Yes, their last name really is Bean, and yes they do live in their airstream full-time….Meet Nallely and Tanner Bean- some of the most wholesome people I have ever met
It all started in the little town of Georgetown, Texas at a small coffee shop where Tanner was a barista. This coffee shop became a weekly stop for me and soon we connected by nerding out over Yirgacheffe pour overs and my cassava tortilla recipe! (Recipe at the very bottom of this post!) Tanner and his wife follow a paleo diet and they, like me, would much rather make food from scratch than choke up eight or so dollars for eight grain-free tortillas, for example. Soon we were chatting all about holistic recipes and their journey to healthy eating and becoming paleo.
Tanner shared with me that he suffers from psoriasis, an auto-immune disorder that causes dry, scaly spots on the skin. For that reason, and the fact that both him and his wife worked out excessively and never saw any improvements in health or weight they decided to try out a Whole 30 diet. Most of you know this is a huge and very difficult commitment to eat completely clean for 30 days straight. You guys, they felt so good they did it for over 60 days, AND through the holidays might I add! They couldn’t believe how great they felt from nourishing their body with real food! They transitioned to a paleo diet and still eat this way on a daily basis. They have found it to be so helpful for many reasons but especially for Tanner’s psoriasis and their vitality!
Okay so back to the airstream! Fast forward several months and I end back up in Montana, and so did these two…in fact in my backyard. Over the week that they were here visiting our national park (Glacier National Park), we hammocked, we hiked, we made coffee, WE BAKED!:) They taught me about simplistic air-stream living, and we talked a lot about food, nutrition, faith, and simple aspects of life. They have been airstream living since 2017! Read their full story here. Also, their instagram is beautiful and they give updates of all their wonderful adventures throughout all the national parks they visit and airstream living hacks. Follow them @essentiallystreaming or by clicking here. It really is no easy thing to downsize to fit everything you own into an airstream; to live happily with only the bare essentials. They even have to pay attention to how much their set up weighs for insurance purposes… something I would have never even thought of! Tanner also taught me on a couple occasions how to make really delicious coffee. I was so honored to be able to bake with them and share some of my recipes and what I’ve learned about food and nutrition with them too!
Because I know you’re wondering…here’s what we made:
- paleo marshmallows
- paleo german chocolate cake
- coconut butter or “manna”
Nallely made my day when she was almost in tears over the marshmallows. She hadn’t had marshmallows in over 2 1/2 years because marshmallows even at health food stores are made from cane sugar which is NOT paleo. Tanner also made me laugh sooooo hard. After overhearing me tell Nelly that we needed to bring the maple syrup up to 240 degrees fahrenheit, he pipes up and says something like “are you sure about that, I don’t think that’s possible.” You see Tanner being a pro barista (really, he’s won competitions and everything) pays very close attention to the boiling points at all elevations he visits. Well supposedly here water does not boil over 203. Of course he was proven wrong, and yes he did in fact double check me with his own thermometer!! LOL sorry Tanner…
You can head virtually experience our baking sesh here…Just be prepared for some good laughs haha 🙂
All that to say, my time with the Beans reminded me of a couple very important life things to always remember:
- Keep the main things the main things. I have to remind myself what these are to me EVERYDAY ALL DAY and it is a struggle, let me tell ya. What is the essence of life for you? Does everything you do tie back to those things?
- The world is really so small when you embrace community. Community is important to me, because it makes me and others better. The Beans wanted to bake with me because they wanted to learn from ME, but I learned so much from THEM too. That’s why I love cooking with others so much- its never a one way street. We were not created to do life alone. We can build a stronger, better world by sharing our experiences and talents with people and they with us.
Thank you Tanner and Nelly! ❤ Keep spreading the good stuff!
Cassava Tortillas
Recipe adapted from http://blog.sweetlaurel.com/
- ¾ c cassava flour
- ¼ c arrowroot powder
- 3T coconut oil, melted
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ⅓ c cold water or more as needed
Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water as needed. Roll into balls. Place between two pieces of parchment paper and use a rolling pin or tortilla press to flatten into a circle. Place on a hot skillet for about 1-2 minutes per side. When tortillas are finished cooking, place inside a folded damp kitchen towel to keep warm until serving. Place any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze.
Abigail E. Holistic 