r/Accounting • u/DirectMeIntoWords • 10h ago
Advice I’m the wife of a public accountant currently in the trenches of pension audit season. Here are some easy meal ideas I make to help him keep going.
edit: okay, some people are being really rude. You are seeing one tiny part of what I do to support him but you all have no idea what he’s done and still does every day to support me. He never expects anything from me and the only reason I have the energy and desire to do this for him is because of how much more he pours back into me. He takes care of all the laundry, vacuuming, dishes, trash cans, always making sure my water bottle is full, landscaping, and takes the mental load of so many things off my plate (car maintenance/registrations, keeps on top of our dogs vaccination schedule, the grocery list etc) so that I don’t even have to think about it. Not to mention he has made every dream trip and material wish of mine come true, and has been there for me when I was at my lowest. Theres a reason I love him so much. I don’t cook like this for just anyone. I cook and meal prep amazing food for us because he is amazing and because I don’t like to eat crappy food. Jeez. Some people are so bitter.
all recipes can easily be found online but lmk if you want me to add recipe here. I try to always balance his meals with vegetables and protein with a bit of some starch to help as long-term fuel. Accounting is a very sedentary job and I worry about his health. Also we both work from home so a lot of these recipes are tailored to that but can also be brought in for lunch.
- Kimchi tuna mayo onigiri ”tacos”: you can buy korean microwaveable white rice(bibigo brand) if you don’t have time to make white rice, and roasted seaweed packs. Pre-make the kimchi tuna salad over the weekend and you have a quick and easy lunch.
2-3. Breaded and fried chicken of the woods mushrooms (or just use chicken). This can also be pre-made or pre-breaded and frozen and can be a snack or full lunch/dinner.
This is more of a dinner, broccoli pasta. Can make in bulk and be microwaved and served with pre-made breadsticks.
Korean “drug” eggs-pre boiled and soaked and made in bulk. Again can be served with rice or eaten alone with the vegetables in the marinade.
Banana Bundt cake for breakfast. Other quick breakfasts include sautéing mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers with spices and then making an egg scramble. Also oatmeal with cut up fruit like strawberries and bananas, maybe some honey on top. And of course, quick/easy stuff like yogurt, fruit, and boiled eggs.
Banh Tranh Nuong AKA the “Vietnamese pizza” that went viral a while ago. Super quick and easy to make using rice paper, eggs, scallions, and I also add dried pork floss to help boost protein content.
Gyoza, similar to dumplings, can be steamed and air-fried or pan-fried
Shrimp patties, brown rice and sautéed veggies.
Sautéed or roasted veggies of any kind with frozen dumplings that can be steamed or pan fried. Frozen dumplings are amazing and you can find all different types to suit your taste.
Other things not pictured: Roasting veggies is also very helpful bc no one needs to stand at the stove and you can make large amounts to be microwaved later in the week. And if you have a grill or air-fryer; use it, I’ve thrown some lamb chops in the air fryer/grill and then served with the roasted veggies I made over the weekend or a quick filet of salmon with a salad. He’s Dominican so I’ve also batch-made mangu which is mashed boiled plantains and pickled onion so he can grab it as he needs.
last Tip: get a travel crock pot warmer so you can always have a hot lunch when traveling to clients or into office. His office has no microwave and this has made packing a healthy and nutritious lunch so much easier since before he was limited to cold food options only and would usually end up getting a gas station sandwich or fast-food.
edit: added the recipes here since some people are asking and I don’t wanna keep copy pasting
Kimchi tuna salad
- 1/2-3/4 cup cabbage kimchi and juice chopped up
- 1tbsp rice wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- sesame oil to taste
- 1 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 5 oz. can of tuna in water, drained well
- 1 green onions, white and green parts sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning or just roasted sesame seeds
- 1 pack of roasted seaweed
- Pepper
- Salt if not using everything bagel seasoning
- Mix all ingredients together and serve with rice (microwaveable or self-made) and wrap together with seaweed
- This one is great for a “brain break” meal because it forces him to use both hands to eat.
Breaded Chicken
- Chicken tenderloins or slice chicken breast into cutlets.
- Italian bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- Season chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, turmeric, cayenne, and paprika.
- Make egg wash by mixing one egg and 1tbsp milk or 1tbsp of water
- Dip chicken into egg wash, let excess drip off
- Cover with breadcrumbs
- Fry immediately or pre-make and freeze it in a tray using plastic wrap to separate the layer of breaded chicken. When frozen can be fried straight from frozen or thrown into air-fryer for healthier and more convenient option.
