Lemon Meatballs with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Feta over Garlic Yogurt

& pastries + bump expectations

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 morning turned out to be a rainy morning, and after Grant and I dropped Willow off at the vet to get her teeth cleaned, we picked up coffee and pastries and caught up on Jeopardy while we ate. Grant and I follow Jeopardy closely, but we record it and watch it in the mornings or afternoons while we eat breakfast or lunch. We both have been so busy lately that we are weeks behind, but I enjoyed the morning change-of-pace. I figured a cold, Wednesday morning was a great time to finally try Fondry’s famed croissants, and they did not disappoint — although there was still a line out the door before it even opened!

pastries at Foundry in LA

We’re getting ready to go on our babymoon in a few weeks — this snuck up so quickly. I can’t believe I’m halfway through this pregnancy, and I also can’t believe how much I stare at my little baby bump wishing it were more obvious. I admit it’s such a stupid thing to focus on when I am just happy to have a baby in there, period, but I think I want to outwardly appear more pregnant. But, I also don’t want to focus too much on what my body looks like, and I want to just be grateful for what it’s doing. So I am constantly reminding myself to enjoy this time where I feel comfortable. And I know it will keep growing (baby boy is actually big in there, according to our scans).

me discovering I need to wear tight clothes to show off the bump

THINGS I’M LOVING!

Now that spring is here and we have events galore — travel, baby showers, weddings, etc. — I wanted a cute pair of sandals that would dress up an outfit but also still be extremely comfortable. I found these gorgeous Chocolate Leather Sandals from Sézane, and they are perfect. The color is even more stunning in person, and they are quite roomy and not restrictive while also being supportive.

I am truly shocked at how much I love my new pregnancy pillow. I got this one from MomCozy to help manage my pregnancy-induced sciatica, and I look forward to snuggling up in it every night. It’s truly SO cozy and makes sleeping in the right position easy and comfortable. Grant told me he’s going to steal it from me after I’m done using it because he’s so envious. And it IS helping to alleviate my sciatic pain!

I’ve always been an overalls girl (I have quite the collection), but especially now as my pants start to get tight, I’ve been finding myself wearing overalls multiple times a week. My newest pair are these Off-White Overalls from American Vintage. I like that they’re relaxed, and I love pairing them with a white tee for an easy spring look.

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RECIPE

I cook with a lot of formulas, and one of my tried and true tactics is to make a savory yogurt and use it as a base for vegetables and protein. I’m sure you’ve see me do it over and over again, but I just love when dishes have a creamy element, and Greek yogurt is a healthy, protein-filled choice that satisfies this. You can flavor it with herbs or turn it into a tzatziki, or in this case, just add a little garlic and salt to give it some edge.

I’ve also been on a meatball kick, partly because I’m trying to incorporate more animal protein into my pregnancy diet and also because meatballs are very convenient to make.

I ran out of eggs when making this recipe and couldn’t find them easily, so the meatballs here are eggless. They don’t hold their shape AS well because of this (but they still stayed very much together, as you can see from this photo), so if you prefer to use 1 egg instead of the 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, be my guest. However, I don’t think it’s necessary.

This dish can be served as a meal for two, or it works just as well as an appetizer!

Here’s my one note that’s a little annoying, but you do with it what you will: I only used half of the meatballs that I made for this recipe in the dish and saved the rest for later. So you have four options:

1. Keep everything as is, and save the leftover meatballs for a later day (what I did)

2. Double the amount of veggies and yogurt base so you can use all the meatballs and have enough food to serve 4 as a full meal

3. Halve the ingredients of the meatballs so you only make enough for this dish (good option if you’’re going to the butcher vs buying a 1 lb prepackaged beef from the grocery store)

4. Keep everything as is, use the extra meatballs, and have a meatball heavy dish!

I know this isn’t ideal, but since most ground beef in the store came in a 1 lb pack, this is what we are working with! I hope this makes sense, but let me know if you have any questions!

Lemon Meatballs with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Feta over Garlic Yogurt

Ingredients (serves 2 as a meal, serves more as an appetizer)

Plate

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1-inch pieces

• 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

• Salt & pepper

• 1/4 cup feta, crumbled with your hands

• 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves

Harissa Meatballs

• 1 lb (16 oz) ground beef (I used 85/15)

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 3 tbsp minced parsley

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

• 2 tbsp full-fat Greek yogurt (can sub for 1 egg)

• Juice of 1 small lemon

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• ½ tsp aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper

• 1 tsp salt

Garlic Yogurt

• 1 1/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Add zucchini and tomatoes to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper.

2. Add the meatball ingredients to a large bowl, and mix together with your hands, taking care not to over mix. Line a separate large baking sheet with parchment paper, and use a small cookie scoop to form meatballs into even balls (should make about 20).

3. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven, and bake meatballs for 15 minutes and the veggies for about 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Meatballs should be cooked all the way through with an internal temperature of at least 165 F. Zucchini should be soft and just starting to brown, and tomatoes should be soft and just beginning to burst.

4. While everything is baking, prepare your garlic yogurt. Add everything to a small bowl, and mix together until smooth. Spread evenly on the bottom of a large plate.

5. When vegetables are done cooking, arrange the zucchini and tomatoes on top of the plate. Top with as many meatballs as you’d like (I would use around 10), and finish off with the feta, fresh parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for One-Pan Lemon Coconut Pearl Couscous with Chickpeas & Kale. This was another 30-minute budget meal, and this one was actually fully plant-based, which I love! Such a balanced, fresh, and easy-to-make 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!