Beans are a good source of protein and carbohydrates. There is often a bag of dried beans in a food drop box. It turns out a lot of people don't know what to do with them. It is thought that a meal of beans and a grain like rice, barley, or quinoa is too many carbohydrates but there is plenty of protein as well. 

The only dried beans that you don't have to soak overnight are red beans. Not kidney beans that are red, but red beans. They are smaller. I make a red beans and rice recipe where the red beans are not soaked overnight, and they only take three hours to cook. 

If cooking is difficult for you because it's difficult to be on your feet, I would cook the whole one-pound bag at a time. You can portion out the beans into smaller serving sizes and freeze them for later. Most recipes that use dried beans say to rinse the beans in a colander first and pick out the rocks. Harvest methods and manufacturing are much better now, so there are rarely any rocks to pick out. But do rinse the beans. 

Then place the beans in a large bowl, fill the bowl with water until the beans are covered. Put a lid or plate over the bowl and let the beans soak overnight. In the morning, rinse the beans again then place the beans in a large pot. Add water to cover the beans by about three inches and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat down so the beans simmer.

Keep a pitcher of water near the stove. The beans will soak up a lot of water during the day and you will need to add water on a regular basis. I always add a ham hock with the beans. It gives the beans a smokey flavor, plus there is enough ham on the bone that it adds meat as well. It will take 3 to 5 hours for the beans to cook. That will depend on the level of heat you use, how much and how often you add water. The beans are done when they are soft enough for a fork to push into a bean without effort. 

I also add seasoning to the beans about an hour before they are done. I like a lot of pepper, but other seasonings depend on whether I want the beans to taste southern, Italian, or Greek. So, any combination of oregano, basil, chili pepper, red pepper, a leaf of bay leaf or rosemary. It's also OK to cook the beans plain and with no ham hock, then season each portion as you are ready to use it.

The more common dried beans to use are pinto, kidney, red, or black. Anasazi, lima, northern and navy beans also work. The more common recipes for dried beans are ham and beans; baked beans; bean soup; red beans and rice; or refried beans. Soups and casseroles usually use a mixture of 7 or 9 beans.