Unintentional Product Reviewer
I hope you all are ready because some how I managed to make this post all about reviews and FUN finds when I wasn’t even trying too ~ oops! 
I LOVE being able to share everything I find…the problem is I always want to try/share it all at one time
I LOVE that so many of you have shared your stories and questions for the Foam Roller. I wasn’t sure if everyone was going to “get” why I paid $$ for this solid piece of hard foam and how it made my hip pain go away.
I was going to attempt to take some pictures to show you all how it works, but, I think my fellow Open Sky ShopKeeper, Candace (a Personal Trainer) demonstrates how to use it perfectly. Plus she looks AMAZING doing it too 
….Me, not so much ~ I am pretty much making scary faces and cursing my way through my 2 minutes 
She only touches on a few ways to use it, but, you pretty much follow this process for any part of your body you want to “massage”.
I am a TOTAL believer in my FOAM ROLLER and spent 15 minutes this morning using it on all my muscles and doing some deep stretching ~ ahhhh! Might just leave me feeling more relaxed than Yoga (crazy, huh).
I bought mine at Sports Challet because I wanted it ASAP and paid $25. However, you can get one for less than $20 in My Open Sky Shop and get 15% off too!
EATS
I have really been resisting opening this jar of Dry Roasted Cashew Butter that My Secret Valentine Bloggie (Thanks, Paula!) sent me because I have too many jars of nut butter open. But, today was a day that just called for it.
I went rummaging through the freezer this morning in search of something good I could use with my nut butter when I found two of the Homemade Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes that I froze a little while back.
I reheated them for 30 seconds in the microwave to thaw and then toasted them. Topped with this AMAZING cashew butter (I have to say I LOVE it more than the raw cashew butter).
While my pancakes were “cooking”, I chopped up an apple, poured cinnamon all over it and added 1 teaspoon of this RAW Organic Agave Nectar I got at Trader Joe’s.
I LOVE Agave Nectar because a little goes a long way and you rarely need more than a tsp.
I cooked it for 1 minute to make “MOCK” Baked Cinnamon Apples for 1 point!
You know I ended up making a big ole cashew butter cinnamon apple PANCAKE-WICH for 7 points. My hands were too messy to grab the camera so you have to use your imagination
I was missing protein in my breakfast so I had a perfectly hard boiled egg ~ 2 points of Protein. I was still hungry after this so I had a couple of cashews for 1 point and it did the trick.
Since I was resting my hip for one more day, I ran to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s today for lunch to get out. I LOVE that they are right next to each other in Napa.
Lunch was some leftover Baked Cheesy Bacon Mac & Cheese (6 pts).
Plus a Big Salad on the side with Annie’s Lite Balsamic Dressing (1 pt).
I LOVE Marinated Mushrooms and that they are 0 points!
Dessert was a new find for me ~ Trader Joe’s HONEY Plantain Chips.
2 points a serving is AWESOME!
They are super crunchy, like banana chips, but the honey makes them taste CARAMELIZED! I had about 10 of these (I divided the bag into 3 servings and ate one) since I didn’t have my scale to weigh.
Here are couple of other COOL FINDS I picked up while I was out today.
A NEW to me ChocoLOVE Flavor ~ DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT!
Don’t worry, I didn’t keep it ~ I gave it to my friend who I now have hooked on ChocoLOVE
Then, for my co-worker who is doing Weight Watchers and LOVES popcorn, these SniKiddy Pizza Puffs. (I bought these at Whole Foods ~ Love that they are Gluten Free!)
I just find it CRAZY that 1/4 of this entire bag (it’s a chip sized bag) it only 2 points!
That’s a whole lotta puff. I tried two and they really do taste like pizza ~ COOL!
Dinner tonight was super easy and everything to make The Husband feel better ~ Poor him ~ he keeps going around saying “I Hate OAK (his nick name for Poison Oak), I never want to get it again!”
His friend who helped him put the fence up has it too so ya – it has to be Jungle Ladies back yard…..booo! I think I am cracking him up with my “all natural” products I keep busting out Aveeno, Tea Tree Oil and Technu Fingers crossed it all works soon!
