8 no-diet, nourishing recipes to start the year

& 2024: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

hello! happy new year! we made it!

I feel like I’ve been in my own little bubble the past few weeks — I’ve barely been cooking, barely been filming, barely been posting — and although the break has definitely been nice and much needed, I also feel like I miss everyone!

I didn't really feel like participating in any of the typical end-of-year content this year, especially because I have mixed feelings about the past year. I started 2024 in a really sad place. We hit a year of trying to conceive and began to see a fertility specialist, and we spent the rest of 2024 going through IUIs and IVF. When I reflect back on my year, the first thing I think about is: “fertility treatments.”

To add insult to injury, I also spent the first six months of 2024 feeling really down on myself about work. My incoming projects felt slow, I didn’t feel proud of my videos, and I really started to question my self-worth. Thankfully, I made some changes (new management, different content styles), and everything began to turn around. I felt more excited about what I was putting out, more projects began to pour in, and I started feeling confident about work again, which I really needed. It was too much to have no confidence in my body or my career. At least one area was bringing me back to life.

When I think about the highlights of this year, I think about community. I think about my incredible friends and family who showed up for me during my struggles. I thank my lucky stars that so many of my relationships actually strengthened during my periods of hardship. I also think about my community here and on social media. So many people have reached out and shared their struggles and helped me feel less alone during such an isolating time. That is so special and so beautiful and the biggest perk of this job.

This was also the year I rediscovered dancing, and that also helped me appreciate my body. I started doing ballet with my mom and my sister, went back en pointe, and started doing other types of dance as well, which helped restore a child-like joy in my days.

This year wasn’t all good or all bad, and hey, that’s life.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

You might say I have an obsession with documentaries that cover cultural phenomenon in the 2000s, and to that I would say, you’re correct. Grant and I have been watching Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story on Peacock, and once again, I am left appalled at the things we allowed to happen just 20 years ago. It’s a hard watch, but an important one. Women deserve better.

I wanted to get the Dyson Hair Wrap, but everyone on Instagram convinced me it wasn’t worth the money and to get the Shark Flex Style instead. I’ve been in need of a new blow dryer, so the purchase already seemed worth it — and it’s only $250 compared to $600! So far I’ve used the paddle brush, the round brush, and the diffuser, and I am definitely going to try out the curling rod, which I know is the big draw — I’ve just been intimidated, if I’m being honest! The best part of this tool is really how quickly it works. I can go from wet hair to fully styled in 30 minutes.

Come read with me! I feel like it would be fun to start a virtual book club, which I may have to add to my 2025 to-do list! I am currently reading Family, Family by Laurie Frankel, and I am enjoying it so far. I read one if her other books, This Is How It Always Is, a few years back and really liked it, so I have high hopes for this one as well. I never read back covers (I know, crazy), so I’m not going to give you a synopsis since I’m not entirely sure myself, but I know the story covers themes around adoption, family, and speaking your truth.

ACTIVE DISCOUNT CODES!

Supplements

• KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 25% off your first order with Ritual!

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RECIPES!

In 2025, we are NOT dieting. Instead, we are adding in foods that make us feel good: lots of fruits and veggies, balanced meals, recipes that actually taste delicious. That is health.

To kickstart your year, here are some of my favorite recipes that’ll help you feel good physically and emotionally.

8 no-diet, nourishing recipes

Spinach & Artichoke Çılbır

Zucchini Pancakes with Smoked Salmon & Lemon Marinade

Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Berry Compote

Parmesan-Roasted Carrot Salad

Healthy Mediterranean Bowl

Spicy Tomato Feta Spaghetti Squash with Chickpeas

Creamy Lemon White Bean & Rice Soup

Salmon with Spicy Avocado Feta Salsa

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

My 30-minute budget meal series lives on in 2025! Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for an egg and rice bowl with marinated veggies! Such a good one for any time of day.

Just a reminder that anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!