About Beanz

Exactly 17 days ago today, I got married.  As many of you may know, planning a wedding can become an all consuming task for an eager bride.  In the year leading up to the wedding, I started a new job as a teacher at a high-performing charter school, completed my last year of graduate school AND planned my wedding.  I was a busy beanz (as my husband Patrick likes to call me- the story about the name is to come...)

So today, with 13 days to go before school begins again, the honeymoon over and Patrick back at work, I decided to explore the world of food bloggin.

Health and nutrition have always been a passion of mine.  As a teacher in a high poverty area, many of my students struggle with obesity.  Watching their struggles has incited a passion to model healthy eating and healthy living for my students and anyone else who cares to notice : )

About 6 months ago, I took this passion for nutrition down a new path.  I decided to go vegan (much to Patrick's dismay).  While he still eats meat, he is open to trying any and all of my "adventures" in vegan cooking.   I have learned to get a little creative over the past few months so that I can get my veggies and beanz in without dissapointing my other half at meal times ; )

My real name is Sarina, so why do I refer to myself by the same name as garbanzos and lentils?  As with all nicknames, there is a story there...


When I was younger my family referred to me as Rina.  This quickly became RinaBeana.  Which, in the age of AOL Instant Messenger, quickly became my screename.  When I met Patrick in college, he quickly turned this into my name's most current format: BEANZ.  Coincidentally, I then fulfilled the old saying "you are what you eat" by becoming vegan and beginning to eat them almost daily... yum!