Fall Meal Prep Recipes!

carbonara-inspired squash eggs, maple rosemary chicken noodle soup, and more!

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!

We just got back from a trip to North Carolina to spend time with Grant’s family, and it was such a success traveling with baby Sagan! I got a little taste of fall which was much needed, considering it’s still scorching in LA?? I have all these new sweaters and cardigans I’m antsy to wear!

I told Grant that if money was no issue, I would take a long maternity leave and just travel around wherever I could for a few months. I find myself having so much fun when we take Sagan places, and Grant said, “DUH. You’re always happiest when you travel.” And he’s right! No surprise there.

I got back into a little TV this week. We binged Love Is Blind and started the new season of Nobody Wants This. Next up will be The Morning Show! But we are still so, so behind on watching Jeopardy (we typically record it and watch in the mornings, but mornings have been crazy).

I’ve also been listening to Tame Impala’s new album Deadbeat, and I’m still unsure about how I feel about it! I don’t dislike it, but I’m not sure it’s hitting me the same way his other albums do. However, Kevin Parker can do no wrong in my eyes <3. Also, I gave Lily Allen’s new album West End Girl a listen and was very impressed. The story behind it is very juicy (and sad), but the music is moving.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

I don’t love that SNAP benefits are being taken away, but I do love organizations that work to help keep everyone fed. I discovered Suprmarkt LA in 2020, and I loved how they provided grocery boxes to residents in South Central, which is considered a food desert (or food apartheid, as they call it, since it’s not really a natural occurrence and is, in fact, intentional). They opened their in-person supermarket since then, and now they’re helping to raise funds to assist those who are losing their SNAP benefits. No one should have to worry about getting food on the table, so if you’re able, consider donating.

Sleep is erratic for me these days, but I have a morning routine taking a shower, doing my gua sha practice, and popping on some Three Ship Eye Masks to help myself feel more alert. They’re made with red algae and avocado, and I love that they are biodegradable. Unlike a lot of eye masks I’ve used that are packaged in single-use plastic, these have 30 sets that come in a little jar.

I have been living in H&M oversized tee shirts these days – they are 100% cotton, nice and thick, and so affordable, at only $18! I have the dark brown, navy, and white, and they’re just the right amount of oversized, where they’re loose but you’re not drowning. I’ve sized up 1 each time to just make it a little extra oversized, but I like my clothes a little baggy.

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!

• CARINA gets you 15% off Perelel 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

• 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!

• CARINA20 gets you 20% off of Algae Cooking Club

• Use my link to get 30% off your first order and a free gift from Thrive Market

• KALEMEMAYBE10 gets you 10% off Culture Pop Soda

• CARINAWOLFF gets you $30 off your first box + free croissants for life from Wildgrain

Home & Other Products

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

• CW15 gets you 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy

• CARINA15 gets you 15% off East Fork Pottery

• CARINA20 gets you 20% off at Eva Polar (energy-efficient personal air cooler)

• Use my link to get 20% off at Canopy

• CARINA10 gets you 10% off at Print Fresh (100% cotton pajamas)

• Use this link to get 10% off your order at Tubby Todd!

RECIPE!

This week’s recipe is actually 5 recipes in one! I tried out a new format where I meal prepped a few ingredients at the start of the week, and then I made recipes from those components over the next few days. I was trying to maximize my time and get some healthy meals on the table, and I figured I would take you along with me while I did it!

Everything in this recipe series is very fall-themed. I started off by roasting a whole chicken with maple butter and rosemary. This is technically recipe number one, and you use it as the base for the Fall Kale Salad and Maple Rosemary Chicken Noodle Soup! You will have a little bit of chicken leftover at the end — unfortunately, I didn’t have time to develop another recipe before I left for my trip. You can use this however you’d like. In the NYT recipe, they suggest serving it over rice with veggies.

I also used the chicken gravy that pooled at the bottom of the pan with the rosemary maple butter for the dressing and the soup — it adds an amazing flavor!

The next component is roasted butternut squash, which is used in the Fall Kale Salad and Carbonara-Inspired Butternut Squash Breakfast.

Finally, I prepped a pumpkin tiramisu chia pudding, which can be enjoyed throughout the week!

I wish I’d used the chicken carcass and made a homemade stock, which I could have used in place of boxed chicken broth for the soup, but I didn’t think of this ahead of time, so alas. But you can be better than me and do it!

Grocery List

• Whole chicken

• Large butternut squash

• Fresh sage leaves

• Fresh rosemary

• Kale

• Apples

• Red onion

• Yellow onion

• Garlic

• Carrots

• Parsley

• Butter

• Bacon

• Chicken broth (or make your own!)