As you all know, I LOVE my whipped butter!
You can get an entire Tablespoon for 2 points and the ingredient list is CLEAN/recognizable. The only draw back is that it is higher in Saturated Fat, but, a little goes a long way.
Awhile back the folks at I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter gave me a ring to say that they are no longer including Transfats in their spread. I used to LOVE this stuff and the spray bottle, but, when I realized it included Transfats, I stopped using it.
I like that they replaced their hydrogenated oils with soybean & canola oils ~ it really lowers the Saturated fat. 2 points per Tablespoon as well.
It’s always a toss up to me which to use butter or margarine. I am not sure that it 100% matters because I think you can make a valid case either way. What matters is that whichever you use, you use it in moderation. I like the consistency margarine lends in baking so I know this will be an awesome choice when I want to use 1/2 butter and 1/2 margarine to bake.
What do you all think ~ butter or margarine??
I wanted to give the new ICBINB a try and used 3 Tbsp’s with a little parmesan, sea salt and black pepper to make “buttered” noodles. It’s not bad….I can tell “it’s not butter” but I like the flavor still. (1 c for 4 pts)
I grilled up a Tri Tip marinated in TJ’s Island Soyaki and measured out 3 oz for 3 pts.
While the pasta and noodles cooled, I whipped up a quick baby Bok Choy stir fry in my fancy All Clad Pan. Topped with garlic salt and freshly ground pepper.
You all seriously need to try out All Clad Pans ~ this cooked up in 4 minutes (as long as it took me to slice the meat). (0 pts)
All together with some super crunchy watermelon & cantaloupe for dessert (1 pt).
MONDAY FUN!!!
Recently, I participated in the Monthly Morsels Question of the Month over at Recipelion.com. The question was…
If you could live with only one utensil for the rest of your life, what would it be and why???
Click HERE to find out my answer and leave a comment below telling me what you all would pick….I want to know what you all eat with
Night all!
Foam Rollers are AMAZING!!!!
Filed under: Open Sky, Product Reviews, Restaurant Reviews
Today was an AMAZING day ~ it was so sunny that it was actually “hot” in the 70’s today. It definitely felt like spring is around the corner. Spring and Fall are my two favorite seasons because like Goldy Locks the weather is not too hot or too cold, but, just right
My hip kept me up most of the night aching every time I turned. Finally at 3 am I gave up and got up to have breakfast ( I was surprisingly starving).
Toasted Wheat Bagel Thin with 1 tsp of whipped butter (1.5 pts).
Plus some TJ’s Organic LF Banana Yogurt (2 pts).
I LOVED this combination ~ easy,simple, good.
When The Husband was up we headed out to Starbuck’s on the way to help out our friends. Sometimes you just have to GO BIG! I had a Venti Iced Decaf FF Latte with caramel drizzle on top ~ only 3 Points!!! I think that is why I LOVE iced drinks, you get more for your points.
While The Husband and his partner in crime worked, I took my niece over to Walmart to do some shopping. I had to get The Husband some Poison Oak soap and lotion 
We think he got it from our neighbors jungle yard when he did the fence.
Lunch was at Chipolte! Chipolte scared me because their points are high for everything and their portions are HUGE. However, if you check out CHIPOLTE FAN BEFORE you can, you can make sure you create something that fits into your points budget. I LOVE how you can add what you are ordering to see how it impacts the nutritionals.
I made a FANTASTIC Burrito Bowl Sans Beans and Rice (saves a TON of points!)
Romaine
Grilled Chicken
Fajita Vegetables (Peppers and Onions)
Corn Salsa
Tomato Salsa
Hot Salsa
A small sprinkle of cheese ~ I told them must a pinch LOL
GUACAMOLE because it’s totally worth ALL the points to me.
This salad game in at 10 points (not too shabby because it tasted like more). You can save 3 points by skipping the guacamole, but why would you???
