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!
12 MILES!!!
My Sis and I rocked our last long run before the Shamrock Half Marathon Next weekend. We ran along the same trail we did last week, deciding to do an out and back route. The funny thing is we were flying through the first HALF and though, wow, this is pretty easy, why not go farther?? Ha! In the end we went 12 miles, instead of 11….it was tough, but, we were like super fast PENGUINS. I think what I learned is don’t make decisions like that when you are only HALF way through and still have another 6 miles to go back
It felt amazing to complete it and I honestly cannot wait for our race now ~ it’s one week from today – woohoo!
I started off my day with some Sour Dough Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter and Co Toast for 4 points. I think next week I’ll add an egg too for some protein since this didn’t last long on our run.
This is my 2nd favorite Peanut Butter & Co Flavor (The Bee Knees is 1st)….You can definitely taste the cinnamon and I LOVE the BIG chunks of raisins.
I started to get really hungry during the last few miles of our run. When we got back, we shared this Cashew Cookie Lara Bar from the depths of my workout bag (2 points).
I decided to give the last packet of drink mix I picked up at Fleet Feet a try. I was sorta scared after last week, but, I figured, this might be safer because there wasn’t any Whey Protein Powder.
I LOVED the fact that this was simply 10 calories. The flavor isn’t bad either – sorta just like watered down Gatorade. Not sure if it really did anything or not, but, it was fun to drink after all the water I chugged on our run.
We refueled at Whole Foods where I made a salad as BIG as my head
Let’s see if I can remember everything:
Romaine & Mixed Greens
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Cioppini Onions (The BEST!)
Marinated Mushrooms (These are the BEST too!)
Kidney & Garbanzo Beans
A little Cheddar
2 tsp raisins, 3 pecans and a sprinkle of walnuts/almond slivers
Asian Noodle Salad (that was so ICK, I took it off)
1 Tbsp Balsamic Dressing on the side
SO GOOD!!!!
I also made up a hot plate that we shared. We each had a Black Bean Tamale (only $2.49 – deal huh?!) (4 pts) It was pretty tasty, but, I wish I had got salsa and it had more filling. I had a bite of the egg roll & potsticker but decided they were ick. We split the Teriyaki and Hawaiian chicken too. (4 pts estimated)
We did a little WF shopping after and then went shopping to buy matching running shirts for next weekend. Totally dorky, but, totally fun.
When I got home, I hopped in another ICE BATH!!! I managed to hang out for 20 minutes reading my latest US Magazine with The Bachelor Gossip I honestly think that the Ice Bath completely reduces the damage done by your long run and your soreness the next day. My hip flexor is still a bit sore, but, that’s about all I am feeling today ~ awesome!
I was totally ready for a snack when I was done so I pulled out this Udi’s BanaBerry Granola that Kristina sent me in our TJ/Colorado Goodie Swap.
Simple, clean ingredients.
I have to say I totally dig that its only 2 points for a 1/4 c serving.
But, you know I weighed it because you get MORE!
Bananas & Strawberries are IN the granola – LOVE it!
I added a little granola to some TJ’s Organic Vanilla Yogurt and washed it all down with a Sobe Agave Lemonade Life Water. I actually didn’t like this Sobe flavor as much as the others. (3 points for my granola + yogurt – awesome!)
The Husband was so cute when I had left in the morning. He was like I’ll miss you even though he was working on his projects outside. I really think he DID because all our laundry was done when I got home I should go running all day more often LOL/
We decided to go out for a date night to Mary’s Pizza Shack. I had another AWESOME salad with my dressing on the side (2 pts) I so met my fruit/veggie quota today LOL.
Plus a piece of fresh hot sour dough bread for 1 point.
They serve everything family style….The first dish up was Fettuccine Alfredo. I typically avoid this because it makes me feel really sick, but, I had a dumb though ~ I burned 1,200 calories today so maybe….
The other dish was a HUGE plate of Spaghetti with two meatballs.
I requested a small salad bowl and served up a little of each including some a little of a meatball. I had all of the spaghetti (5 pts) and about 3 bites of the fettuccine (3 pts). It just tasted so bland to me I decided it wasn’t worth the calories and I was full.
In cased you didn’t see it earlier, be sure to check to see if you are a WINNER of the SCALES.
I posted the recipe below for the BAKED CHEESY BACON MAC N CHEESE too!
Have a relaxing Sunday all ~ see you all tonight!
I LOVE Pizza & Bacon & Mac n Cheese & …..
Happy Weekend all! I am old and fell asleep last night I think right after the credits of our movie and totally forgot to blog. I didn’t realize it until this morning…..LONG WEEK I guess ~ Oops Let’s get down to business with how yesterday went down!
