Author: Eliza Noel

Christian wife, homemaker, contemporary author, and health blogger. Follow my blog and social medias for health tips and book recommendations!

Know the Gospel of Grace

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Gospel of Grace: Spiritual Health Comes First

If you only make one change for your health, let it be this- know the Gospel of Grace. If your spiritual and eternal health isn’t in order, then don’t even think about your physical health. The importance of that pales in comparison. This life is temporary. Sure, eating healthy and exercising can give you a better quality of life, but what’s the point if you’re headed for an eternity in Hell? I know that sounds rough, but the truth is loving no matter how hard it is.

Gospel of Grace: Assurance of a Healthy Eternity

We went to a memorial service recently. That and the fact that we’ve unexpectedly lost two different young family friends this past year has me thinking about what really matters. I praise the Lord for the fact that I know they put their trust in the Gospel of Grace and will spend eternity with the Lord instead of being separated from Him (in Hell). I also thank the Lord for the fact that I have this same assurance. If I die today or in seventy years I know exactly where I’m going.

Gospel of Grace: Have You Trusted in it?

As we consider your spiritual health I have a question for you to think about-

Do you know where you’ll spend your eternity?

Think about your answer and we’ll circle back to the question. I want you to be absolutely 100% sure on this matter. I desire for your spiritual health to be thriving.

Gospel of Grace: The Bad News

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

According to Romans, a book of the Bible, we’re all born spiritually sick. We all have a sin sickness. This can look like selfishness, anger, lust, pride, lying…the list goes on and on. It’s like we’re born with a cancer we can do nothing about that’s slowly killing us.

God is equally just as He is loving. This means that He can not just “let it slide” when we sin. If a human judge let the guilty go free in our day, we would call him corrupt. But God is not corrupt, He is a perfect judge. Because of this, He can not let anything imperfect into His presence (heaven). The standard for perfection isn’t measured against the girl next door, it is measured against Him alone. And we do not measure up.

The bottom line is that our sin sickness is sending every one of us straight to Hell, no exception. We all have it. Nobody (except for Jesus) is born free of this sin sickness.

It’s terrible news, isn’t it?

But the story doesn’t end there. There’s good news. There is a cure.

Gospel of Grace: The Cure

God is equally loving as He is just. He saw this bad news and provided a solution to the problem.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

God’s son is Jesus. Though He never sinned, He was condemned as a criminal and died on a cross. He did not die because He deserved it. He, in His matchless grace, traded Himself (the innocent) for us (the guilty). He took the punishment upon Himself for us so that we would not have to. God placed all sin upon Jesus, He paid for it all. No word, work, or ritual that we could do could pay this astronomical price. To God, only Jesus’ blood is a satisfactory payment.

And He didn’t stay dead.

He rose from the grave victorious, defeating forever the power of sin and death.

Let’s circle back to John 3:16. It says “whoever believes in Him has eternal life”. Think about the cancer idea again. Let’s say it’s terminal. But you find out a doctor has developed a procedure to cure it. Are you immediately healed because the cure exists? No, you would have to trust that his cure would work and have the procedure done. That’s the only way the cure could personally do you any good.

Similarly, you have to choose for yourself to trust in Jesus’ payment for you on the cross. That is the only way His cure would personally do you any good. As a result of your trust in Him He freely gives you eternal life with God (Heaven) instead of the punishment you rightly deserved (Hell).

Once you trust that, your sin sickness no longer determines your destination. Instead, Jesus’ perfection determines your destination. Because Jesus’ payment satisfied God nothing you can do (good or bad) can change His mind.

“He (God) forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14

Gospel of Grace: Where Do You Stand?

Let’s circle back to your answer to my question. If you’ve trusted in Jesus, your eternity with God in Heaven is sure, if you haven’t trusted, the opposite is true. My prayer is that if you haven’t already, you will choose today to trust in Him.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:17-18

Gospel of Grace: Further Resources

If you have more questions about spiritual health, leave a comment or send me an email (eliza.noel.writes@gmail.com). I’d love to talk with you! Here are some other good resources as well.

5 Habits That Improved My Menstrual Cycle Health

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Menstrual Cycle Health: The Fifth Vital Sign

The menstrual cycle is referred to as the fifth vital sign by Lily Nichols and Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, the authors of “Real Food for Fertility” (a book I highly recommend). They say that how your cycle is doing is an indicator of your overall health, just like your heart rate, body temperature, respiratory rate, and blood pressure are. A cycle length outside of the range of 24-35 days could be a sign of an underlying health problem.

Please note, while I am a certified health coach, I am by no means a doctor. I’m just sharing what worked personally for me in hopes that it will be helpful for you.

Ever since I was a teenager, my menstrual cycle has been inconsistent and often far too long. And from talking to friends, I know I’m not the only one who has experienced this. Personally, I was quick to Google symptoms and come up with all kinds of scary diagnoses for myself. It turns out, all I needed was to make some simple healthy lifestyle choices. This might not work for everyone, but I highly recommend shooting for consistency with these five habits for up to a year and seeing what happens.

Menstrual Cycle Health: 5 Healthy Habits

These are the five habits I implemented the year my menstrual cycle finally became regular.

