Chicken, brussels sprouts with garlic

Spent all day today practicing the second Shostakovich concerto (which is AWESOME by the way... Major chills. Even when I'm playing it!), teaching, and figuring out how to get a bank to accept a student loan for me... So when it hit dinner time and I didn't have anything thawed to eat, I decided it was time for a trip to central market! 

Central market is always crazy crowded and pretty stressful, so I wanted to get in and out as soon as possible. I grabbed some food for the next day or so- two oranges ($1.97 a pound), two pears ($1.98 a pound), some pork cutlets (less than $3!), some sweet potato chips (also less than $3), and some other small things. Yay cheapness! 

For  dinner I actually decided to eat with my mom, and she had some chicken and Brussels sprouts. Yum! Both cheap things that are easy to get anywhere. It was absolutely delicious and took no skill! Plus we got to listen to some awesome Victor Goines while it was cooking. For those who don't know who Victor Goines is- I suggest you pull up spotify right now and listen. Yeah, right now. 

It's not pretty (because I like to cut my meat up in little bite size pieces before I eat) but trust me, it was amazing! 

Ingredients: 

Some boneless skinless chicken breasts

Brussels sprouts

A few cloves of garlic 

Grapeseed oil (or olive/any other kind can work great as well) 

Seasoning of your choice (I used mrs. dash)

Directions:

Pound the chicken to your desired thinness. I like it thin because it cooks way faster, but it's up to you!

Season the chicken to your liking. 

Take your sprouts and cut them up in quarters, because it cooks faster and absorbs the flavors better. Put them in a pan with your oil and some whole cloves of garlic and heat those babies up! 

Now, get a pan and heat up some oil. When it's hot, put the seasoned chicken in. It should cook pretty quickly. It is done when it is white all the way through. 

(Tip: I like my chicken crispy on the outside, so to get it this way just cook it a little longer after it is done!).

And that is it! You are done! Everything is completely paleo, grain and dairy and gluten and sugar free. Total it probably took maybe 20 minutes top. 

This is a great recipe for college kids who don't know how to cook but want to make a fancy dinner for a girlfriend or boyfriend or parent or whatever! Cheap ingredients helps that too. :) 

For "dessert," I treated myself to a new kind of woodchuck hard cider. "Smoked apple." 

It tasted unfortunately exactly like what it is called. Have you ever grilled with smoke flavored charcoal and accidentally used something like a sweet potatoe with it? Yeah. This cider is not as sickeningly sweet as some of the other woodchucks, but the smoke flavor made it taste a bit like it was going bad or something. I couldn't finish it. Blech. 

Hope you enjoy your "fancy" chicken dinner as much as I did! ;) 

New Year, New Resolutions

Well, it's the start of a new year, and we all know what that means- resolutions!

In the past, I have made many resolutions re: health and fitness that I didn't keep after just a few weeks. I'm sure we've all been there, right?

This year, I have made a few resolutions.

1. Fix my diet.

I intend to follow the paleo diet this year. For those who are not familiar, the paleo diet is when you eliminate all grains, gluten, dairy, added sugar, legumes, starchy vegetables, and corn from the things you eat.  Also, fresh, grass fed, and wild caught meat is encouraged. This is not difficult at all once you find the right recipes. There is a huge world of food out there, and eating whole foods that are good for you really make a difference!

One of the great things about the paleo diet is no calorie counting! You can eat as much as you want, until you are full. Just like the cavemen did.

My boyfriend will be joining me in this resolution, and I will be sharing recipes, pictures, tips, and updates as the year goes on!

Another resolution I made this year is-

2. Practice more.

I have gotten quite complacent in my practicing in 2013, and since I am graduating from college soon, I need to get back on track and work harder and try to improve more on the cello. I am going to be very involved in the new music community in 2014, so keep an eye out for updates regarding performances and other musical things!

My other musical resolution is a more exciting one. I am going to-

3. Learn how to play the trumpet and clarinet.

I am a music teacher, and I think it is extremely beneficial to know at least the basics of the different musical instrument groups to better help your own teaching on your instrument. You can take some tips from one instrument and abstractly use it to help a student with something on your instrument! I'll be taking lessons from two of my friends, which is going to be fun. (Payment in alcohol is also pretty convenient!). This is something else I will talk about on this blog this upcoming year! Now to buy the instruments.....

Well, that's basically it! Welcome to my blog, expect some awesome food pictures and recipes, and ramblings about the life of a poor college-aged cellist trying to get by happy and healthy!