Falling for Fall

WOW...they tell you that grad school is hectic but holy cow. I really thought that I would be posting on here weekly but it has been almost four! A lot has been going on in the last four weeks...more football games and tailgates, midterms, papers, reflections, interning,coordinating a friend's wedding, and trying to stay in them around 5 days a week. Through my Master's of Social Work program at Radford I am interning at a crisis stabilization/respite home for individuals with intellectual disabilities, most with co-occurring mental illnesses as well. I stay busy, that's for sure. On those days, I either go to the gym very early or use them as my rest days. Staying full enough to avoid getting HANGRY can prove very difficult on such busy days, especially because I never know quite what I am walking into when I arrive in the mornings. I usually try to pack some snacks to eat throughout the day and a salad if I know that the house is serving a meal that I can't eat. Last week, the house was serving barbecue crock-pot chicken and I thought I would try some. It was DELICIOUS! So good, in fact, that the very next day I made it for my brother and boyfriend for dinner in the apartment. It was so simple and so delicious. 

I hardly ever use actual measurements in recipes and it usually turns out okay. For this barbecue chicken I combined:

                                        about 2.5 lbs chicken breast

about a cup and a half of barbecue sauce

about a 1/4th of a cup of italian dressing

sprinkle of garlic powder

sprinkle of black pepper

Combine all ingredients in crock-pot. My chicken breasts were frozen so I left them on high for around 5 hours, until they were fully cooked and beginning to fall apart. I sauteed some broccoli and baked some potatoes to serve with the chicken. Super easy meal that was delicious, gluten-free, and full of vegetables! I plan to use the crock-pot a lot more this fall and winter since I can start dinner before I leave to intern and it will be ready when I get home. I have thoroughly enjoyed fall in the New River Valley so far. This weekend we plan to visit haunted houses, pick and carve pumpkins, and hopefully go for a hike to see the beautiful leaves! Looking forward to the weekend and hopefully having some time for a little rest and relaxation. Until then, it's just another a day in the life of a gluten-free grad student. 

Below is a photo from our first Blacksburg hike to the Falls Ridge Nature Preserve. The leaves are now in their peak of bright colors, I can't wait to take pictures this weekend!

New Beginnings

Hello! 

I am a first year graduate student, working on my MSW. I am also 2 and a half years gluten free, LOVE working out, and am currently finding my way in a new town and at a new school. I have experimented with many different recipes over the past 2 years and things have definitely gotten easier as being gluten free has become more common. Recently I have come across an article on my Facebook NewFeed titled "Science Proves Gluten Sensitivity Isn't Real, People are Just Whiners". After reading the article, as well as the comments by people who have posted the article, I am enraged. 1. A diet choice is a personal choice, and nobody else has any grounds to comment on that decision. 2. Nobody attacks vegetarians or people who are lactose intolerant for having a sensitivity or being "whiners". 3. Why don't the people who have issues with us NCGS's (non-celiac gluten sensitivity) just shut up and appreciate the fact that there is more pizza for them to enjoy when we don't go near it??

Rant aside, I have created this blog to create an accumulation of some of my favorite things. Cooking, trying new recipes, working out, and socializing. I am a social work graduate student, juggling interning, and handling a new living situation that includes my sophomore brother, my senior boyfriend, and his sophomore sister. I often end up planning the weekly meals, grocery shopping, and cooking. I am basically a Mom-in-training. I belong to an off campus gym since I live about 25 minutes from my grad school campus. It's also tailgate season so I have been trying to find healthy(ish) gluten-free tailgate-friendly recipes that will please the picky crowd I try to entertain. A couple weeks ago I made gluten free cheesy hashbrown bacon & egg muffins...(keyword healthyISH). They were a hit! It was an early game so I made them on Friday night so that I could just warm them in the microwave, squirt some ketchup on a plate, and make it look like I had been up cooking since sunrise! 

The recipe follows:

you will need

1 bag (20 oz) frozen shredded hash browns (thawed)
2 tables spoons vegetable oil (I substituted butter)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp milk
6 eggs
3/4 c crumbled crispy bacon
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese



Heat oven to 400 degrees F.Spray regular sized muffin tins with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl combine potatoes, vegetable oil, salt, & pepper. Divide mixture into muffin tins, pushing down to make room. 
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs & combine milk. Stir in bacon and cheese.Press down into potatoes to make more room in the muffin tins. Spoon egg mixture into muffin tins. Leave a little bit of room in tin for muffin to expand. Cook 13-17 minutes, until golden brown and no longer runny. 

Let sit for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Like I said, I baked mine on Friday night and microwaved them. We enjoyed the leftovers all week! They are great with ketchup or sriracha. 

There is another noon game this weekend so I will have to see what kinds of recipes I can find and try this week! Stay posted for more recipes, workouts, & my adventures of being gluten free at grad school!