Lo Mein....and Sore Muscles

The past few days have been awfully eventful! The hubby and I have been wanting to extend our outdoor patio area, and this weekend we managed to rope a few family members into helping accomplish it. We're so happy with the results, and thankful for family who will help us just so we can save a few bucks! Well, to pour concrete, a lot goes into preparing the area. Including stripping sod and putting down a layer of fill sand. I had nothing to do with this. BUT, after the men were done I was left with a huge pile of fill sand in my front yard spilling onto the walkway. This fill sand will eventually be used to make a sandbox for the kids. Until then, its sole purpose is to get tracked into my house. Yesterday I decided I'd clean up and contain the sand so that not so much of it would make its way in. People, I kid you not when I tell you that typing right now even hurts! I swept all the sand off the driveway, then I shoveled the sand off the walkway and back onto the pile where it belongs. My corn husk broom is now nothing but a nub. I sweated (is that a word?) like a pig and burned a zillion calories. And now....I am SO incredibly sore! This, however, is the kind of exercise I like. Where something actually gets accomplished. I felt so good at the end of the day. Maybe I'd lose all my weight if I went to work in the construction industry.

For dinner (and Meatless Monday) I prepared Veggie Lo Mein. I followed a recipe in my IBS cookbook and tweaked it to include veggies I had in the fridge. Did you know that if it's a veggie you can stir fry it successfully? We all liked this one. I'll post it on the recipe tab in short order. I used onions, summer squash and green beans all from my CSA box this week. I also used sweet baby bell peppers and leeks. Man, I still got a lotta leeks. All stir fried up with ginger and garlic and some soy sauce...yummy! My kids ate everything, not just the noodles like they usually do. They might have left some onions behind when all was said and done, but who cares! They ate it and didn't go "I don't like that". Here's a quick tip for you: if you're going to attempt this recipe, for the love of all things holy, use a non stick pan of some sort! I do not own a non stick pan. My noodles held fast and would not let go. It was carnage. I'm asking for a wok for my birthday...