I recently bumped up my cardio a bit (and by recently I mean two days ago). As a result of the additional exercise, you would think I was starving to death. I am not.

To keep me from devouring an entire jar of almonds, I’ve turned to drinking more water and sipping on an occasional cup of almost instant…

Miso Hungry Soup

• 1 cup hot water
• 2 tsp miso paste
• 1/4 sheet of nori seaweed

Heat water in a microwave safe bowl or coffee mug. Stir in the miso paste and top with small pieces of nori seaweed. Sip! But no slurping, please.

Now, let’s address your questions…

• What the heck is miso? Miso is soybean paste usually made by mixing cooked soybeans with a salt, a grain, and a fermenting agent called koji. You’re probably wondering…
• Where do you buy miso paste? I found my miso paste in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods and my local grocery store. I’ve also spotted miso in the Asian section of my grocery store, but please read your labels so you’re not getting any extra unnecessary ingredients.
• How many calories are in this cup of soup? There are approximately 17 calories per cup…so make mine a double!
• Where’s the protein? Relax! I’ve been enjoying this soup before or after a meal or anytime I “think” I’m still hungry…it’s a great filler.
• But what if I want to add some protein to this recipe? Be my guest! To add some protein, replace the water with fish broth and/or add some tofu.
• I don’t have any additional questions about miso soup. Thanks, Joanna! Yourso welcome!

Now I really must go hit the shower…all of this cardio has made miso sweaty!

Chances are I will never be a sushi chef.

Why, you ask? Two reasons:

• My knife skills could use a little work. Just ask my sister-in-law, Dawn, who has one hand on the phone to dial 911 every time I pick up a knife to cut a vegetable.
• As I mentioned yesterday, I don’t eat sushi. Raw fish kind of gives me the willies.

BUT, I recently ran across nori seaweed at my local grocery store, you know the green stuff that’s used to wrap up sushi. Seaweed is a mineral powerhouse, in fact, according to Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra…

“Seaweed contains all fifty-six minerals and especially idodine, which are needed for the thyroid gland.”

Not only that, nori seaweed contains protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and more vitamin A than carrots, according to Dr. Jonny Bowden in his book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.

I’ve been using nori seaweed sheets in place of bread or tortillas to make lower calorie, lower carb, easy to make, kinda-fun-to-eat, sandwich wraps.

The other day I cut up (gasp!) carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, and red onion and generously piled the veggies inside of a 10 calorie(!) sheet of nori seaweed along with some leftover edamame hummus. I then rolled it up like you would if making sushi, sealed the edge with a little water, and cut the wrap into three pieces.

For lunch over the weekend I made egg salad sushi rolls. I can say with great confidence that sushi chefs all over the world are cringing at this very moment. But get this, I didn’t have to do any cutting this time. Dawn will be relieved! I tossed two hard boiled eggs, 1/4 of a red onion, honey mustard, salt and pepper into my Vitamix and in about 10 seconds I had perfect egg salad.

I’m sure you can fill up these wraps with just about anything. Except ham salad, because that’s just gross.

Does it taste just like the sandwich you’d buy at a sub shop? Not quite. In fact, the seaweed texture takes some getting used to as it’s a bit chewy, but it’s not a deal-breaker. I’ve found if you make these wraps and stick them in the fridge an hour or more before you eat them, they soften up a bit and are easier to eat.

Now I really must go hit the gym before I hit the point of nori turn.