Mango Strawberry Salad with Burrata
& she can't do it all
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!
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I am someone who wants to do it all: exercise every morning, make homemade meals, build a thriving career, and chill with friends, travel, and relax. I do pride myself in how I’m ability to strike balance in life, but it’s true that if you try to commit to too much, something’s gotta give.
I’ve been thinking about this more as I inch closer to becoming a mother. I’ve exhausted myself the past two weeks trying to fit in regular work with bigger projects, multiple travel plans, increased attention to my body, reading books to prep for the future, all of the things that take up space in my regular life, plus more. I woke up this morning at 5:30 with my mind raising, and the thought creeped into my mind: something’s gotta give.
It’s tempting to want it all, but now’s the time to start letting that go. Soon enough, I’ll be caring for another human, and the time to be gentle with myself starts now. I am confident I can eventually maintain different aspects of my life, but the distribution in this balance will look different. And it will shift constantly. And I refuse to be my own worst enemy by making myself feel bad about it.
THINGS I’M LOVING!
I’ve always loved a bronzed makeup look, but I struggle with many bronzers feeling too intense and synthetic-looking. However, I LOVE this bronzer stick from Ogee. It feels so natural-looking and blends easily. It’s not too dark, and gives you that effortless sunkissed look that’s perfect for summer. I get the Amber shade because I have fair skin, but you can adjust based on your skin tone!
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RECIPE!
Looks like my product recs aren’t summery part of this newsletter — this week’s recipe is, too! Oops. I’m always jumping ahead to the summer vibes; it’s in my blood.
This recipe was another “use what I have” situation, but you bet this will become a summer staple. The base of this salad is thinly shaved cucumbers, sliced strawberries, and chopped mango, and then the fruits get topped with burrata, jalapeño, basil, crushed pistachios, olive oil, and flaky salt. If you wanted to lean into even more sweetness, this would also taste good with a drizzle of honey.
I used a mandoline slicer to get my cucumbers and jalapeño nice and thin, but you can also slice by hand!
Mango Strawberry Salad with Burrata
Ingredients (serves 2-4)
1 medium/large Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
1 ripe mango, chopped
1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced
6-8 oz burrata
2 tbsp finely chopped basil
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios
Olive oil
Flaky salt
1. Assemble cucumbers on a large plate, and top with strawberries, mango, and jalapeño.
2. Pull the burrata apart, and add spoonfuls to the top of the salad.
3. Top with the basil, chopped pistachios, a few good drizzles of olive oil, and a pinch or two of flaky salt.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Last week, paid subscribers received a one-pot, 30-minute budget meal recipe! This one is cheesy and smoky filling — plus you get your veggies, fiber, and protein all in one go!
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!
Cheddar Pimiento Rice Skillet with Spinach & Sausage
I hate when I have to share brown meals because I feel insecure about how they look in a photo. But a brown meal can be a good meal, especially when it’s nutrient-dense and simple to make!