Recipe, Running, and Sewing

This is going to be a bit of a long post (just a warning) because I haven't blogged in a few days.

First of all, I am back running again. I haven't ran since I was about 5 months pregnant. I only did about a 1/2 mile. I actually could've gone longer but I got a side stitch I couldn't breathe away. Also, one of my knees has really been acting up a lot lately and that makes it hard to exercise (running, wall sits, squats, etc). I am excited I am back though because I have actually missed it. I don't have a jogging stroller so I have to wait for David to come home from work before I can go out.

Secondly, I made a pacifier leash/clip last night! It took me about 5 minutes, but I did have a piece of binding for the fabric so that made it go fast since I didn't have to make the bias tape or anything. You use a suspender/mitten clip for one end and since we have Soothie pacifiers (they have tiny holes), I used a loop of 1/4 inch elastic.

So you take your strip of fabric (11 1/2 inches by 3 inches), and fold in the raw edges. Then fold in half (like you would to make bias tape. If you have a bias tape maker, now is the time to use it). Then, take about 3-4 inches of 1/4 inch elastic and put one end through the hole in the pacifier and make a loop. Put the ends of the loop in one end of the fabric (maybe I forgot to mention you keep your two short sides raw, not folded in). Next, top stitch around all 4 sides, going over the elastic a few times to secure it well. Then loop the other end through the suspender clip and stitch (have the fold be on the backside of the clip). And you're done! I hope that wasn't too confusing without pictures. If you have questions, you can ask me in the comments. I'm a little out of practice of doing tutorials.

Lastly, I found a good recipe for Meatless Mondays. It's even vegan!

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 small-medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• oil, for sauteeing
• dash of paprika, chili powder, thyme, and parsley

Heat up your oil and saute the onion with the bell pepper until soft (about 5 minutes). Put the beans and the saute veggies into a blender and combine just a little (you still want chunks but you want it well combined). Mix in spices, flour, and corn starch.

Then the recipe says to put it in the fridge for a half hour. We did this but found it totally unnecessary. Also, the recipe then wanted you to form into patties and fry. This didn't work at all. No matter how much flour and corn starch I used, I couldn't make patties. I recommend dropping them on a greased cookie sheet and broiling, flipping once. I also would add garlic next time.

These are very quick and easy (especially if you don't refrigerate). The spices can also be substituted out for ones for your liking. We didn't add any extra salt since the beans were canned.