You know the saying that a good chicken noodle soup can "raise the dead?" Turns out there is good reason that a traditional Chicken soup is so healing. But we are not talking Campbells here. If you want to make a soup that will revive the sick make sure to follow these crucial steps:

1. USE BONE BROTH.  Bone broth is rich in amino acids, rich in minerals, and boosts immunity. Because it is full of gelatin, it is easy on the digestive tract and healing to the gut.

You can easily make your own. The most flavorful way to make a bone broth is using a roasted chicken. You can save the bones and remaining meat pieces from a dinner earlier in the week.  Simply place the chicken bones in a pot, cover with water, add 2 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 20 min. The vinegar will help release the minerals from the bones. Bring the pot of water and bones to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer for hours. You can let the broth simmer all night if you want. The longer it simmers, the richer the broth will be. Just be sure to watch out for evapporation. You need to keep it on very low. As foam rises to the surface be sure to skim if off the top as any toxins float up to the top in the foam. This is an easy step although it does take a long time so I try to make a large batch and freeze some to have on hand.

TIMESAVER: If you are short on time many stores now carry pre-made organic chicken bone broth. I recently bought some at Costco. I question whether it is as good as homemade, but it is definitely better than boullion cubes or standard chicken broth. 

2. USE FRESH ORGANIC INGREDIENTS if possible to avoid the pesticides and to allow for better nutrient absorption.This applies to the chicken as well as the veggies. If you are tight on money consider the fact that using the whole chicken first as a meal and then using the bones to make a rich broth will allow you to make two meals out of one chicken.

3. USE FRESH HERBS. Parlsey is the standard and adding it just at the end of cooking will add extra vitamins. If you add it too soon the nutrients levels are reduced. Parsley is also known to have antibacterial properties and to aid digestion as well as the absorption of nutrients. Garlic and ginger can also be added both of which are known for their immunity boosting properties.

There are so many variations of chicken soup. Honestly I rarely follow a recipe because I use what vegetables and spices I have on hand. But here is a recipe that works well in the crockpot. 

Bone broth soup is a good idea to help boost immunity and make it through the cold winter months. Whether you are already dealing with sickness or just want to stay healthy, try incorporating this delicious food into your family's diet. 

For more info on the benefits of bone broth check out Wellness Mama's post on making bone broth. And if boosting immunity isn't enough to inspire you to drink more bone broth, check out this little factoid...

"What isn’t as well known is that broth can help reduce cellulite by improving connective tissue, increase hair growth/strength, improve digestive issues and remineralize teeth."

                                                                                                  -Wellness Mama

I think that makes a pretty good case for adding traditional bone broth into your diet! Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

10 Ways to Show A Friend You Care

This pregnancy has not been easy. I am done with the first trimester, but the nausea has not lifted...yet. Some new friends took pity on me this week and both, of their own initiative, brought us meals. Just as I was spiraling into a bit of a funk and feeling sorry for myself, these two reached out and offered to give me a break from cooking. The result? An attitude change from self-pity to gratitude, the realization that small gestures really do mean a whole lot, and some much needed extra time to recover.

I have many goals for 2017. There are so many things I want to do and things I want to improve on. One of those things is to build community and to reach out more. Small gestures and big alike can make such a huge difference. I knew that before, but this week and these lovely meals have reminded me that to reach out and think of others is so very important. I am so grateful for new friends and the wonderful community of people I am surrounded by!

Here are 10 Easy Ways to Show a Friend You Care: 

1. Offer them a meal.

2. Bring them a care package. Ginger tea for pregnant moms, tissues and cough drops for sickies, baby gifts or something to pamper new moms, etc.

3. Offer to help with laundry or housecleaning.

4. Come over to care for little ones so they can shower or nap.

5. Send them a thoughtful gift to brighten their day. Pick something that shows you thought about it.

6. Send Flowers

7. Spend time with them. Call them up and invite them to coffee or plan an outing.

8. Share ideas with them such as recommendations for shows to watch or books to read.

9. Send them some social media love. In person, or hand-written is best but it doesn't hurt to mention them on Facebook or Instagram as well. You can always shout out to the greater community so they send their love and prayers too.

10. Send them a card. Handwritten cards are rare these days and really show you care.

When you know someone is celebrating, celebrate with them. When you know someone is suffering show them you care. Building community is all about sharing in joys and sorrows and lifting each other up. 

The "Revolution of Love"

I have had a house full of sick little ones and in my efforts to slow down and be there for them (on the couch with snuggles, and tissues, and drinks), I have had a lot of time to reflect on the power of womanhood. Facebook is ablaze with posts about the Women's March. Tensions are high. Tempers are flaring. It is a sad thing to see so much hate and so much confusion over what it means to be a woman.

As I sat on the couch with my little babies, all I could think was that the "revolution of love" the REAL revolution of love, starts in the womb with a generous heart. It is made up of countless hours of worry and care for someone completely dependant on you for for their every need. The "revolution of love" starts when women are bold enough, brave enough, and generous enough, to deny themselves and choose life---when they give of themselves as only a woman can.

Women have always had tremendous power.  It may not always look like the glamorous power of politics or the corporate world, it isn't always noticed or rewarded, it certainly doesn't bring in a pay check.  But a woman gives life, nurtures that life, molds that life, and so molds the future. And not just the life of her children, but that of her husband, her friends, and her community as well. This incredible power comes with a price. It requires deep selflessness, it requires a choice to love more, and a committment to be better every day.

I do not mean to reduce a woman to her capacity to bring forth life. And even if I were to do so, that is an incredible thing in and of itself. But woman has in her very nature the ability to be "universal" to be adaptable, to reach out, and to nurture. Whether she remain single her whole life and work in the world, join a religious order, or marry and raise a family, it is a woman's unique ability to nurture life and to better her environment whatever it may be.

Let's not forget. Let's honor our womanhood, our femininity, our differences with men, by choosing love. Let's honor the generations of women before us who have shaped history through their own revolutionary love poured out daily in their homes and communities. Let us honor all those women who humbly built civilization with acts of everyday domestic charity and sacrificed themselves to create a better world. That is our legacy that is our inheritance and it is priceless.

If you want to be a part of the "revolution of love," choose life. Choose to love another more than you love yourself. Pour out your own heart into theirs and let them flourish. In so doing, you WILL change the world.

Bring on the REAL revolution of love!