Animal-Style Burger Bowl with Sweet Potatoes

& leaving NYC kicking & screaming

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!

Every time I visit New York City, I have the best time, but I always leave feeling exhausted and ready to return to my slower-paced, Southern California life. But this was the first trip where I didn’t feel ready to leave the city, at all. I could’ve stayed another week at least. I’m about to be in my third trimester, and I thought for sure I would feel exhausted by all the walking and hustle and bustle, but no — I felt incredibly energized and longing to soak up the city.

When I lived in New York, I would always talk about how the city brings out the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. If it’s a beautiful day and you’re out walking and getting brunch and seeing friends, it’s the best possible day you could ever imagine. But if you’re feeling emotionally worn, it’s cold and grey, and you’re trying to maneuver your way through hoards of people in a smelly subway car, you’re going to feel so, so down.

This week was just highs for me, seeing friends and visiting old stomping grounds. I stepped back into my 20-year-old self, rushing through the subway and wandering around the West Village and just thriving off of the beautiful, buzzing energy that is New York City. Although I don’t want to move back, I do miss it so much.

We didn’t hit as many foodie spots as we planned to, since we were busy with wedding activities and seeing friends and family, but here were my faves:

• Mama Too’s Pizza (get the Vodka with Pesto and Angry Nonna)

• Bubby’s for brunch (get the pancake flight)

• Soothr for Thai (get the Soothr Jeeb Dumplings, Beef Pad Si-iw, and Koong Karee)

• Sally’s for Caribbean/Asian fusion (get the Caribbean Dan Dan, Curry Crab Rangoon, and Marinated Cucumbers )

• Sorate for matcha in a Japanese Tea House

THINGS I’M LOVING!

I only wear perfume for special occasions, so it’s been a long time since I had a signature scent (I’m looking at you Miss Dior Cherie in high school). I’m thinking I may have found a new one! The 11:11 Azure scent from Lake and Skye feels so fresh. They describe it as a blend of lotus, blue amber, and musk, and it’s meant to emulate the ocean. I got their rollerball and really love it!

I love my July Carry On Bag, and I’ve been wanting to buy a bigger, hardside checked bag too, but some of them are just SO expensive. However, I still wanted something high-quality, long-lasting, and with a good warranty, and I found this Samsonite Outline Pro Carry-On Spinner Suitcase that was on sale for a much cheaper price than some of the more expensive names in the industry. I’ve been using it on this trip, and I’m loving it so far!

I am sooo happy that we are entering spring and that it’s sundress weather again. I want to live in long and flowy dresses every single day. This 100% Cotton Embroidered Floral Dress from Sezane is so gorgeous and comfy. I wore it in on a hot, humid day walking around New York, and I felt nice and cool while also feeling breezy and chic (see above photo in Catch Up for proof)!

ACTIVE DISCOUNT CODES!

Supplements

• KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 30% off your first order with Ritual!

• Use my link to get up to 45% off Grüns gummy vitamins!

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Armra Colostrum!

Food

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products!

• KMM10 gets you 10% off your first purchase with Ground Up Nut Butters

• DRIZZLE gets you 20% off Little Zing Mustard

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Kola Goodies tea lattes

• CARINA20 gets you 20% off Primal Kitchen products

• KALEMEMAYBE15 gets you 15% off Flour & Water products

• CARINA15 gets you 15% off Juliet Wine!

• CARINAWOLFF gets you 40% off your first order with Hungryroot!

Other Products

• CARINA10 gets you 10% off Starter Kits from Branch Basics!

• CW15 for 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy

RECIPE!

For the past year or so, I’ve been making a lot of burger bowls. I started to incorporate grass-fed beef into my diet more when dealing with infertility, and the same goes for while I’m pregnant. Burger bowls are my favorite ways to do this, and there are so many combinations to play around with.

I like to add gut-healthy ingredients like pickles and sauerkraut to my bowls, and I almost always will sauté some onions and make an animal-style sauce to put on top. This was my first time using sweet potatoes, and I have to say, this might be my favorite addition yet.

Animal-Style Burger Bowl with Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients (serves 2)

Bowl

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped

• Olive oil

• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced

• 1 1lb grass-fed beef

• Seasoning of choice (I used shawarma seasoning)

• 3 cups chopped romaine

• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 1/2 cup sauerkraut

• 4-5 pickle slices

• Olive oil

Animal-Style Sauce

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 2 1/2 tbsp mayo

• 3 tbsp finely chopped pickles

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Add sweet potatoes to a parchment-lined baking sheet, toss in a few good drizzles of olive oil and a pinch of a salt, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes until potatoes soft on the inside and crispy on the edges, flipping halfway through.

2. While sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the onions. In a medium cast iron skillet, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté for 12-14 minutes until onions are golden brown. Remove from pan, and set aside in a small bowl or on a plate.

3. While onions are cooking, make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, mayo, and chopped pickles until smooth.

4. In the same skillet you used for the onions, add the beef (add a little olive oil first if it’s looking dry), and break up into small pieces using a spatula. Add a few generous dashes of your favorite seasoning blend, and then cook for 5-7 minutes until beef is brown.

5. Add chopped romaine to two bowls, and top with sweet potatoes, beef, shredded cheese, sauerkraut, and pickles. Drizzle on the animal-style sauce, and top with the onions. Serve warm, and enjoy!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for Cottage Cheese Tzatziki Bowls! This one is great if you’re looking for something high-protein. I made a tzatziki using cottage cheese as a base and topped it with lots of Mediterranean-inspired goodies! And it’s a 30-minute budget meal!!

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!