Lifting and konjac powder

Oh yes, drizzly Monday around here!  Even though it is the 2nd day of my work week, Monday still has the same feel.  Interesting, no?

Grabbed one of my protein cookies and headed out to the gym.  2 nice older women were there who just joined.  The Curves down the road closed and they needed a new place to go.  It was nice to have someone there when I got there!

Warmed up on the treadmill, then hit the iron:

  • Chin ups:  3 sets of 2
  • Barbell deadlifts:  3 sets of 6 at 95#
  • Barbell chest press:  3 sets of 8 at 55#

Superset:

  • Cable squat to row: 3 sets of 10 at 60#
  • Face pulls:  3 sets of 8 at 30#

Superset:

  • Planks:  3 sets of 90 second holds
  • Alternating side lunges:  10 each leg, 3 sets.

Superset:

  • Triceps pull down:  3 sets of 10 at 30#
  • Dumbbell shoulder shrugs:  3 sets of 8 with 20# DBs

Then I did about 15 minutes of HIIT on the stationary bike.  I was going to do 20, but I was just too pooped.  Deadlifts always tire me out.

I have been dying to try the maple cream on oatmeal for breakfast, and today was the day!  I made custard oats, only I didn’t use any banana like I normally do, since the maple would be the sweetener.  Topped with a tablespoon of maple cream and a tablespoon of Naturally Nutty.

😯 😯  It was pretty amazing.  I could eat the maple cream by the spoonful.  It is similar to creamed honey, only it tastes like maple!  It got all melty, too.

Work teleconference today.  Love those…..  At least they pay us admin time for it.  I am beginning to have some concerns about the longevity of this company….

Lunch break!

Exciting tuna salad and crackers!  Subbed out broccoli for lunch instead of dinner, because I need some excitement in my life.

So the konjac powder.  I bought it online here.  It is also called glucomannan powder.  I think it is actually a yam of some sort.  The root is dried and ground.  It has 10 times the thickening power of cornstarch.  Like cornstarch, you have to mix it with cold liquid before adding it to hot or you get chewy clumps (learned from first hand experience here).   It has no taste.  I am thinking of just mixing some with water and keeping the gel in the fridge so I remember to use it.  It’s a great way to add fiber to something with no calories.  This is also the basis for shirataki noodles.  I don’t know exactly what they do to the powder to make the noodles, but it is the reason why they are so low in calories.  I might order some of these to try, since they are not in any stores that I can find in the north country.  I am also a wee bit nervous because they describe them as gelatinous and translucent with no flavor.  Those are not descriptives that usually end up on my menu by choice.

Latte and cookie snack:

I see the scrape on my thumb is visible here, sorry about that.  I scarfed said snacks down because I had to take Mz. Grumpy for her shots:

She is actually very good at the vets – they love her there.

Been doing good keeping up the veggies!  I roasted up sweet potato slices for dinner in the toaster oven.  With some BBQ chicken:

I used some of Chef Hymie’s BBQ sauce.  The medium has some kick to it!

Had to do more work after dinner.  Mondays usually are like this, too.  Stopped for a protein snack of pudding and granola!

Squeezing the last bit of daylight out for this photo 🙂

Tomorrow is the maple syrup giveaway!  It will be open to the whole world, too 😀

Question:  Have you tried shirataki noodles?

24 thoughts on “Lifting and konjac powder

  1. Kim Zepp

    I’ve never tried those noodles. ?
    I LOVE sweet potato slices out the toaster oven! YUM! I try to have some of those on days when I don’t have carrots. 🙂
    .-= Kim Zepp´s last blog ..7:48 =-.

  2. debby

    Yes, there was a Hungry girl recipe that I was quite fond of. Peach Kuegel I think. It used the shirataki noodles, and had egg whites and cottage cheese along with peaches. I loved that stuff. Haven’t made it for a long time. I didn’t like the noodles that well with spaghetti sauce. I would rather used vegetables for that kind of thing.

    And deadlifts wear you out??? Not all that other stuff?
    .-= debby´s last blog ..Flower Show =-.

    1. Lori Post author

      Dead lifts are exhausting – that is why I do those and chin ups at the beginning when I have the strength to do them. 😀

      I like keugel – maybe I will get some of these noodles after all!

      1. debby

        Oops. Pubsgal’s comment reminded me that it was tofu shirataki noodles that I tried. Probably would work the same though. You might be able to find them in the produce department, near all the prepackaged salads.

