Asparagus Appetizer and Asics -

Last night, we went to a St. Patrick’s Day bonfire at our friend’s place. I wanted to bring a green appetizer to go with the theme, and decided on an appetizer that my friend/co-worker had made for us at our St. Pat’s Day themed meeting at work last Wednesday.

She made asparagus wrapped in ham and cream cheese. I whipped them up for the party last night and I left the party with an empty platter in hand. They were a hit. They are healthy, easy and very tasty.

1. First, bring a pot of water to a boil.

2. Next, rinse the asparagus. Then, snap off the bottoms that are hard and great to eat. Tip: place one hand at the middle of the stalk, the other hand at the bottom and bend until the end snaps off. Discard the end piece and keep the top. Where it snaps off naturally is generally a good indicator of the good versus the bad.

3. Place the asparagus in the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from hot water and place immediately into an ice bath to shock the asparagus and stop the cooking process.

4. Combine 1 room temperature 8-ounce block of reduced fat cream cheese, 1 teaspoon mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire in a bowl. Use a hand mixer to combine until creamy.

5. Place thinly sliced deli ham on cutting board and cut to appropriate size (about 4×4 inches). Smear cream cheese mixture on ham. Place asparagus on top, and roll. The cream cheese makes the wrap stick together so no tooth picks are necessary to hold it together.

Pretty right?

We had such a great time last night at our friend’s place. We played yard games, ate some awesome corned-beef hash and sat around the bonfire. It was the perfect way to end St. Patty’s Day.

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This morning started off with a big cup of coffee, coupon cutting with the hubby (out Sunday morning routine), and a bowl of ~~nasty looking~~ satisfying oat-less oatmeal. In the mix today was egg whites, almond milk, ground flaxseed, chocolate protein powder, cinnamon, and banana. I topped it off with some peanut butter and called it a breakfast.

After breakfast we were off and running to get errands crossed off our list. We first headed to Target and Costco to stock up on groceries, then headed to Marathon Sports which is a store that specializes in running and walking. Dana and I both needed new running shoes and have heard really great things about this place, so we decided to check it out ourselves.

The staff was incredibly helpful and efficient. The store was bonkers today but staff kept everyone happy including both of us who both walked out with new shoes!

I decided to stick with the same Asics I was wearing before, but bought the newest version; Asics Gel-Kayano 18 (my last ones were 17). I was really happy with my last pair so I figure why mess with a good thing. I put them on my feet and they fit like they were made for me; comfortable and supportive. Sold.

I can see why they are voted one of the best running stores in America. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Plus, they were founded in 1985, which was a pretty special year. 🙂

Lunch today was very random. It started with sugar snap peas which I dove into on the car-ride home.

Then a cara-cara orange which OMG was so perfectly sweet and juicy. MMMMmm…I could probably eat 4 of them.

Next, I moved onto a small bowl of Special K Blueberry cereal.

Lastly, a small bowl of Multi-Grain Peanut Butter Cheerios. Heavenly. Have you tried these yet? You really should.

Amidst our errand running we also stopped at two different Menards. We needed to get tiles for our bathroom in the basement which will begin construction very soon! Considering I made it through not one, but two Menards trips, I figured I deserved a Caramel Light Frappuccino from Starbuck’s. Perfectly sweet and expensive, as always.