Noelle likes Good Food

I hope you all had a wonderful day and were able to stay warm! We woke up to ice on all our windows, but from the suggestion of a friend we dripped out faucets and thankfuly none of our pipes froze. We are also done with day 2 of our detox :)! I made oatmeal to go with breakfast this morning. I used half water half coconut milk for the liquid, and once the oatmeal was cooked I added in some sea salt, cinnamon and coconut oil. We both really enjoyed it! I also had a cup of soup to drink on the way to work. It was chicken broth blended with some beans, carrots and kale and I added seasoning to taste.  Chris ate his oatmeal with an omelet and an orange.  For lunch we had more of the Asian brown rice salad I made Sunday with some baked veggies. haha We didn't like the veggies today either. Sad. I need to figure out a way to repurpose those veggies into something we like a little better, and find a different veggie side dish for tomorrow's lunch. ...

Hey guys! We are nearing the end of the first day of our detox! Sadly, I have very few pictures to post of what we actually ate today. It was my first day back at school and I overslept by 30 minutes and I only had time to heat up some soup and put it in a cup and throw my packed lunch into my backpack on the way out the door. Thankfully, I had done a bunch of prep work yesterday (Sunday) afternoon and everything else was packed and ready to go for lunch and breakfast for Chris as well. I will show you all the pictures I took yesterday while cooking. I combined two of my breakfast ideas and made an onion, sweet potato, and kale blend to reheat and put in an omelet. First I harvested another batch of greens from my garden. With a low of 8 degrees tonight, I didn't know if they would survive. So yesterday I harvested everything I could.  Just like before, I de-ribbed the greens, and chopped everything and put them in bags. The ribs were chopped and bagged separate...

*update: I also wrote an article for the detox and got published in a magazine!! Click on the link to see the article :). OR Today - Kombucha Detox Chris and I are doing a two week detox together!! We will be starting Monday, Jan 6th and we want to welcome anyone that wants to join us. Today I will be going over the basics of what to eat and what not to eat. As well as some recipes that we plan on using and other suggestions to aid in the detox process. So, lets jump in! First of all, starting a detox is a big step and shouldn't be taken lightly. It can be a wonderful opportunity to reset your taste buds and help you start the new year eating more mindfully and intentionally. I shared with you in a previous post how much I enjoyed doing this detox in November and this time my husband is doing it with me :)! For the detox there are a few food guidelines that we need to go over. We will start with what not to eat. DON'T EAT: Pork, Conventional beef, Processed meats, Da...

For those of you that read this blog, you know that I get my beef from a local farmer. More specifically,  from  Indian Creek Angus  (click on the link to see their Facebook page!), based out of Carnesville. If anyone is looking for a source for pasture raised beef, theirs is wonderful!!  In one of my orders I had a few packages of beef necks and I had NO clue what to do with them. Based on cooking stew meat, I knew enough that they should be seared and simmered in liquid on medium to low heat for several hours.  It just so happens that my Mom got me a RED 6 qt enameled dutch oven for christmas! I knew that I wanted to christen my new pot by cooking up beef neck-bone stew and do a little kitchen experimenting :). Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the process. But here is what I did… I defrosted the package, which contained 3 neck bones with a good bit of meat. I seared them on a cast iron skillet (I was afraid to do the heavy searing in m...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year. Chris and I are both enjoying our school break with the opportunity to spend time together and with family. I love this time of year! In preparing for Christmas day, sometimes it is hard to find ideas for gifts that are meaningful yet practical and useful. Chris and I teamed up with my sister Anna for gift-giving this year. I wanted to share what we did, and maybe give you some ideas for next year :).  Several people on our list got a bag of sourdough english muffins .  The bags were decorated beautifully by Anna. They said 'Best when toasted and served as a sandwich or topped with your favorite spread'.  Some people got pans of sweet potato sourdough cinnamon rolls.  We spread them out.  Then topped them with sugar and cinnamon. Then we used floss to slice them into perfect cinnamon roll circles :).  Two of...

From as far back as I can remember I struggled with chronic binge eating. Especially once I lived on my own and started eating meals alone. I never threw up, though many times I wished I could after eating such large amounts of food. It was a constant cycle of setting limits and boundaries, obsessing over food, eating way too much and then feeling ashamed and guilty afterwards. Eating was a way of coping when I was stressed, bored, or sad. I thought that I would never change, and I feared that I would always be a failure. The funny thing about fear is that it defines the boundaries of our life. The more afraid we are of failing the more power we give that fear and it can easily take over our lives. I thought the solution of making food my idol was just having enough willpower to withstand the cravings. Of course this never worked. The many years I spent overeating is proof of the fact that sheer willpower is not enough to transform a lifestyle. Just so you know, self-depracation i...

Are you ready for this? It is the easiest recipe ever!  Put a layer of garlic cloves in a crockpot. I used 3 cups of cloves. Pour in enough olive oil to cover the garlic and cook on low for 3 hours. Then strain out the garlic. Sorry that this picture is SUPER dark. It is dark in our kitchen and I am also taking a picture of a black crockpot. You will be rewarded with a jar of delicious roasted garlic.  And a jar of garlic infused olive oil.  WOAH. This stuff is good.  The garlic cloves are great just smushed onto a piece of bread. So far, based on what I have tried, they are also delectable mixed into green beans, mixed in ground beef for hamburgers, mashed into mashed potatoes, and in soup. The infused oil is great for sautéing vegetables and spreading on pizza dough before baking. This is only the start. I am sure I will find many many more uses for these wonderful ingredients. I am making sure to feed lots of garlic to Chr...