  1. Exercising regularly.
    A few months before my cycle started consistently being in the normal range (24-35 days), I started exercising regularly. In the beginning, this looked like lifting heavy weights for an hour in the gym. Now this looks like twenty-minute workout videos done in my living room 3 times per week. Different budgets and schedules will allow different things. Just move your body somehow.
  2. Taking Inositol every night.
    Inositol is a supplement that’s also called Vitamin B8. It’s mentioned in the Trim Healthy Wisdom book as a recommendation for women who have PCOS symptoms. Aside from improving menstrual cycle health, it also improves sleep quality. I’d probably taken this consistently for at least 5 months before I saw an obvious change.
  3. Cutting out sugar and refined flours.
    Real Food for Fertility states that diets high in sugar are often associated with hormonal imbalances and other issues. About 10 months before my cycle changed for the better, I started cutting out sugar and refined flours. Maybe 4 months before the change, I started taking that more seriously. I still don’t stick to it perfectly, but now most sweets I eat are sweetened with natural sweeteners, and most baked goods I consume have been soured, soaked or sprouted. My reason behind these things was because they were kinder for my blood sugar levels and therefore helped me maintain a healthy weight. Turns out what’s kinder for my blood sugar is also kinder for my menstrual cycle health.
  4. Focusing on protein.
    I always knew protein was important, but I didn’t understand just how important until recently. Trim Healthy Wisdom set a new standard for protein goals and I started taking that seriously. Again, when I started doing this it was so I could reach and maintain a healthy weight. But it turns out it also affects my menstrual health. See this recent post by Trim Healthy Mama to read some of the many benefits of protein.
  5. Eating well-balanced meals.
    God created all the food groups, and it turns out to be healthy women we need all of them (crazy how it’s almost like he knew that, huh?). I don’t cut food groups out. I make sure that every day I get at least a little bit of both healthy carbs and healthy fats. I’ve grown to crave both. If it’s been too long since I’ve had a fat meal, I start to feel it and quickly make a peanut butter smoothie or something with lots of butter and cheese. The same goes for healthy carbs.

I’m not sure which one of these habits played the biggest role in making my menstrual cycle regular, but my guess is that they all played a part. Many of these habits I implemented simply because I chose to live the Trim Healthy lifestyle. At that point, I wasn’t specifically thinking about menstrual health. Implementing little healthy lifestyle changes goes a lot further than we realize.

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Make Some Healthy Changes

If you’re looking to make healthy lifestyle changes, but don’t know where to start, I’d love to help. Being a certified healthy lifestyle coach, my job is to teach and cheer ladies on in their health journeys. I’d love the opportunity to walk alongside you! If you want more details about the health coaching packages I offer visit my health coaching page. I also offer a free 15-minute phone consultation. I’d be honored to get to know you and where you’re at!

Books for Jane Austen Fans (& one movie)

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It’s a rare occasion when I meet a woman who doesn’t love at least one of Jane Austen’s stories. Something draws us to her characters even if they are prideful, passionate, or obnoxious (what excellent boiled potatoes). When it comes to humor, I believe Jane Austen was far ahead of her time. While some people may think her stories are better left untouched, I’ll continue to be drawn to new spins on her stories (even if they don’t match up to the original). There is just something so comforting about characters and storylines that feel familiar. Here are just a few books that feel like Jane Austen in some way or another.

Books for Jane Austen Fans

Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham

Amazon//Goodreads

  • Sense & Sensibility references
  • regency romance
  • matchmaking mishaps
  • ballroom social scenes
  • cute children
  • a scandalous secret (well, for that time period, anyways)

Not Exactly Mr. Darcy by Carolyn Miller (The Silver Teapot #1)

Amazon//Goodreads

  • contemporary fiction
  • Darcy-like male mc
  • restoration of a Pemberley-type home
  • written by an Australian author which almost makes it feel more authentically British

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George

Amazon//Goodreads

  • dual timeline historical/contemporary fiction
  • British setting
  • cozy-by-the-fireplace vibes
  • Jane Austen with a modern twist

Movie for Jane Austen Fans

Sense & Sensibility: A Modern Retelling

  • cheesy (but at the same time well done) modern version of Sense and Sensibility
  • Christmas scenes
  • clean girly movie
  • Jane Austen characters redone well

Tell Me About Your Love for Jane Austen

I’ve been a lover of Jane Austen stories since before high school. Pride and Prejudice was a long time favorite, but I’ve grown a new appreciation for Sense and Sensibility. Even Emma (whom I originally loathed) has grown on me. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m passionate about both literature and health. I even named my self-taught health coaching package Elinor Dashwood because it’s an independent course just like Elinor is an independent character. You can learn more about it below.

If you’d like to talk more about this package you can email me (eliza.noel.writes@gmail.com) or…

Easy No Recipe Trim Healthy Mama Friendly Meal Ideas

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The other day I vlogged about all of the meals and snacks I ate throughout my whole day (you can find that vlog at the end of this post). Here’s the fun thing about the food I ate- I didn’t plan ahead, and I didn’t use recipes. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I’m all about meal planning and recipes. Other times I just don’t have the brain space (or maybe budget) for that. This particular day, I kept it simple. All I did was look to see what was in my fridge, throw it together, and eat it. There are endless ways this can be done, but here’s what I did just to get your imagination running.

