It’s been four years since our first production and sale of Yumbini quick beans and rice in April 2022. Before we launched, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to accomplish.
I ultimately settled on this: “Yumbini’s mission is to provide convenient, healthy foods, that are mindful of the earth’s resources and accessible to everyone, with the power to transform our health, our lives and our world.”
Can quick beans and rice really change the world? I still think so! Looking back over the past year, I hope you agree we have provided convenient healthy food. But you might not know that, along with the food, I have written a series of blogs. They are designed to inform and help further transform our health, our lives and our world. Here’s a recap of the past year:
Transform our Health
Making the goodness of beans and rice delicious, quick, and easy is job #1 for Yumbini. And one of the most important nutrients in beans and rice is fiber. In Did You Know Fiber in Yumbini is a Big Win for Long Life?, I explain the research on how fiber can not only help you avoid colon cancer, but other cancers as well.
But eating beans and rice goes beyond fiber! Do You Know the Reason Ninja Were Vegetarians?, tells about our visit to the Ninja Museum of Iga-ryu in Japan. Like elite athletes today, Ninja were very careful about their diets. Being vegetarian provided several advantages that we can still enjoy in our modern lives!
And not just your physical health, but mental health too! The article Easy Comfort Food – Calm With Beans and Rice celebrates those foods we reach for when we are stressed out. For some foods, like sweets, the comfort might be short-lived. But because of the fiber and protein in beans, the calm can last longer!
In addition to keeping an eye on nutrition research, I also monitor upcoming changes to food labeling. Can we Make America healthy Again with Better Food Labels is the text of my comments to FDA regarding proposed front of pack nutrition labeling.
Transform our Lives
I sincerely hope Yumbini quick beans and rice improves your daily life. At store tastings we learn about so many different ways people enjoy Yumbini. And there are many alternative ways to prepare it – depending on your situation!
Prepare Yumbini – there are many easy ways! describes not only the familiar microwave and stovetop methods, but also barbecue, campfire, boiling water, in a thermos, portable camp stove, and even cold soak!
In Search Of The Ultimate Work Lunch gives you more tips on preparing Yumbini for work. And How to Make School Lunch With Yumbini describes how Yumbini can transform school lunch – in a thermos, bento or even as a dip!
In addition to home, work and school, we hear from so many Yumbini fans who take it camping, hiking or backpacking. Check out On the Trail with YouTube Star “Miranda Goes Outside” for two different Yumbini episodes! And if you are heading for the backcountry, see our guide to Shelf Stable, Easy to Carry, Foods to Eat With Yumbini. Keep some of these handy Yumbini toppers at work or school too!
One customer pointed out that Yumbini quick beans and rice is great for the “art of doing nothing”. Read the resulting blog, So Easy, it’s the Perfect Food For Doing Nothing, and discover the power of what the Dutch call “Niksen”.
That covers all the ways to prepare Yumbini, for work, school, on the trail or doing nothing. Lastly, use it to Get Through the Holidays With Time to Spare, a collection of holiday recipes and tips to save your sanity!
Transform our World
I admit, it is ambitious to want to transform the world. But I think we should always try! In The Instant Ramen of the Health Food World, you can read about my original inspiration for Yumbini, from the Humane Society, to vegan chicken nuggets, to BEANS!
I hope Yumbini quick beans and rice makes it easy for people to eat more beans. Eating more beans is good not only for human and animal health, but planetary health as well. In Earth day: From 1970 to Now, I recalled how, on the first Earth Day, main topics were pollution, famine, war and overpopulation.
Interestingly, climate change was not top of mind until several years later. For this year’s Earth Day, I wrote A Happy Climate Diet to Celebrate Earth Day. It’s about how eating beans (and reducing meat and dairy) is an easy change ordinary people can take to reduce climate change.
If that feels overwhelming, this article, Stay Strong: Every Human Being Makes History, featuring Peralta Hacienda Historical Park in Oakland, is a reminder that our actions matter. We make history every day by our decisions and how we react to events. We even change history by doing nothing.
The idea of shaping our future inspired me to write May all Beings be Well, Happy and at Peace, about the group of Buddhist monks who recently walked from Texas to Washington DC. They had one goal only: to promote peace, loving kindness and compassion. Their simple message of peace starting from within each of us, attracted millions of followers across the US.
Yumbini makes a simple bowl of beans and rice. And we are a tiny company. But I still hope it can, in some way, change the world for the better.
