I then decided to try them as a Ramen noodle replacement. Don’t judge me–we only keep Ramen in the house for the occasional crunch in salads and the like, so I have all these left over sauce packets. I tried the noodles with the packets, and they were like Ramen noodles–except with way less carbs. And I didn’t feel weighed down like I often did in college after eating these. A little (almost) guilt-free treat! I’m sure I soaked up enough sodium, though.

I really want to try these little noodles with marinara and Morning Star Farms “meat” balls (which I have just discovered). I also discovered that there are WAY more noodles in that little water-filled bag than I originally thought. At Whole Foods, they are $1.79 per package. It’s really not that expensive because one pouch fed two people. And since I’m not into leftovers, that is just fine with me.

I was toying with the idea of ordering them online, but shipping ranges from $9.00 to $13.00 because of the refrigerated nature of the noodles. This would be worth it if I lived where they aren’t sold or I wanted to buy in bulk. I’ve tried to find them as a dry product to no avail. I’m going to look for an Asian grocery a little closer to home today.

Next on my list of noodle dishes: rice noodles. They’re not low in carbs like the shirataki noodles, but they are hella afforable. I’m thinking lemon grass and chili.

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.