        So now I’m going to have to pay attention to how I do dead lifts. Course I wasn’t using as much weight as you. 65 pounds last time, I think. But you might be doing a different (and more difficult form than I am.
        .-= debby´s last blog ..Flower Show =-.

  3. Pubsgal

    Mmmmm, maple! Maple cream is probably the same as the “maple butter” I tried several years ago when a roommate brought it back from her Canada trip. Tasty stuff! Sadly, real maple syrup is too sugary for me now, though I’ve found some sugar-free breakfast syrups that work for me. But before diabetes, I definitely went with the 100% maple syrup; much better flavor, and no nasty HFCS!

    I have tried the tofu shirataki noodles, but not plain shirataki noodles. I like being able to have noodles with my pasta sauce again. 🙂 I suppose I could use spaghetti sauce or shredded zucchini, but the shirataki noodles are a lot less work; I’d rather just chop up more veggies and put them in the sauce.

    Glad Pixie is good for your vet. Our Elsie hates going and growls at the vet and her staff; what makes it funny, though, is that they all genuinely gush over how cute she is!
    .-= Pubsgal´s last blog ..Stanford Treeathlon Race Report (and Weekly Update) =-.

  4. John

    I didn’t realize how exciting my life has been. I’ve been eating brocolli for 3 weeks now for breakfast and lunch. And today had it for all 3 meals 🙂 I haven’t had shiratake noodles before.
    .-= John´s last blog ..Back Once Again =-.

  5. Leah

    After reading about what Shirataki noodles are I think these are what my friend used for spaghetti when she was trying to live low-carb. They look very similar to the rice noodles I use for a Vietnamese soup called pho and for filling in spring rolls. Like they said, no taste and goes great with whatever.
    .-= Leah´s last blog ..Jumping In – Day 3 Update =-.

  6. PTG

    We just tried the Tofu Shirataki noodles (a la Hungry Girl) and hubby really likes them. You really couldn’t use them by themselves, imho – you would need some type of sauce or whatever as well because they do have a little bit of a funky taste. (Not horrible, just noticeable) They’re really pretty good overall, I like them better than spaghetti squash.
    .-= PTG´s last blog ..thank you =-.

  7. sophia

    I’ve tried shiratake noodles during the depths of my eating disorder…almost calorie-free, and bulky and keeps me full! The perfect diet solution! I say that with all sarcasm of course…I really hate the stuff now, sorry. 🙁
    The maple cream sounds awesome though!

  8. Kat

    Your workout looks great Lori! I have tried the shirotaki noodles. They are fine as long as you don’t expect them to taste like noodles…:-) I bet they would be interesting in a kugel… That maple cream looks delish. We had blueberry protein waffles this weekend again. I think it is going to be a weekend tradition for us. John just loves them and thinks they taste “just like regular waffles”. Regular waffles and pancakes leave me feeling a little heavy and these just leave me feeling satisfied. I am a fan of your recipes…:-)
    .-= Kat´s last blog ..And the winner is…. =-.

    1. Lori Post author

      Marmite – ewww!!

      I know that more larger grocery stores carry these noodles. We don’t have them up here, though. You can order them online at a lot of different placed.

  9. Jody - Fit at 52

    Man, that maple syrup sounds good! Perfect after that hard workout! Well, that cookie looked good too! A cookie always looks good to me! 🙂

    That powder sounds so cool! I must check out my health food stores around here first to see if they have it. Very interesting!

    Pixie, a cutie as always!
    .-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Fat vs. Muscle – A Personal Visual =-.

  10. Flo

    Lori, Price Chopper here has those noodles. I am like Miz though, I can not for the life of me eat those things. They have the texture of rubber bands. Ugh!

    1. Lori Post author

      I will have to look at Price Chopper again. Would be nice if I could try them for the heck of it without doing mail order!

  11. Susan

    Did someone say maple giveaway?? 😛

    Funny, I remember weekends always feeling like weekends when I had to work them too. Even if I worked all day Saturday, I would still get excited on Friday!

    Killeerrr weight workout Lori! Lovelovelove it. I miss doing HIIT on the bike, but my gym has crappy ones. It’s fun spinning your little heart out 🙂

    I really like shiratake noodles! But I don’t like how heavy most regular noodles are. I find they’re similar to rice noodles. They don’t really taste lke much – just fun to slurp 🙂
    .-= Susan´s last blog ..Strength Training at Home =-.

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