6 months into my pregnancy, and feeling the seasonal shift into cooler weather, I have been craving that ritualistic hot cup of coffee in the morning when I wake. However I have made a very intentional decision to cut caffeine out of my diet during both of my pregnancies-I find it to be a really wonderful opportunity to rid my body of stimulants, and honor the growth happening from within. Not to mention that although I LOVE every part of brewing that ceremonial cup in the morning, the smell, the pouring of the cream, the slow and drawn out sipping…it always leaves me feeling dehydrated and a bit buzzed.
So when my craving for morning ritual crept back in a few weeks ago, I bought a bag of local decaf beans, and my favorite local cream. A few days into revisiting this routine, I tuned into how I was feeling, and it wasn’t great. Sure, I was enjoying that cup of decaf in the moment, but I was feeling the negative effects for hours after, mainly dehydration. I knew this was just about the worst way for me to start my day- I struggle as it is to meet the daily pregnancy water requirements (set by the Institute of Medicine) of 100oz/daily. (After writing that last sentence, I got up from my computer and poured myself a large glass of water…)
I knew I needed to introduce a new ritual into my morning, one that leaves me feeling nourished, hydrated, and clear headed. Enter Broth! Broth is a staple in our reproductive years, especially during pregnancy and postpartum when it provides our body with protein, gelatin, collagen, glycine (an amino acid that our body alone cannot produce enough of during pregnancy) and a whole host of minerals. Lily Nichol’s refers to Broth in “Real Food for Pregnancy” as Savory Gatorade, and I love that…
For the past week or so I have been starting my day out with a bowl of Homemade Chicken Broth, seasoned with mineral rich sea salt, and torn up pieces of nori. I make a gallon batch of broth on Sunday, and portion it out into 8 pint size mason jars for the week-1 for each day, with an extra for my husband to steal, or for me to have as an extra snack.
Below is my recipe for Chicken Broth, which I prefer to cook all day long over low heat. The long slow cooking extracts the most nutrients from the bones, but if you are needing to speed things up you can also make broth in a pressure cooker set on High for 3 hours.
…..Chicken Broth with Sea Salt & Nori…..
-2 Chicken Backs (this is what remains of the chicken after the meat has been removed, and any butcher shop or local farm producing chickens should have them on hand)
-4 Chicken Necks
-18 cups water
-Sea Salt
-Toasted Nori
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat chicken backs in olive oil, and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until they start browning, remove from oven. (You can skip this first step, but the roasting will impart more flavor into your broth.) In a large stock pot combine water, chicken backs, and necks and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Turn heat to low, and cover pot, allowing necks and backs to simmer all day long. I like to start this process in the morning, and remove the pot from heat around dinner time. Cooking time is usually around 10 hours. Allow pot to cool a bit then place a mesh strainer over a large bowl, and strain broth. You can add your salt now, or when you heat up the broth later. If I know I am going to be only drinking the broth, I will salt the whole batch ahead of time. If you think you may use some in a recipe, then wait to salt until you are cooking to insure you don’t over salt. I personally love my food very well seasoned, and never feel guilty about adding mineral rich sea salt to my food. A gallon batch of stock typically gets 1.5-2 Tablespoons salt, or more-taste your broth as you season! Also take into consideration that if you plan to add nori to your broth, the nori will likely be salted too! Divide broth out into jars for storage, and allow to cool to room temp before placing in fridge or freezer.
For my morning broth:
I pour 1 pint of broth into a small saucepan and heat until simmering, then pour into my bowl. I then add salt to taste (if I haven’t already in the larger batch) and tear up pieces of toasted Nori-the seaweed adds a wonderful earthy flavor, and is a great extra source of nutrients.
Other wonderful additions to my chicken broth:
Sausage, chicken, beef, vegetables, eggs-pretty much any protein!