We did some house shopping (bought a fancy new front door that we got 1/2 off plus used a $50 rewards card – LOVE it!) I bought a FOAM roller for my sore hip flexors. After all that shopping, I FINALLY got the BayBerry Froyo I’ve been wanting all weekend.
FF Strawberry & FF Chocolate topped with sprinkles, mini yogurt chips, 1 tsp of mini M&M’s and 1 tsp of Reese’s PB cups. SO good (5 pts).
Dinner was made up of everything I was craving….sort of random, but, I knew I wanted a BIG salad, some Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, Chicken! and this NEW Annie’s Lite Herb Balsamic Dressing.
Romaine & TJ’s Organic Herbed Mixed Greens
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Mini Peppers
1/2 oz LF Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3 TJ’s Candied Pecans, broken into pieces
1/8 AVOCADO
It was everything I dreamed up in my head!
Plus 2 points of fluffy soft, Hawaiian Sweet bread ~ I could probably eat a million of these straight up.
But, I refrained. I settled for one and put 3 oz of baked chicken (another craving) inside with spicy mustard to make dinner a chicken sandwich plus salad. (7 points)
I was sort of excited and sort of afraid to try out the Foam Roller I picked up to help out my sore hip flexors. I have been pretty cool strutting my stuff today with a limp/gimp so I was pretty desperate to make the pain go away. My hip hurt so bad it was painful just to lift my leg in and out of the car.
I’ve heard great things about foam rollers helping with deep tissue massage and knots you can get in your muscles from running. I have resisted so far because they are pretty expensive, but, this weekend I had a REAL NEED. I didn’t work this hard to let my body stop me ONE WEEK before our race.
OMG!! I wish I could describe to you all the MAJOR relief I felt AFTER I used my roller. During, not so much, several not so nice things were coming out of my mouth as I felt like I was rubbing my hip on concrete. I am a TOTAL BELIEVER in these things….The Husband is now too ~ he tried it out and LOVED it.
You can check out all the exercises you can do with it by clicking HERE!
You can BUY ONE just like this in My Open Sky Shop (complete the puzzle on My Open Sky Page to get 15% off everything your order!)
The other fun Gadget ~ My sis got us this super cool Electric Tooth Brush & Crest Toothpaste kit! This brush makes your teeth feel SO CLEAN like when you visit the dentist & The Husband swears it makes my teeth whiter (woohoo!)
I am a total sucker for brushing my teeth for 2 minutes now because you get a smiley face when you meet the time. Oh and if you go OVER the 2 minutes, it winks at you So I am easy to please, what can I say….it’s the little things.
Alright all ~ I am SO TIRED and bed is calling my name!
Have a great Monday!
The Eat Right Precision Pro Scale Winners Are….
Thanks to everyone for playing along in My FIRST Open Sky Giveaway for the Eat Smart Precision Pro Digital Food Scale. I LOVE this scale, but, I have to say I honestly LOVED reading all the things you all want from my shop. It’s good to know that the things I’ve added so far you all would want to own too.
Check out the ratings for the things you MOST would want to own:
THE #1 THING YOU ALL WANTED WAS…. The EatSmart Precision Pro Scale ~ Good thing I am giving away THREE for FREE today!
# VOTES – ITEM
21 Garmin Forerunner 305 Personal Trainer
14 All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan
14 Cuisinart GR1 Griddler Panini and Sandwich Press
9 Cuisinart CSB-76 Smart Stick Hand Blender
8 Reebok – Reebok Adjustable Hand Weights
5 Flirty Aprons – Women’s Aprons
4 Chia Seeds (Organic, Heirloom quality)
4 Organic Soft Winter Wheat Berries
3 Naturally Nutty – Butter Toffee Peanut Butter – 2 Pack
3 Naturally Nutty – Vanilla Almond Butter – 2 Pack
2 Back to Basics Peel Away Apple Peeler
2 George Foreman Next Grilleration 4-Burger Grills with Removable Plates – White
2 The Tumbleweed Composter (Black)
1 Pyrex Bake ‘N Store 5-Pc Set
1 Organic Golden Flax Seeds (1 lb)
1 Black & Decker HC306 Handy Chopper Plus.
1 BodySport – Resistance Bands
1 Ball- Plastic Freezer jar 8oz, 5 pack
1 Kuhn Rikon – Quick Slice Mandoline with Guard
1 Swissmar Borner V-Slicer Plus Mandoline
SO FUN ~ You all obviously have great taste ~ I want to go shopping with you I will have to see if I can work any group deals or discounts for you all on the items you most want. For now, I can offer up the 15% off Coupon for anything in my shop by completing the Puzzle on My Open Sky Page. I will also be including a Custom Recipe Makeover for anyone who makes a purchase.