Breakfast #1 sounded really good in theory. I mean I LOVE Eggs with hot sauce and I LOVE Grits! One of my AMAZING friends (who happens to be Southern) told me to try them together, so I figured why not??
Totally and completely NOT my thing. I think it’s a texture thing of maybe a flavor thing…bleh! I think the only SAVORY grits I like are butter and cheese and my egg should be kept separate….oh well, down the sink they went and I came up with another FAST breakfast I could take on the go.
3 points of deliciousness! A Whole Wheat Bagel Thin topped with 1 Tbsp Whipped Butter!
2 points of TJ’s Banana Froyo!
1 point of crunchy grapes. Such an awesome back up breakfast…then again, when can you ever go wrong with bagels plus fruit plus yogurt.
Mid morning my ChocoLOVE was calling my name, but, I had to remind myself that it was Dipped Chocolate Peanut Butter Mojo Bar only 10 am and I didn’t need to start the “crack” that soon! So I pulled out this that the awesome people at Clif Bar left at our work when they stopped by for a visit.
Since I wasn’t willing to spend 5 points on a bar, I had half and called it good! It’s funny the WW Calculator with the nutritionals in 1/2 says 2, but, the online tracker says 2.5 pts – hmmmm!
Thick layers of chocolate, WHOLE ALMONDS and Pretzels…Sweet, salty and totally like a candy bar. I will definitely be picking some of these up….Plus they are BIG – half was plenty!
Since I have been good ALL week and I didn’t have any leftover Cheesy Chicken Plantain Enchiladas to have , my co-worker and I headed out for Salad & Pizza at Fazarrati’s. I LOVE that you can make up a GIGANTIC salad with a slice of pizza and a drink for only $5.99 ~ DEAL!
My GIGANTIC salad included:
* Lettuce/cabbage blend
* Tbsp Kidney/Garbanzo Beans
* Beets
* Mushrooms
* Cucumbers
* Tomatoes
* Red Bell Pepper
* 1/2 an egg sliced
* Tbsp Sunflower Seeds
* Tbsp Crunchy Noodles
* 4 croutons
* 2 Peppercini’s
THE KITCHEN SINK all with the dressing on the side using my fork dip method with each bite ~ AWESOME!
I totally ate it all then dug into this cheesy slice of Veggie Pizza. It was the PERFECT lunch out and a great gossip session.
My lunch kept me full all afternoon long, however, while sitting in traffic on my way home I wanted something sweet. I know I didn’t need to spend a crazy amount of points (chocolate) when I wasn’t hungry, so I whipped out some 1 point Annie’s Organic Fruit Bunnies….So Good! I honestly think Sunny Citrus is my FAVORITE flavor well because it’s sunny like me Haven’t you all noticed I am just a ray of sunshine??? Kidding LOL.
Dinner was courtesy of the FANTASTIC TJ (My Bay Area Blogger Meet-Up Team Co-Captain!)! I put a spin on her Baked Macaroni & Cheese to make a Cheesy Bacon Vegetable Mac n Cheese that ROCKED!!!!
I LOVED the addition of bacon and extra veggie plus two types of cheese and spice. I will be posting the recipe (hopefully today) so I can add it to my collection (to make it again!) I am thinking that mine comes in at 6-7 points, but, I have to calc it next.
I made up a fast side salad to go with it 1 pt.
Yum, I cannot wait for leftovers tonight!
You all didn’t really think I was done with that and that I’d go all day without chocolate did you? Sometimes you really do just NEED to have milk chocolate and I knew I couldn’t have a couple of pieces of the ChocoLOVE and stop there.
So, I decided to keep it in check and eat the ENTIRE bar of TJ’s 100 Calorie Milk Chocolate bar for 3 points for dessert.
Today is my LAST LONG RUN with my sis BEFORE OUR RACE next weekend!!! Ahhh, so excited and so nervous., We are shooting for 11 miles and then heading to the Whole Foods Salad bar to refuel! Wish us luck!
If I don’t get a chance to post before then, I will post the Cheesy Bacon & Veggie Mac N Cheese Recipe and announce the scale winners when I return later today/tonight.
Have an AWESOME Saturday all!
10 Miles and still moving…I think? ;)
Filed under: Product Reviews, Project ~ House, Restaurant Reviews
All week long I have been excited for my 10 MILE long run with my sis. I was all ready for it yesterday and then the rain got in the way. You would think I’d wake up amped and ready to go..but, this morning I was slow moving and running was the furthest from my mind.
I knew not going wasn’t an option so I got down to Bees Knees with a 6 point breakfast to fuel me for my Long Run.
2 slices toasted Sour Dough (I need to buy bread!)
