These superfood bombs are, you guessed it – the bomb. Once prepared, they are quick and easy to add to any number of dishes and full to the brim with medicinal micro-nutrition. Your future self will love how you planned ahead to keep your family fighting fit.
SERVES 6-8
PREP TIME 15m
COOKING TIME 5m
When it comes to superfoods that pack a punch, you can’t go past these five key ingredients which, when combined, literally make a superfood bomb, full of nutrition. The more we include these ingredients in our kid’s meals, the more they will benefit from their amazing health qualities. We are what we eat and kids are what we feed them, so let’s get them being super kids.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 250g organic chicken livers
- 1 thumb fresh turmeric roughly chopped (skin on)
- 2 tablespoons turmeric powder
- 6 garlic cloves roughly smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan salt
- 1 cup bone broth
METHOD
- Heat a saucepan on medium and add oil. Lightly sauté the garlic, fresh turmeric, turmeric powder, bay leaves, and salt to release the aromas and flavours.
- Add the liver and fry until it is cooked through (no longer pink).
- Add the bone broth and bring to the boil then turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
- Once the mixture is cool, transfer to a blender or food processor (or use a hand blender) and blend the mixture into a smooth consistency. You may like to add some water if the mixture is a little thick.
- Transfer to a pouring jug and pour the mixture into an ice cube tray, creating perfect little super bombs once frozen.
- Once frozen, pop out the cubes (bombs) and store them in a zip lock bag or container in the freezer. Then just reach and grab one when needed to add some nutritional oomph to your family meal. Kapow!
BENEFITS OF THESE SUPER INGREDIENTS
Liver
As we discussed in the Why Sneaky Liver? blog, liver is a superfood. Gram for gram, it is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available to us. The reason why liver is one of the best superfoods and healing foods known today is that it’s the highest source of B vitamins, and vitamin A, D, E, K and minerals such as copper, iron, chromium, phosphorous and selenium, as well as the powerful antioxidant CoQ10. Health experts now recommend including liver in our diet at least once a week. Liver pate is so satisfying because liver is so nutritionally complete, and that’s why adding liver to other dishes will also make them very satisfying.
Aren’t livers full of toxins? This is a question we also discuss in our Why Sneaky Liver blog. While it is true that one of the liver’s functions is to act as a filter for toxins, it is not a storage place for them. If there are too many toxins for the bowel to process, they generally accumulate in the fatty tissues and nervous system of the animal. The liver will only store toxins if it is sluggish or overwhelmed, such as in sick or conventionally raised animals in confinement. The health of the animal obviously affects the health of its organs. For this reason, just as with any meat, when you buy liver it’s important that you get it from animals that are organic or grass-fed, free-range, and pasture-raised. When sourced from healthy, grass-fed cows, liver is absolutely loaded with a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats that outweigh any small amount of toxins it may contain. Click here to know more about preparing Liver.
Turmeric
Turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also high in antioxidants and there are many studies demonstrating that it may help with a myriad of health challenges. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric responsible for much of its health-promoting properties and here’s why hiding a little turmeric in your dishes is such a great idea. Turmeric is a powerful free-radical quencher.1 Some authors go as far as to say it may have anti-cancerous properties, helping prevent and destroy cancer cells.2 At this stage, more research is needed on this one. Turmeric also works in an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal capacity which is terrific when colds or the flu strike.3 In addition, this ancient herb may be helpful with detoxifying the liver and helping to increase the flow of bile, an important factor in digesting dietary fat and weight loss.4 Other studies suggest turmeric may be beneficial for those suffering with depression.5
Garlic
There is nothing like a little garlic (or a lot for you die-hard fans) to flavour up your meals, and for centuries people have been using garlic to add some oomph to their health too. Ancient civilizations used garlic to treat asthma, digestive disorders, heart disease, infections, respiratory disorders, tumors, and even intestinal worms. These days, research shows the health benefits of garlic include lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, an anti-inflammatory effect, a reduced risk of cancer, and a stronger immune system.6
Pink Himalayan salt or Celtic Sea Salt
This superfood contains over 84 minerals and trace elements, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, and iron, so it does more than just make your food taste better. Some of the anecdotal health benefits for sea salt suggest that it aids with vascular health, that it supports healthy lungs and respiratory function, promotes a stable pH balance within the cells, promotes healthy sleep patterns, prevents muscle cramps, increases hydration, and improves circulation. As mentioned, more investigation is needed on these suggested benefits as there hasn’t been to date a lot of research of this topic. Please also see our discussion towards the end of this recipe on Sea Salt versus Himalayan Salt where we discuss recent concerns raised over toxicity etc.
Bone broth
This health elixir is full of protein and good fats, but more importantly, the high gelatine or collagen content helps to heal and protect the mucosal lining of the digestive tract which is invaluable when wanting to secure our kids’ health. Bone broth helps support immune function and is considered the ultimate brain food.7
TIPS FOR PARENTS
Because of the colour of stock, and the intense flavours of some of the ingredients (such as liver and turmeric), these super stock bombs are best used in winter dishes like bolognaise, stews, casseroles, soups and curries that have a darker colour – so as not to alert your child to any added extra that might be healthy! But seriously, you don’t want to make too many big changes in colour and flavour if your child is on the fussy side. By adding these bombs to already flavourful dishes, you are adding the health benefits without having them be the dominant flavour. You can slowly introduce new flavours into foods they already eat and hide them effortlessly.
NOTES
Super Health Bombs are a great addition to gravy. For those kids that love flavour, one or two of these bombs can be added to gravy mix or used on its own to make gravy. Simply whisk some flour into the juices of the roasted meat (such as beef, lamb or chicken), add a couple of super bomb cubes and some water and bring to the boil. This gravy has a rich pate flavour that creates a fabulous punch.
Finally, a note on salt
Salt is a wonderful thing. In fact, every cell in our body needs salt. Lots of people worry about eating salt though particularly when Heart Associations across the world say that salt is bad for us. These reports are referring to table “salt,” not a high-quality, unrefined sea salt.
Our bodies rely on salt to keep good bone density, proper circulation and stabilised blood sugar levels. Click here to read about why table salt is harmful and our summary on the better forms of salt.
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