Now that I’ve tortured you all enough with the suspense, the THREE WINNERS of the Eat Right Precision Pro Scale and Custom Recipe Makeover using randomizer.org are:
#4 sarah carstensen
#72 daidai
#120 Lindsay
Congrats to all THREE of you. Please email your name, address and the recipe/food you want me to Makeover for you!
Eat Smart Precision Pro Scale Giveaway!
HAPPY HUMP DAY ALL! What better way to celebrate that the week is half over than with a GIVEAWAY!! You all know all the reasons Why I LOVE My Eat Smart Precision Pro Food Scale. Since I completely believe in this product, I wanted to share the LOVE with you all!
THREE LUCKY READERS WILL RECEIVE THIS FANCY SCALE WITH A CUSTOM RECIPE MAKEOVER!
HOW TO ENTER:
1) Visit MY OPEN SKY SHOP and leave your FIRST comment below telling me what product you most want to have in MY OPEN SKY SHOP. Of course you can always list all the things you want too
BONUS ENTRIES
2) TWEET about this giveaway and include”@danicasdaily is giving away 3 Eat Right Precision Pro Scales that include A CUSTOM RECIPE MAKEOVER ~ Check it out http://bit.ly/9dbdE7” in your tweet so I know you did. You can also post on Facebook including a link to this giveaway if you don’t tweet. Be sure to leave a SECOND comment to let me know you did.
3) If you have a blog, post a link back to this post and leave a THIRD comment with the link letting me know you did.
4) If you do not have a blog, leave a COMMENT letting me know at least one other person you told about the giveaway.
There you have it ~ THREE ways to enter to WIN one of THREE awesome prizes!
This contest is open until 11:59 PM PST Friday, March 5, 2010!. THREE winners will be randomly drawn and announced Saturday,March 6, 2010.
* Don’t forget you can get a 15% off coupon for any purchase in my Open Sky Shop by completing the Puzzle on My Open Sky Shop Page.
* As a special THANKS to anyone who makes a purchase in My Open Sky Shop, I will provide you with a FREE RECIPE MAKEOVER! Just let me know your favorite food or any recipe you LOVE and cannot live without. I will do my best to put a healthy spin on it and have it still taste great!
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE ~ This scale rocks and I know you will LOVE it as much as I do!
“International Eats”
Happy Monday All! Today is an AWESOME day because it’s The Scandalous Bachelor Finale, it’s sunny outside and I had some AMAZING eats. I cooked up TWO new “international” recipes this weekend ~ Chinese & Mexican Food ~ Both turned out to be PHENOMENAL…but more on that in a bit.
I happened to come across these Candied Pecan’s at Trader Joe’s this weekend. I have totally been wanting to try them ever since.
What better way to sample these nuts than to whip up a batch of Caramel Pecan Banana Oats! 5 points for this entire bowl of goodness.
1/3 c Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1/2 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
2/3 c water
BIG Dashes of Cinnamon
All cooked for 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave.
3/4 of a small banana mixed in and 1/4 for topping
1/2 Tbsp Whipped Butter melted
1 tsp brown sugar
4 CANDIED Pecans broken into pieces
I just LOVE the combination of the salty whipped butter with the melted brown sugar caramel and these little candied pecan treats. The pecans are perfectly salty, sweet and not over sugared ~ YUM. I made sure I got a little treat with each bite.