1 Tbsp of The Bees Knees (LOVE this honey PB)
Small Banana
Starbuck’s VIA & Aqua
All packed up and taken on the road!
I just have to say that my SISTER seriously rocks! She had an amazing run today and whipped out 10 miles like it was nothing. I, on the other hand, ate her dust….Ok, well, maybe not quite ~ I did pretty good through mile 8 and then my legs thought they were all done. I am proud of myself for pushing through when I totally wanted to say screw it and walk the rest of the way.
I decided to give Accelerade a try after our run because I’ve heard it helps your muscle recovery time post run. It’s what they give all the runners are Fleet Feet post run so I figured why not ~ if it will make me GO FASTER .
Sounds good right ~ the stats are not too bad.
The ingredients ~ ya, well, it’s pretty much sugar plus protein powder plus sugar, and a bunch of not so good stuff.
All I have to say is ~ if you are tempted to give this a go, DON’T DO IT! Nasty, nasty! LOL….it tastes like Gatorade mixed with Whey Protein Powder ~ bleh! We tossed the bottle and headed out for some REAL food at Baja Fresh!
I think we pretty much picked up everything you can get at the salsa bar plus a little GUACAMOLE and QUESO!
I had 3 FANTASTIC TACOS that I loaded up with salsa, Pico de Gallo, jalapeños and guacamole.
I had one 4 point shrimp taco.
Plus two 4 point chicken tacos.
SIDE NOTE: if you are looking to save on points, you can use just ONE of the tortillas they give you versus TWO and you save a point.
We did a little shopping before I headed home and took my FIRST EVER ICE BATH. I have to admit it was a bit chilly and totally hard to convince myself to just get in, but, after I was in I didn’t want to get it. It felt so AMAZING on my aching legs and joints. When I got out of the bath tub and shower, I was not even as sore as I was going in. My muscles were probably frozen still
FENCE UPDATE!!!!
The Husband has been working hard for the past two weekends to fix our 60 year old fence that finally fell down. (Note: The Jungle is our next door neighbors yard )
BEFORE
AFTER
I took these before he had a chance to remove the cement forms and clean up the extra cement. It’s SO tall now.
I LOVE how it matches My Garden Box!
The new gate door is going to look so cool when all is said and done. P.S. Yes, that is our other neighbors PINK house in the background ~ you have to LOVE the Bay area
I was ready for a snack when I came in. I picked up these NEW Organic flavored Yogurts at Trader Joe’s Yesterday….Vanilla and BANANA!
Not bad 2 points each!
I LOVED how thick and creamy it was ~ it’s close to Greek Yogurt consistency. I had banana and it rocked! These might be my new favorite things. They had other flavors that I know I NEED to try now.
I was still sorta hungry so I made up a 2 point cheese Sandwich using 2 Kashi Bruschetta Crackers and a LF Colby Cheese.
We had planned on taking our friends out to dinner tonight to the Texas Road House to thank them but they couldn’t go. I knew The Husband was bummed since it’s his FAVORITE place so (I didn’t feel like cooking) I treated him to dinner for all his hard work on the fence.
He ordered the combo appetizer and I played along. I had one 4 point potato skin.
Plus one of these Rattlesnack Bites (like a Jalapeño Popper) – Guesstimate 2 pts.
I actually wasn’t super hungry so I decided to stick with sides. I had a garden salad with Italian Dressing on the side. I gave my croutons to The Husband ~ they were too salty for me. (3 pt estimate)
Plus two or maybe three of their AMAZING soft rolls!
It’s the CINNAMON BUTTER that does me in every time. (Bazillion point estimate ok, probably like 3 pts each plus 2 pts for the butter!)
My other side was a HUGE Sweet Potato that I had NO ROOM left for. That’s ok ~ lunch tomorrow!
I asked for all the toppings to be put on the side, but, I didn’t expect this.
Toasted Marshmallows with a BUTTERY CINNAMON CARAMEL sauce on the side. I had to have a couple of bites before I put it aside ~ SO, SO GOOD, you know it’s bad!
In case you missed my post earlier, you can CLICK HERE to find out who won the Perfect Night in Giveaway ~ it could be you!
I am totally PUMPED for Monday, not because it’s Monday, but, because it’s The Scandalous Bachelor finale and AFTER the Rose shows!!! Ahhh ~ 3 hours – Can’t wait!
I will catch up with your emails, comments, etc tomorrow ~ for now our cozy bed is calling me.
Night all!!!
Free isn’t always a good thing
I am glad you all are having fun with The Perfect Night In Giveaway! I LOVE all the things you plan on using that Target Gift Card for ~ they make me want to go SHOPPING Friday was such a fun day ~ it included some good and not so good eats, but, a lot of fun with my co-worker and The Husband.
