A few years ago I decided to get my act together and get healthy. As with anything it’s a process and a journey. The world at large seems to be focused on doing what ever feels good in the moment and screw the consequences. Well, my body is telling me the consequences are real and I had better pay attention. With that being said, I have changed a lot of things in my life. I lost 50 pounds and took up exercise and yoga. I have even been teaching yoga at a local gym thanks to a mentor and friend, Shellie.

Last weekend I began my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training. I was so nervous and unsure what I was getting myself into. I haven’t done serious studying in 25 years. College was a long time ago. The first weekend was challenging and humbling. I have physical issues I’m dealing with and personal habits that are leaving me frustrated. I felt great as I drove off but exhausted for the entire day after and honestly – a tad bit of “imposter syndrome”. Most of the time I don’t feel up to the task. Emotionally, I really want to do this.

Part of learning how to live a yoga lifestyle is considering going vegan. There are several reasons this is part of the process which I won’t go into right now but needless to say I’m considering how I can do this with a husband who is a pure meat and potatoes kind of guy. I love vegetables. I love fruit. I also love cheese and scallops and an occasional steak. I’m at an impasse.

Naturally, I turned to my favorite source for recipes, America’s Test Kitchen. They even have a cookbook, “Vegan for Everybody”, which I promptly purchased and today attempted to make my first vegan recipe.

It turns out Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) produce a byproduct called “Aquafaba” – yeah, I know, that doesn’t sound like a real thing let alone something edible. Now this bean liquid can be whipped like egg whites and used instead of eggs to bind ingredients together and also, meringues. I love meringue cookies. This was a no brainier. HA! I can get cocky really quickly. I bought the beans, I cooked the beans as directed. I followed the instructions and well, no meringues. It kind of whipped but never really got full and fluffy. I don’t know what went wrong. My utensils may have had grease residue. I may used too much water for the beans. Who knows. I won’t give up.

I also made some hummus. If you have chickpeas, you have hummus. It was delicious! The lemon infused olive oil is perfect in this recipe!

Big changes are difficult. My goal is to eat vegan several meals a week. Most likely those days my guy is travelling. It’s a process. A journey. Come along with me.