I really should’ve had some protein with my oats because I was STARVING an hour later. I managed to hold out for 3 hours until I had my mid morning snack of TJ’s Organic Vanilla Yogurt with a nectarine (3 pts). I am really digging this yogurt ~ honestly the flavor is like that of FROYO!
My lunch today was inspired by the latest issue of Cooking Light Magazine. II LOVE digging into this magazine as soon as it arrives. The first thing I check out is the recipes (of course!) then, I move on to the articles.
I have to say there are some great articles in this months issue!
1. The 25 Most Common Cooking Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) (p. 108) – Cooking Light offers tips on how to avoid the 25 most common cooking mistakes, so you can breeze through every culinary adventure without fear. Common mistakes include overcrowding the sauté pan, turning food too often, slicing meat with the grain rather than against it, not tasting as you go, and more.
Yup, I’ll be the first to admit, I make a few of them
2. The Healthy Cook’s 3-Step Pantry Planner (p. 48-49) – There is a pull-out guide that offers tips on keeping a well maintained pantry, stocked with healthy must-haves. Tips include knowing what you have, upgrading your ingredients, and building a collection of essential spices. Now, I just need someone to come makeover my pantry for me
3. Guilt-Free Pizza in 20 Minutes (p. 102) – Making pizza nutritious is all about proportion and smart topping trade-offs. Cooking Light offers recipes and tips on making a healthy, nutritious pie, ready in about 20 minutes. PIZZA 101 Homemade vs store bought ~ LOVE it!
4. And for all those GIVING UP MEAT FOR LENT ~
Start with… a Can of Chickpeas (p. 95) – This versatile legume finds a home in many cuisines, from Spanish tapas to Moroccan tagines, and many dishes in between. Cooking Light offers four great chickpea combinations to satisfy any craving. I LOVE Chickpeas!
************************************************************************************************
Ok ~ I’ll stop there ~ let’s just say it’s a good issue I may have actually drooled on my magazine when I came across Ellie Krieger’s Spicy Chicken Fried Rice with Peanuts. I couldn’t find the recipe on myrecipes.com, but, you can find it HERE. I followed the recipe for the most part with the exception of subbing TJ’s Broccoli Slaw for the water chestnuts plus Sriracha.
I LOVE any recipe that lets me use my All-Clad Wok, however, any large stainless steel pan works, like the on you can find in my OPEN SKY SHOP!. I am a FIRM believer in using high quality stainless steel (think surgical) steel pans because you do not end up with anything you don’t want in your food (like Teflon pieces or Cast Iron Metal).
HIGH QUALITY is definitely a must if you buy any stainless steel pan because it cannot be easily scratched which means things do not stick. If they do, you can simply boil a little water and use a spatula to remove it. I LOVE ALL CLAD for this reason!
I had a NICE 1 1/4 cup serving for 7 POINTS topped with more Sriracha ~ I LOVED the spicy addition. This recipe is really delish even if it’s not really like Chinese Food Fried Rice. Everything just works together.
I made up a Spicy Peanut Slaw to go with it using Trader Joe’s Broccoli Slaw with 1 Tbsp TJ’s Low-Fat Spicy Peanut Sauce.
I was starving all day, but, my lunch finally did the job along with a few Pop Chips in the afternoon at holding me over until I could get home to the dinner I put in the Crock Pot this morning.
SLOW COOKER TURKEY BURRITO BAKE!!!
This has layers and layers of flavors….Ground Turkey, Enchilada Sauce, Salsa, Fire Roasted Red Tomato, Veggies, Tortillas, Rice, Beans, CHEESE! It’s as good as it sounds!
I served mine over romaine lettuce and made a turkey enchilada burrito salad topped with avocado, tomatoes and green onions.
This might just be my FAVORITE new recipe….I will be posting it tomorrow for you all!
For now, I am off to finish watching THE SCANDALOUS BACHELOR FINALE!!! Are you all excited about who he picked or not???
GET READY FOR A BIG OPEN SKY GIVEAWAY COMING UP ON WEDNESDAY ~ I will be offering you all another discount with a personalized gift for each person who buys and 3 LUCKY people will win a prize too!
Night all!
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