Steak & Crispy Potato Salad with Creamy Balsamic

& how my 30s feel so liminal

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!

If I had to describe my life right now, I would describe it as “liminal.” Everyone talks about how your 20s are chaotic and full of uncertainty, but then when you reach your 30s, you feel more self-assured and relaxed. I can’t really say this has been my experience, so far.

Instead, I feel like I’m straddling two worlds. One world is the one closer to my past, filled with travels and spontaneity, parties and long days out and about without much responsibility. The other world is closer to my future, one that involves creating a family, slowing down, tending to life at home. I feel like I don’t belong in either.

The party lifestyle does not resonate with me anymore — I don’t like drinking, I like to be in bed early, and I much prefer dinner parties and daytime hangs over nighttime jaunts these days. However, because I’m dealing with infertility, I’m struggling to create a family of my own, and I watch others around me shift into this new era while I get left behind.

I enjoyed my 20s. I found it exciting to discover things about myself, to experiment, to make and lose friends. I definitely am more self-assured in my 30s because of this, but I don’t think I imagined the transition into this new stage to feel so jarring.

I’m sure it’s more pronounced since we are dealing with infertility, but I can’t imagine there aren’t other people who feel similarly who have different situations. I have friends who don’t want kids yet or who don’t want kids, period, and I expect it must feel strange to watch their friends’ lives change knowing that the relationship will forever change as well. Beyond starting families, there’s also ending relationships, starting new ones, searching for life partners, etc. It all just feels so much more serious when you’re older, like the stakes are so much higher.

I am only 33, so I know this decade is just getting started, and hopefully my feelings will change later. But for now, I just feel a little unsettled, like I don’t quite know my place.

On that note, I also have a little video update on what we’ve been doing for our fertility journey that is going to be coming soon. I just need to edit it together, but hoping to get that done ASAP! I haven’t talked much about what has been going on, but this should shed some light on what has been happening behind the scenes!

THINGS I’M LOVING!

I’ve mentioned this before, but I have been making an effort to buy clothing that is made with natural fibers, and it has recently come to my attention that Old Navy has a lot of affordable 100% cotton clothing. I found this navy cotton skirt that is so cute and comfortable and perfectly lightweight for the summer. It’s only $20, and it has a matching top if you want to make it a set!

I’m so glad there is a brand making sardines cool! Fishwife has come out with baby sardines, which they call “beginner sardines,” a good entryway to those who think they don’t like the fish. They’re packed with lemon zest, sea salt, and crushed garlic — yum! Don’t forget code KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off!

This one is niche, but if you live somewhere where you have a balcony or a deck or a side area filled with concrete and you want to garden, might I suggest grow bags? I’ve grown tomatoes, zucchinis, and cucumbers using grow bags, but really, you can do whatever! They’re affordable, drain really well, and they're portable, so you can plant some veggies wherever you’d like without needing an in-ground garden!

ACTIVE CODES!

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

KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products!

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

RECIPE!

I was inspired to make a steak salad this week after seeing so many of Chace Kitchen’s steak salad Sundays! I’ve never been a big steak person until I discovered hanger steak, which is my favorite cut. I love that it’s thin but still sooo tender, and it actually tends to be more affordable than other cuts like skirt or flank. It’s actually similar to the two, but a little richer.

I also prefer steak with a lot of greens rather than lathered in butter. This salad features arugula, thinly-sliced crispy potatoes, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and marinated red onions. It still feels light and summery, even with the meat!

Steak & Crispy Potato Salad with Creamy Balsamic

Ingredients (serves 2)

Salad

• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced baby gold potatoes (the smallest you can find)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 tsp onion salt

• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced

• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1/2 tsp oregano

• 1 tbsp avocado oil

• 16 oz hanger steak

• 4 cups arugula

• 1 ½ cups halved cherry tomatoes

• 1 avocado, diced

• 1-2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley

• Salt & pepper

• Optional: red pepper

Dressing

• 1 ½ tbsp mayo

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Add potatoes to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and toss in the olive oil and onion salt. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy, flipping the potatoes halfway through.

2. While the potatoes are baking, marinate your onions. Add them to a small bowl along with the red wine vinegar and oregano and a pinch of salt. Massage with your hands to soften, and then set them aside.

3. Season your steaks with salt and pepper on both sides. To prepare your hanger steak, heat up a medium cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Once the pan is really hot, add the oil, and then add the steak. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side depending on how thick your steak is and how you want it cooked. Look for an internal temperature of 125ºF for medium rare or 135ºF for medium. Remove steak from the pan, and let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into slices.

4. Prepare the dressing by adding ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisking together with a fork until smooth.

5. Divide arugula into two bowls, and top with the crispy potatoes, tomatoes, and marinated red onions. Top with your sliced steak, and drizzle on the dressing. Finish off with some fresh parsley and some black and red pepper.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscriber’s received a recipe for the ultimate summer sandwich! Peaches, ham, shredded sharp cheddar, spicy honey mustard — this is a good one and part of my 30-minute budget meal series!