Hi Everyone –

Happy Saturday. I am so glad the weekend is here! As I told one of my friends earlier, if today was not Saturday, (or at least a weekend day) I do not know what I would do. I definitely did not have another work day in me this week!

My game plan for the day was sort of thrown out the window due to my exhaustion. I slept until 9 o’clock this morning (after going to bed at 10 last night!) Instead of rushing to eat breakfast and get myself to the gym, showered and ready by 11:30 – I opted for a more leisurely paced morning. I definitely feel guilty about not making the time to go for a run today. 😦 I don’t really want to talk about it. I hate feeling guilty when I do not make the time for exercise. The only good that comes out of it is the next week it is a priority on my to – do list. I am hoping to get to the gym three times next week, starting tomorrow. Hopefully my Runners World magazine (that is sitting on my desk at the moment) will get me inspired to get back into the routine. Let’s hope so!

My stomach was grumbling to me this morning when I woke up. I had a cup of coffee, a juice glass of POM (and a little water mixed in) and a bowl of steel cut oats:

The oats were steel cut Trader Joe’s brand. I used 1/4 cup of oats, 3/4 cup water, about 1/4 pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla, a few sprinkles of cinnamon and a pinch of pumpkin spice. I also added half of a small banana, after heating it in the microwave for 15 seconds and mashing it. A teaspoon of Teddie on top, of course 🙂

Today I was really excited because I had lunch plans with two of my very good friends, Nicole and Danielle. We all met up at the Garden Grille Cafe, which is at 727 East Avenue in Pawtucket. I cannot believe I have only just discovered this treasure!! I definitely like this place a lot – and I am really glad that I made plans with my friends to go and try it out. I just love discovering new places to eat!

I had a great time examining the menu…

Layout 1

Layout 1I am really glad that we all decided on three different things…. I ordered the falafel wrap with a roasted garlic tahini

I really loved my wrap. It has been a very long time since I have had falafel, and I do not know why. I grew up with my dad making us falafel at home quite often and I always loved it as a kid. But recently I have just not found all that many places that serve it – the last time I put some in a salad from Whole Foods it was definitely over cooked and hard (ew). This was prepared perfectly, and I really loved the veggies in my sandwich as well (carrots, cucs, tomatoes, and lettuce – or spinach?) I was a little nervous about the tahini, I was just hoping they would not put too much in my sandwich. I had thought about ordering it on the side, but decided to let them “do their thing”. I am glad I did. The tahini was really just drizzled ever so slightly inside the wrap. It was a perfect consistency! I really liked this wrap a lot – and would highly recommend it.

Danielle decided on the santa fe black bean veggie burger (which came with amazing caramelized onions!):

Nicole is on an amazing mission to go completely dairy free in her diet (I cannot imagine, but she is doing a fantastic job!) She chose the vegan mac & (tofu?) cheese with mushrooms and broccoli:

We each loved our selections. As I have already said, I cannot wait to go back and try something new on the menu. I can easily see this becoming one of my new favorite places to eat! On top of it all, we decided to have dessert (for the sake of the blog, we told ourselves!) We ordered a tofu (vegan?) cheesecake…. Personally, I had never tried such a thing, so I was not at all sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised!

I loved the tofu cheese cake, the raspberry drizzle, and especially the crust:

I never knew a tofu cheesecake could be so phenomenal! It will take a lot of will power not to order this dessert every time! Thankfully we had three forks and all shared this decadent cake. Holy yum!

Overall, I really liked Garden Grille Cafe a lot. I loved the relaxed atmosphere. Our server was great. The place was hoping with happy customers and there was an overall peaceful and wholesome vibe in the restaurant. I cannot wait to go back!

It is a cold, rainy Saturday in Rhode Island – yet again. What is with all of the rain we have been getting on Saturdays? I am enjoying a hot cup of peppermint tea at the moment. It is almost warming me up… I hope everyone is enjoying their weekends! See you soon…