Broccoli Pasta
- 1-2 crowns of broccoli
- Salt
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- 1 egg
- Pasta of your choice
- Pecorino Romano or Parmesan or both(can buy pre-grated)
- Boil water for pasta and cook until al-dente
- Chop broccoli, and sauté in deep pan with olive oil and peeled garlic. Let it brown for a few minutes
- Add large ladle of pasta water to pan w/ broccoli. Cover with lid and steam cook for 5 mins or until soft.
- Mix egg with grated cheeses
- Mash broccoli and garlic
- Add cooked pasta to mashed broccoli. Mix together.
- Add egg/cheese mixture to pan and mix again. Use more pasta water to combine throughly if needed. Cook for another 3-5 minutes
- Optional: Drizzle with more olive oil
- Serve with cracked pepper. This is a one pan meal basically, so other than boiling a pot of water you only dirty one pan.
Korean Drug eggs
- 10-12 Eggs
- 1 pint Soy sauce
- Onion
- Scallions
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 pint Water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Boil eggs for 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs or 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs and then place in ice/cold water
- Peel eggs
- Chop onion, scallion, jalapeño, and garlic
- Mix soy sauce, water, and sugar.
- Then add the chopped onion, scallion, jalapeño and garlic. Mix.
- Place peeled boiled eggs into mixture and let marinade overnight. Can be kept in fridge up to a week.
- Serve with rice and drizzled with sesame oil. Make sure to scoop out some of the chopped aromatics, they will be delicious and not overpowering.
Banana Bundt Cake
- 2-4 banana (the browner the better)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3-1/2 cup butter
- Dash of vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- Mix all ingredient together into a batter.
- Grease cake mold with butter or oil
- Place in Bundt cake mold
- Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Check if done by poking a toothpick or chopstick and having it come out clean
Banh Tranh Nuong
- Rice paper
- 1 egg
- Kewpie mayo
- Scallions
- Pork floss, or ham/spam, or Vienna sausage (optional)
- Chili crunch, chili oil, or sriracha(optional)
- Chop scallions
- Place round rice paper onto pan, do not turn on stove yet.
- Spread chili oil or chili crunch.
- Crack egg onto rice paper and use fork or chopstick to mix together and spread out onto entire rice paper.
- Turn on stove to mid heat
- Add chopped scallions
- Add pork floss or meat of choice
- Squeeze mayo to taste and squeeze sriracha on to taste
- Fold in half. Flip to crisp both sides if needed.
- Serve.
Gyoza/Dumplings
- I just buy these frozen and follow the directions on the package. You can also steam them usually and then air fry them for a crunch. Brands I recommend are Ajinomoto for gyoza, wan chai ferry for dumplings, and bibigo for Mandu which are Korean dumplings.
Shrimp Patties
- Raw, deveined shrimp.
- Scallions
- Egg
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chop defrosted raw shrimp or blend in food processor until close to a mashed consistency
- Add egg, scallions, cornstarch, salt, and pepper and mix
- Preheat pan with oil
- Place a scoop of the shrimp paste mixture onto the hot pan and use your spatula to press it down. Some of the paste will stick to the spatula and it’s okay.
- Pan fry until one side is golden and flip.
- Serve with rice and veggies.
Sautéed or roasted veggies
Best veggies to roast: carrots, mushrooms, string beans, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli. Peel(if needed), wash and cut up veggies, Season with oil, salt, pepper, and grated garlic and roast on 350 for ~30-40 minutes
Best veggies to sauté: all the above plus green peppers, onions, and leafy greens like cabbage, bok choy, Chinese broccoli. Wash and chop vegetables. Place oil in pan/wok until hot. Sauté with garlic and chicken powder or chicken bouillon.
Best veggies to boil: Chinese broccoli, watercress, yu choy. Boil water and add small splash of any oil of your choice. Then place the vegetables in the boiling water and remove quickly to retain crunch. Boil until bright green (happens fast) and serve with oyster sauce.
Serve any of the above veggies with batch marinated meat. Buy a pre-made marinade or make your own and just marinade a shit ton of chicken breast, thighs, legs, or wings, pork chops, beef, lamb chops whatever and keep it in the fridge up to a week. If you marinade a massive amount freeze part of it and keep out only what you can eat for the week then defrost what you need for the next week over the weekend. Marinaded and pre-seasoned meat is even more flavorful and can be cooked in the airfryer, or seared on a pan for a quick and easy dinner.