Simple No-recipe THM-friendly Meal Ideas

  • Scrambled Eggs (S) So many options here! I mixed random veggies I found in my fridge and some sausage in with my eggs. I also wanted just a few carbs and something sweet, so I sliced up a few strawberries on the side. For your scrambled eggs you could add in whatever meats, cheese, egg whites, literally any vegetable…the list goes on and on. You could even throw the eggs in a low carb tortilla for a breakfast burrito.
  • Lavender Tea (All Day Sipper) I wasn’t ready for caffeine yet, but I wanted a warm drink. All I put in the tea was stevia so it would be considered a sipper and not interfere with any of my fuelings. You could do this with any kind of tea! Another favorite hot drink of mine has been Good Girl Moonshine made with hot water. But if you’re avoiding recipes don’t do that one!
  • Coffee with Cream, Small Spoonful of Peanut Butter, and EAA’s for protein (S) Not much more to say about that. I’ve been enjoying a mid-morning coffee break, and I always try to get some protein in and some sort of snack along with it.
  • Soup and Strawberry Protein Kefir (light XO) The soup was actually leftover from a previous meal, all I had to do was reheat it. When I originally made it I boiled thinly sliced potatoes in fatty bone broth, added other veggies, canned chicken, gelatin, and seasonings. Again, this is something you can make with literally whatever you have in your kitchen. I’m sure you could make it any fuel type as well. I wasn’t sure there was enough chicken left in the soup so I supplemented protein with my strawberry kefir drink. Here’s what it was- scoop of whey protein, kefir (you could use almond milk), dash of stevia, and strawberries quickly blended.
  • Whole Wheat Sourdough Toast with Jam (E) Honest confession here, this snack did not have protein like it should have. It would have been a better snack if I had added another protein drink or some cottage cheese. Just including this so you know I’m not perfect.
  • Chicken Stir-fry with Brown Rice (E) This was another just grab all the veggies and cook them up meal. I fried the veggies in a little bit of coconut oil and drizzled a sauce over them. My sauce included chicken broth, brown sugar truvia, ginger powder, paprika, soy sauce…but there are so many ways you can do it. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with a quick stir-fry. I used instant brown rice and cooked some chicken in my Instant Pot. But you can use whatever meat you want! You could also omit the rice and add more oil to make it an S.
  • Skinny Chocolate (S) Ok, this was one thing that was from a recipe. But in my defense, it was already prepped. I didn’t have to make it that day. You could also buy some Lily’s chocolate or really dark chocolate for an easy on-plan dessert fix.

Simple THM Meal Ideas on Instagram

Where are you on your health journey?

As a Certified Trim Healthy Lifestyle coach, my goal is to make healthy living simple and affordable for other women. I do a lot of just using ingredients that I have and I want to teach other ladies how to do that as well. Are you confused by all of this S and E stuff? One-on-one coaching or my self-taught course could be a good fit for you. Already understand Trim Healthy Mama, but you need accountability and new ideas? Consider joining my group coaching program. Wherever you’re at, I would love to chat with you. I offer a free phone consultation with no commitment. You can sign up for that below.

Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson//Squeaky Clean Mystery Book

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Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson is a squeaky clean mystery book that I highly recommend. It was probably one of my top fiction reads next year. Picture the perfect blend of Murder on the Orient Express, Knives Out, and Clue. It’ll be published next month, so be sure to pre-order a copy!

Audience

Older Teen Girls & Women

Genre

Squeaky Clean Mystery, Clean Contemporary Romance, Eccentric Murder Mystery, Rom-com

Author

Melissa Ferguson

Buy on Amazon


“It’s that bad isn’t it?”
“Perhaps a double shot of espresso. We don’t typically allow triple shots given the number of pacemakers on board, but just this once, I could slip you a third upon request.”

Growing up, one of my favorite books was “Cherry Ames, Cruise Nurse“. Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson reminded me of that one. They’re both mysteries that take place on a cruise ship. I’ve read a number of Melissa Ferguson’s books now, and this one is my favorite. It tells the story of Pip, the assistant to an eclectic group of well-known authors. After organizing a cruise for them and all their fans, she finds the body of her boss, Hugh. The most likely suspects are the other authors, people she thought she knew and trusted. Overall, this book was the perfect blend of mystery, romance, and comedy! I definitely recommend it.

A few of my favorite things…

  • the fancy cruise ship setting
  • author MC’s
  • a protective and manly male MC
  • a mystery that kept me guessing the whole time

I didn’t care for…

  • I can’t think of anything!

Know that…

  • a man sleeps in a woman’s room to protect her from the lurking murderer, nothing sexual
  • the romance doesn’t go further than a few kisses (nothing over-the-top)

Perfect for…

Any women looking for a lighthearted mystery that will keep them guessing!

If you love reading clean Christian fiction (especially contemporary) sign-up for my email list here. I send reviews and giveaways here and there.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.