the refrigerator or freezer. In the refrigerator, the broth will keep for up to 1 week and in the freezer, the broth will keep for up to 6 months.

At Home Foot Massage Tips

• Place the palms on either side of the foot 
• gently pull the right side of the foot forward while pushing the left side back
• repeat on opposite sides

• hold the top of the foot in one hand
• with the fingers of the other hand, rub the length of the arch
• do this repeatedly, from the heel to the ball of the foot

• hold the heel with one hand
• bend all the toes on one foot back and forth at the same time with the other hand
• repeat this movement, gently increasing pressure and flexing the toes to their full range of motion

• pull each side of the foot outward
• repeat this motion, allowing the foot to spread

• hold the top of the foot in one hand
• hold the back of the heel in the other
• repeatedly squeeze and release the back of the heel

• hold the back of the foot with one hand
• hold a knuckle or full fist on the other hand against the bottom of the foot
• use the knuckle or fist to knead the bottom of the foot, using moderate pressure
• repeat this motion, working down the ball of the foot to the heel