Good morning, Newdists! I’ve been on a “journey” as of late...a journey with beans.
If my self-care was a train, that train derailed sometime around November 2024. I wonder if anything significant happened that month? There was something—I can’t put my finger on it. But after that month, avoiding indulgences seemed a lot less important.
The BF and I have both engaged in post-2024 indulgence, but in different ways. The BF’s response was, “Fuck it! The world is ending, and I want to go to Asia before the world ends.” So he went on a big trip to Japan and Taiwan. My response was, “Fuck it! The world is ending, so I’d might as well just eat gummies and live in my truck simulator.” Which, honestly, might not have been such a bad thing if I’d also had the ability to resist the munchies that came with those gummies. Previously, I’d been the one to rein in the BF’s excesses, but without those guard rails, we’ve both spiraled. Friday comes around and we’re like, “Fuck it! The world is ending, let’s go eat all-you-can-eat sushi.” That’s fine once in a while, but it adds up! In dollars, yes, but also in pounds (and not the British kind).
Lately, we’ve both been trying to get “back on track.” It’s actually become an inside joke. We’ve coined the acronym “B.O.T.T.,” which stands for “Back on Track Tomorrow.” But seriously. Tomorrow is here!
But I’m weird, and I need a little extra motivation. I need to have a “thing” to obsess over. Enter BeanTok. Yes, that’s a real thing—a part of TikTok dedicated to beans. I don’t know how I ended up on BeanTok, but I do love beans, so I guess it makes sense. And let me tell you, the BeanTok people are evangelists for beans. Some of them might even be overdoing it, but if you’re going to overdo something, I guess you can do a lot worse than beans. I’ve learned about all kinds of interesting things you can do with beans, and I’ve been introduced bean varieties I’d never even thought to use before. I have a growing list of to-try bean recipes.
While I haven’t tried anything specifically from BeanTok yet, going down this rabbit hole has inspired (beanspired) me to cook more bean dishes. Some are old favorites, and some are new. And I’ve been eating a lot of beans lately. Go ahead, make the flatulence jokes, but that’s actually not a side effect for me. But I’ll just say...I don’t think I’ll ever want to go back. The fiber has been fantastic. And I just feel so much better overall on a plant-based diet heavy on legumes and olive oil. I learned a long time ago that this diet works really well for me, and I’m glad BeanTok entered my life to remind me of that.
I thought I’d share some bean creations I’ve been cooking up recently. As I continue my bean journey, I may share more, if there’s interest here in beans! LOL.
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