Early Bird Gets the Gym

Happy Saturday!

I am up early to head to the gym (I say early because I usually like to sleep in on Saturdays)  – I have 5 miles planned for today. It feels really good to get back into running again. We “officially” start the training schedule on February 13^th, so for now I am just running easy a few days per week.

I had a Microwave Banana Oat Cake for fuel before my run:

(Remember my Feb goals? This was my second new recipe this week – woohoo!) Read about my first one *here*.

Averie this was so good, and I used a smaller amount of sugar (only 1 tsp!) and the recipe turned out great! I used just a thin schmear of peanut butter (about a tsp?) on top and that made it even more delish. I liked that it was a “new” way to eat oatmeal! And the recipe was so simple! Thank you! It was very chewy (in a good way!) and satisfying!

After hitting the gym I plan on going to the Mall of America to do some birthday shopping. Jason and I have 2 nieces (one on “my” side and one on “his” side) and they both have birthdays in February. D will be 3 and F will be 4 – so adorable! Last time I was at MOA I saw Bob Harper, I wonder who I might see today? J

I wanted to share last night’s dinner with y’all (said Paula Deen style):

Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese

I’ve made this before on the blog, but seriously. It is so good. I mean, check out that roasted wrinkly tomato!

Slice up a few tomatoes (I had 2 for Jason and me) and take the seeds out:

Toss them with some canola oil, salt and pepper. I also tossed in a few shakes of this:

(or you could add a clove of chopped garlic as well)

Roast on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, flipping the tomato slices at the 15 minute mark. Afterward, place slices on toasted bread and top with cheese slices (or soy cheese in our case).

I popped them under the broiler for a few minutes to let the cheese soften a bit. Soy cheese doesn’t melt the best (for me at least) but it needed to be just a tad melty.  Served with green beans and a sweet tater with cinnamon:

I really like open faced sandwiches because they take me longer to eat. I wolf down my food so fast that I need tricks like this to help me slow down.  I want to eat slower so I enjoy my meal more! (and I’ve heard it helps digestion – no idea if that is actually true or not!)

Well wish me luck on my run, this is the longest distance I have ran since October!

***What are your plans for the weekend?

***Have you ever seen/met any celebrities in real life?