I have to say I was pretty proud of myself to the new egg “secret ingredient” mix in idea I had for breakfast.
1/3 c Egg Beaters
1/2 Tbsp Spicy Artichoke Jalepeno Dip (aka Secret Ingredient)
Seal Salt, Pepper
Big Drops of Sriracha
All cooked for 1 minute in a dish sprayed with nonstick spray in the microwave.
SO GOOD~ It was spicy with a cheesy artichoke flavor. (1.5 points)
I had a side of TJ’s Lean Turkey Bacon that I may or may not have drizzled with a little Agave Nectar to make it salty/sweet (2.5 points).
Plus a 1 point crunchy nectarine for dessert.
I was starving and this high protein combo totally hit the spot for 5 pts!
To celebrate FRIDAY, I had some wine and cheese for my 2 point snack
I had planned on having a Bagel Thin Sandwich (you all knew it had to happen, right?!) however, my co-worker and I needed a seriously girl chat session for lunch. So, we headed out for SPICY, CRUNCHY Thai Food at Thai Kitchen!
I started off with their soup with a BIG Dallop of Chili Sauce in the middle. I LOVED that it was so hot it made my lips hot too.
For my main dish I ordered Spicy Broccoli Chicken. This is one of my FAVORITE things to get because the broccoli is crunch, they use REAL white meat chicken and it’s only 2 POINTS PER CUP!
They cook it up with jalapeños but that doesn’t stop me from dowsing it in MORE spicy chili sauce. HOT, HOT, HOT!
Plus a cup of Brown Rice on the side (4 pts)
We also had a little noodli-ness on the side with some Pad Thai. I did manage to down a bit of this. Spicy Pad Thai is so high in points ~ I think it’s the rice noodles, peanuts and peanut sauce. I estimated 6 points for my 2/3 c serving.
I LOVE late lunches because the afternoon flies by! The Husband and I had plans to hit up his FAVORITE local Indian Casino to pick up some Collector Casino Chips. They only made 2,500 of these Tiger Chips.
Have I ever told you all he LOVES collecting the $1 chips from every casino we visit? Whenever we go on vacation, it usually includes a mission to get some $1 chips. It’s so cool because I can give him a $1 chip and he gets excited like a little kid in a candy shop He is SO easy to please!
P.S. We both totally scored on the slot machines ~ I won $74 on a penny machine called Hot Shots ~ LOVE it!
We have had a gift card for Chili’s Bar & Grill for the longest time so we decided a FREE dinner is a good thing…..or maybe not.
I ordered their $9.99 Combo Special where you get an appetizer or dessert with your choice of items. I really just wanted a salad, but, The Husband wanted the appetizer so it worked.
He picked bottomless chips and salsa. Funky salsa ~ it tasted like enchilada sauce, but, it still didn’t stop me from having my 12 chips counted out for (3 pts)
He of course, got his boneless chicken wing fix too. These look awesome, but, there is a too much vinegar. I tried one for 2 pts and decided they were not worth it.
I was SO Excited for my Salad ~ A Small Asian Chicken Salad ~ doesn’t the description sound good?
“Napa cabbage, crispy wontons, edamame, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, Asian vinaigrette and a creamy peanut drizzle. With your choice of grilled chicken, salmon or steak.”
Ok ~ so I can handle that they had no napa cabbage but they should tell you because romaine gets totally soggy when it sits in an asian salad.
But, then, I stirred it up and UGH ~ It was all MOLDY everywhere!!!
Obviously I couldn’t even eat that and when I asked the waitress if they would use the same lettuce for the other salads she said yes ~ all their salads kinda look like this tonight ~ NICE!!! Why don’t they tell people this?!
I picked their Smokey Chicken Tacos instead and thought you can’t go wrong with that, right?
“Smoked Chicken with poblanos, caramelized onions and a spicy & smoky chipotle sauce. Topped with Cotija cheese and cilantro sour cream.”
These were mini tacos which I thought were cute. But, they were totally just weird ~ They tasted like BBQ chicken tacos, but, not in a good way ~ they were sweet and ketchup like without any smokey chipolte flavor. The Husband who eats like EVERYTHING couldn’t even get past one bite. I had half a taco and pretty much gave up at this point. Too bad because they looked& sounded so good.
It’s pretty rare that I give a not so bueno review, but, seriously, their food wasn’t good at all. I am glad it was FREE and all, but, I’d rather pay for food and have it be good. There are too few calories to eat in a day to waste them on things that don’t make your mouth happy
Two more days to enter to WIN THE PERFECT NIGHT IN!!!!
Have an awesome Saturday all ~ Catch you all later!
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