California Cobb Salad

& viral articles, unusual food cravings & an infertility anniversary

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!

This week, I’ve been feeling like my energy has gone down the drain and my brain has been zapped, but here’s what’s on my mind:

• Emily Sundberg’s viral article “The machine in the garden.” As a Substack writer, it’s impossible not to be thinking about this piece. I’m torn on where I stand about it, but maybe I don’t need to take a stance one way or another. I agree with much of her take on algorithms and cheap content relating to social media as a whole, beyond Substack. But I also don’t care if people on Substack want to write diaries or create listicles. I think there’s a place for deeper writing and lighter content. That’s why I loved women’s magazines so much growing up.

• Fruit and steak. This summer, I’ve been eating a lot of fruit and a lot of steak, which is only notable because I’ve never historically eaten a lot of fruit or steak. Not on purpose, I just never craved it. But I’m obsessed with hanger steak right now, and I also can’t stop eating kiwis, peaches, raspberries, and pineapple. In fact, I’m even eating fruit and steak together. This is riveting content, I know. What would Emily Sundberg think?

• It has been one year since I found out I was pregnant (and then subsequently miscarried 2 weeks later). Hard to believe that much time has passed. My mind feels numb, but I think I’m carrying a lot of frustration in my body, hence some of my fatigue.

• I want to book a trip so badly. Top places I’m craving to visit are: London, Mallorca, Catalina Island, New York City, Miami. Where will I go? Only time will tell.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

If you’re looking for a really high quality knife that isn’t as expensive as some of the other options out there, I would definitely suggest getting a chef’s knife from Material. They recently gifted me one, and I was extremely impressed. I love how lightweight it feels in my hands, but it’s quite sharp. The perfect balance of good looking and veryyyy functional.

I love to wear dresses all summer, and I’ve been obsessed with drop waist styles. I’ve gotten many inquiries about my white dress from American Eagle, but it sold out so fast that I never got a chance to link it. HOWEVER, I just saw that Aerie dropped an almost identical version — this one has thinner straps, but it is gorgeous, and it’s 100% cotton which is a must for me this days in terms of comfort and durability.

I love Crate and Barrel for their dinnerware, and I bought this low bowl last year without thinking much about it. I’ve been using it in my videos recently, and now it’s one of my faves. People (including myself) love the shape and size of a low bowl, and I just love how salads look plated in it! And for only $15, it’s definitely a steal.

ACTIVE CODES!

Supplements

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

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

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

Other Products

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

• CW15 for 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy

RECIPE!

What makes this a California Cobb? Well, I live in California, and I made this, so that’s all you need to know.

I’m just kidding, but I gave it the name because I included ingredients commonly grown in and associated with California — strawberries, avocado, cherry tomatoes, etc. I know we are veering off from a traditional Cobb here, but I also added my own flair by using feta and pickled onions. Doesn’t that just look like a bowl that would come out of California?

The dressing is a simple lemon honey dressing with chives — it was my first time making this one, and I will definitely be incorporating it into more recipes moving forward.

California Cobb Salad

Ingredients (serves 2)

Salad

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 2 large eggs

• 2 heads little gem lettuce (can also use romaine)

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 avocado, sliced

• 1 cup strawberries, sliced

• 1/2 cup feta

• 1/3 cup pickled onions

Honey Lemon Dressing

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped chives

• 1 tbsp honey

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Prepare your chicken anyway you’d like to. I used a grill pan with a little oil on medium-high heat. I cooked for 8-9 minutes on each side. Dice the chicken once it’s ready and has cooled.

2. Prepare your hard boiled eggs by bringing a small pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs, and then set a timer for 10 minutes. Add to an ice bath to let cool, and then cut into quarters.

3. Add the little gem lettuce to a large bowl or platter (or separate into two bowls). Top with halved cherry tomatoes, diced chicken, eggs, avocado, strawberries, feta, and pickled onions, arranging everything in a diagonal, if desired.

4. Prepare the dressing by whisking together ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Pour over the salad, and enjoy!