Brothy Za'atar Feta Meatballs

& you can do it all — just not at the same time

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 week! Paid subscribers get even more on Saturdays — 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!

I heard a quote this week that really resonated with me: “You can do it all, but not at the same time.” It’s attributed to many people — Betty Friedan, Madeleine Albright, Michelle Obama — but no matter the speaker, it hits home. Keeping this in the back of my mind gives me an existential sense of calm. One thing that helps is making my to-do list smaller. For the first time in my life, it feels better not to be overly ambitious. It’s not a slower life, but a more mindful one.

My stye from hell was still not fully recovered this week, but I felt well enough to get back into exercise. It’s easy to deprioritize working out when I’m trying to meet work deadlines and be a present parent, but I’ve noticed if I’m not active, I’m more anxious, less energetic, and can’t fall asleep at night, which just starts a vicious cycle of feeling poor. So I’m moving it to the top of my list, and I managed to get to pilates a few times this week. And I’m trying to take more walks. It’s actually crazy how much this impacts my sleep.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we watched one episode of Tell Me Lies, and I’m officially caught up now, but it also STRESSES me out. I made the mistake of watching one episode before bed, and I had so much anxiety that I couldn’t fall asleep. As soon as I actually started drifting off, it was so late that Sagan woke up to eat. Somehow, I still want to watch more, though.

I’ve also been trying to cook other people’s recipes on days when I’m not developing my own or working on my cookbook. There’s always a looming pressure to turn every meal into some form of content, but I found I’ve been more inspired lately when I also just follow other people’s recipes. This week, I made this 5-minute, high protein cheesecake and this loaded dessert sweet potato — as you can see, my sweet tooth is still in full force. Trying to work on that too, though.

THINGS I’M LOVING

I can’t believe I haven’t talked about my obsession with hypochlorous acid, yet. We originally purchased it as a bleach alternative — it’s equally as effective at disinfecting, but it’s also GOOD for your skin and body. Studies show it can help with eczema and acne, and, most importantly (for me), eye hygiene! When I started having chalazia and styes postpartum, I learned that hypocholorous acid is used to help prevent and treat them, so now I clean my eyes with it daily. We use Force of Nature, and I love it!

When I was making my baby registry, everyone told me to put the Kyte Baby Sleep Sack on there. Although I do like that one, my favorite is the Burt’s Bees sleep sack. I love that it’s organic cotton instead of bamboo, and it’s also less expensive. We have both the lightweight and heavier one, and Sagan loves them both. They’re on sale right now also!

My most worn outfit is t-shirts and jeans, so I’m always looking to buy 500 of the same t-shirts when I find a fit and style I like a lot. Ok, not actually 500, but I always buy multiples of a t-shirt one I find a good one. I like when they’re cropped enough to fall right above the waistband of my jeans, but not too high that they’re a belly top. American Eagle had the best tee like this that they discontinued (sad), but the closest I’ve found is this Léon t-shirt! It comes in navy, white, black, and a gorgeous cherry red that will probably be my next purchase.

RECIPE!

Is it a soup? Is it pasta? Is it meatballs in sauce? Frankly, it’s none of the above. So, we will call it brothy meatballs.

Not to be rude, but the weather has been gorgeous over here in LA, but I know everywhere else is freezing, so I wanted to make this week’s recipe warm, smoothing, and cozy.

The meatballs are made with feta and za’atar and then simmered in broth with some pasta. The pasta soaks up some of the broth so it’s not as soupy, but it still has some liquid that you can scoop up with your spoon.

I took a page out of the avgolemono book and used some eggs and lemon to make the broth thick and bright, and then more za’atar gets mixed in along with some dill and parsley.

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend commonly used in places like Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. There is some variation in what goes into the blend depending on the region, but it typically consists of thyme or oregano, with toasted sesame, salt, and sumac. Za’atar (an Arabic word) is also an actual herb in the thyme family, but many blends don’t actually contain the za’atar plant.

I like to buy my za’atar from Z and Z. They’re a family-owned business that makes the most delicious za’atar!

RECIPE!

Brothy Za’atar Feta Meatballs

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

Meatballs

• 1 lb 85/15 ground beef

• 1/4 cup feta

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 tbsp minced parsley

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

• 1 large egg

• 1 tbsp za’atar

• 1 tsp salt

Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 8 oz small pasta (I used macaroni)

• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

• 1/4 finely chopped dill

• 4 cups vegetable, chicken, or beef broth

• 1 tsp za’atar

• 2 eggs

• Juice of 1-2 lemons

• Salt & pepper

1. In a medium bowl, add ground beef, feta, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, egg, za’atar, and salt. Mix together with your hands until everything is combined, taking care not to over mix. Roll into small meatballs — I like to use a cookie dough scoop size, about 1 tablespoon. This should make about 28 meatballs.

2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook for a minute or two until fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the meatballs, and cook for 5 minutes to brown.

3. Pour in the broth and the pasta, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low boil (about medium-high), and give everything a gentle stir so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom. Cook for about 10 minutes until pasta is fully cooked.

4. While pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together eggs and juice of 1 lemon.

5. When pasta and meatballs are done, remove from heat. Ladle a spoonful of broth into the lemon egg mixture, and whisk together. Slowly add the mixture to the pot, whisking vigorously as you go to incorporate the egg without scrambling it. Going slowly and constantly whisking will help prevent this.

6. Mix in the remaining za’atar, parsley, and dill. Taste, and add the juice of 1 more lemon, if desired. Season with a little salt and pepper.

7. Serve warm topped with more feta, za’atar, and dill.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Yesterday, paid subscribers received a recipe for hot chicken smash burger bowls! A play on the burger bowl using ground chicken. We’re almost at 100 30-minute meals in the archives, which is crazy!

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!