Life Update and a New Favorite Meal

I am finished with my second semester of school! It feels weird to have time on my hands again. I'm letting myself be a little lazy right now, just to enjoy it, but I'm working on a list of projects to work on over the summer so that I make good use of the time. I wanted to do summer classes but for reasons I won't bother going into, it's not going to work out this summer. I'm kind of bummed I'm taking another semester off but it's okay.

Next week I am heading off to Florida to spend about ten days with my family! I haven't been since last March so I'm really excited. The big event of the visit is my brother David's wedding to a great girl named Jeribeth. This is my first sibling to get married and I'm thrilled! Wedding festivities are so much fun. But they are also stressful, as everyone knows, which is why I'm relieved I'm able to stay for a few days afterward. The only bummer about the trip is that Andrew can't come with me, even for the wedding. It was a hard decision to choose to be away from him for this long when the Army takes him away so much as it is. But hopefully we can get in lots of quality time after I get back before it's his turn to leave again.

That's all I've got for life right now. But since not talking about food in a post would feel wrong, I'm going to leave you with my new favorite dinner dish, which I found in the latest issue of Clean Eating magazine  (I thoroughly recommend that magazine, btw)! It's called Curried Chicken with Zucchini and Cashews, but I despise nuts in dishes, even though I like them plain, so it's up to you whether to put them in or not. I love this meal though! So much I made it twice in one week, haha.

Curried Chicken with Zucchini and Cashews

1/2 cup brown rice, cooked according to package directions
olive oil
1 lb chicken breast
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 zucchini (or yellow squash)
1 cup low-sodium or organic chicken broth
3 Tbs mild or hot red curry paste*
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cilantro
roasted unsalted cashews, if desired

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, until golden brown. Add chickpeas and zucchini and stir to combine. In a small bowl, whisk broth, curry paste, salt, and pepper. Add to skillet, mix well and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over rice, and top with cashews.

* I could only find hot red curry paste at the grocery store, so I only used about a teaspoon since I can't handle food being too spicy. Even with mild, I'd add a little at a time so you can get the flavor you want. Since I only added such a little bit of curry paste, I added a little yellow curry for some extra flavor.