• Pasta

• Parmesan cheese

• Cheddar cheese

• Milk of choice (I used oat)

• Greek yogurt

• Maple syrup

• Balsamic vinegar

• Dijon mustard

• Celery salt

• Chia seeds

• Pumpkin seeds

• Pumpkin puree

• Cocoa powder

• Pumpkin pie spice

• Vanilla extract

Here’s what you do:

Roast the chicken and the butternut squash first, as well as prep the chia pudding.

The next day, you can finish assembling the chia pudding. Then throughout the week, you can use the chicken and the squash in the remaining recipes, in any order you like. This is what I did:

Day 1: Pumpkin Tiramisu Chia Pudding + Fall Kale Salad

Day 2: Carbonara-Inspired Butternut Squash Eggs

Day 3: Leftover Pumpkin Tiramisu Chia Pudding + Maple Rosemary Chicken Noodle Soup

After that, use your leftover chicken however you’d like!

Prep

Maple Rosemary Chicken

Start here, and follow this recipe from New York Times Cooking! Reserve the gravy that pools at the bottom of the pan — we’ll use it for the salad and soup!

Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced

• Olive oil

• Sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and add your butternut squash. Toss is in a good drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, and bake for 30-35 minutes until squash is soft and just starting to crispy on the edges, flipping halfway through.

Pumpkin Tiramisu Chia Pudding

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

• 1/2 cup chia seeds

• 1 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used oat)

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

• 2 shots espresso

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• Greek yogurt

• Cocoa powder

1. In a large bowl, combine chia seeds, milk, pumpkin puree, espresso shots, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, give it a good stir, and then let sit overnight, or for at least 8 hours.

Assemble

Pumpkin Tiramisu Chia Pudding

1. In the morning, add the chia pudding to a glass or small jar. Add a spoonful of Greek yogurt to the top, and smooth it over with the back of a spoon. Lightly dust with cocoa powder before serving.

Fall Kale Salad

Salad

• 6 cups kale leaves, stems removed and roughly chopped

• Half the roasted butternut squash

• 1 medium apple, diced

• 2 chicken breasts from your roasted chicken, shredded

• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

• 1 cup diced cheddar, plus more to top

• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Dressing

• 3 tbsp reserved maple rosemary chicken gravy (can sub 3 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp maple syrup, pinch of rosemary)

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

• Salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl, add the kale leaves. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, and massage with your hands to break down the fibers and soften the kale. Add the remaining ingredients.

2. Prepare the dressing by whisking together chicken gravy (heat it up if you need to liquify it, but let cool before making the dressing), balsamic vinegar, garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper. If you want to skip the chicken gravy, use the substitutions stated above. Toss the salad in the dressing, and serve! I topped mine with a little bit of shredded cheddar, which is optional.

This recipe tastes great after it’s been refrigerated, too, so it can last a few days!

Carbonara-Inspired Butternut Squash Eggs

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 3 bacon strips

• Half the roasted butternut squash

• Handful of sage leaves

• 4 eggs

• 1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

• Black pepper

1. Add bacon strips to a large cast iron skillet. Turn heat to medium low, and cook bacon until it’s nice and crispy, flipping frequently. This should take about 15 minutes — the bacon will start to render and cook in its own fat. Remove the bacon and set aside, but leave the bacon fat in the pan.

2. Turn the heat to medium, and add the cooked butternut squash and sage leaves. Mix together to get everything coated in the bacon fat, and then cook for 3-4 minutes to get the sage leaves crispy and to warm the squash.

3. Crack your eggs directly into the pan with the squash. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese, and season with a good bit of black pepper. Cook until egg whites have fully set but yolk is still runny, about 7-9 minutes. If the tops of your whites aren’t cooking, cover the pan for a couple minutes to finish off the eggs.

4. Right before your eggs are done, crumble the bacon with your hands, and then sprinkle on top of the eggs. Heat for a minute or two, and serve warm.

Maple Rosemary Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 chicken legs from your roasted chicken, skin on

• 1 tsp celery salt

• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 6 oz small pasta (I used macaroni)

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley

• Salt and pepper

• Grated Parmesan cheese, to top

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, add olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the chicken legs, celery salt, and a big spoonful of chicken gravy, and cook for 6-7 minutes until oil is fragrant and more fat and flavor has rendered from the chicken.

2. Remove the chicken legs, and set aside. Add the diced carrots, onions, rosemary, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6-7 minutes until onions and carrots have softened.

3. Bring a separate pot of water to boil for your pasta.

4. Add the chicken legs back to the soup pot along with chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or for however long it takes to make your pasta.

5. Cook according to package, and then drain.

6. When soup is done simmering, remove the chicken legs, and using a fork, remove the meat and shred. Add back to the pot along with the pasta and parsley. Mix together, and season with more salt and pepper, if desired/needed. Then serve warm topped with grated Parmesan.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for this super easy, no-chop gnocchi dish!

As a reminder, anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive, plus one exclusive recipe a week. New subscribers also get a free 7-day trial!