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!