New Year’s Resolutions: Noodle Bowls

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New Year’s resolutions really annoy me.  It’s not that I think people shouldn’t make them.  Everyone should have a catalyst to get healthy.  It’s the folks who join the gym.  They crowd the track, the machines, and the spin classes.  I don’t think it’s necessarily the fact that they made the resolution…It’s the fact that they will get fed up with it by March.  All those folks who don’t know which side of the track is for walking, overcrowd the spin classes (there was a waiting list of 10 people on Sunday, the most I’ve ever seen it) and don’t pull their weight, expect you to only use the machines for 30 minutes–That’s what makes me angry.  There were seriously 30 people crowding the track on Sunday.  They ranged from oldies doing their daily walking (who I don’t mind at all and are adorable in their sweet matching sweats), to adults doing their walking or running, to the bored teenagers who zoom around everyone else.  It was really kind of dangerous.

Last January, all the spin class regulars had to start calling to reserve our spots.  And if we got there 1 minute after class started, we were just not going to get a bike.  I really loved my instructor, though.  She can totally tell if you’re not even trying. I mean, put some resistance on that bike!   Not just because she says so, but because you can really hurt your ankles if you don’t have enough resistance.  Some of those folks stopped coming in February.

In lieu of all these new resolutions, magazines and television shows are really trying for their readers and viewers.
I saw a segment on The Rachael Ray Show last week where the oh-so-dreamy Chef Rocco was visiting.  I usually can only handle Rachael in small doses, but she does have some good finds from time to time.  Chef Rocco was there to showcase some healthy “Must-Try” food options.  Several that interested me were:

• TVP or Texturized Vegetable Protein
• Pepquiño Cucumbers
• Shirataki Noodles

I looked for the TVP at Whole Foods yesterday (another mad house in the new year), but I didn’t find it.  I got side-tracked by all the folks trying to mow me down in the spice and bean/rice/dried fruits aisle.  I will have better luck next time.  I was also not too worried about it because my main focus this month is going to be noodle bowls.  I was inspired by the shirataki noodles that have “no calories or carbs!” in the words of the great Rocco.  I did find them at Whole Foods in the refrigerated tofu/vegetarian section.  They were a little on the expensive side for the amount of noodles, but they might be really filling.  I’m trying them tonight in a brothy soup (I’m thinking healthy ramen noodles!), and I will post on my noodle bowl adventures in the coming weeks.

These noodles have no net carbs or calories so you don't have to give up delicious pasta dishes when cutting carbs.