What I Meal Prepped This Week For Me & My Baby

& summer sentimentality

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 week! Paid subscribers get even more weekly — 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!

I woke up this morning to the sun streaming into my bedroom, that kind of warmth that makes you take a leg out of the covers. Something about the atmosphere took me back to when I was a teenager, the feeling of waking up late with nothing to do but lay around and see friends. Because I grew up in LA, the summers here always feel nostalgic—the bright, hazy days, the smell of jasmine that gets trapped in the air on a warm evening, the feeling of sweat and salt coating your skin after a long day in the sand.

I no longer have the youthful luxury of doing nothing, but summer is still my favorite season. And now, summer will always remind me of when I exited the portal and began my new life as a mother.

It feels like just yesterday that I left the hospital and arrived home with our tiny little baby—who is now almost a toddler—but at the same time, it also feels like a distant memory. Every night, I scroll through photos on my phone from the past year wondering where each month has gone. Everyone tells you “It goes by so quickly,” and you roll your eyes, sick of hearing the same platitudes, especially as you’re trying to survive each brutal night. But the stages are fleeting, and the heartbreak that you can’t hold on to each version of your growing child is real, even though each month does get better and I only love him more and more.

I didn’t expect to get so sentimental today, but there’s just something in that summer air.

THINGS I’M LOVING

Most of you know I’m a certified shower hater, which means I rely on dry shampoo more often than I’d like to admit. I’ve tried many, many in my day, but my new favorite is from Crown Affair! I’ve moved away from aerosols, and this is a powder one that comes with a little brush, which makes application really easy and allows you to target any section of your hair. It lasts a long time, and it’s also refillable.

I’m on a major skincare quest right now! And while I’m not treating anything in particular, I just feel like I look tired all the time (mom life), so I’m doing what I can to help brighten my skin. I’ve returned to my daily red light face mask routine, and I also reintroduced collagen (I’ve been using the one from Needed). Back when I first learned about collagen protein circa 2018, I would drink it daily in my matcha lattes, and I SWEAR my skin was the glowiest it has ever been. Hoping I can get back to it!! (code kalememaybe gets you 20% off if you want!)

I finally got my hands on “Dig In,” the cookbook from my friend Erin O’Brien, and unsurprisingly, I’m so impressed! If you ever feel stuck on dinner recipes, this book is for you. She includes her spin on Italian classics along with some family recipes, particularly those from her Nana who owned a Mexican restaurant in La Jolla! I love the variety and how approachable Erin’s recipes are.

RECIPE!

I’ve never been the biggest fan of meal prepping (which is why I created my Meal Prep for Food Snobs series), but now that we have an additional family member, I’ve found that it’s essential to plan ahead. And although I do enjoy making Sagan his own little baby meals, I like to prep food that we can all eat, even if I end up serving them a little differently.

Sagan is almost 11 months now, and he's finally at the place where he’s enjoying food. These are a few of the meals I prepare on repeat that we all enjoy! And you don’t have to have a baby to make them either ;)

Zucchini & Carrot Meatballs

Sagan loves meatballs, and they’re a great way to give him iron and sneak in some veggies. Plus, we like them too (duh), so it’s a win-win for everyone! I frequently will use the Force of Nature ancestral blend which includes nutrient dense organ meats. I ate mine with Gotham Greens pesto and orzo, and Sagan had his on the side with pumpkin orzo.

This recipe has no salt because of baby, but you can add 1 teaspoon if you’re not cooking for a little one!

To make:

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 medium zucchini, grated

• 1 medium carrot, grated

• 1 medium shallot, grated

• ⅓ cup oat flour

• 1 large egg

• Handful of chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix ingredients together in a bowl. I use a cookie scoop and then roll into small balls. Bake on a parchment-line baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.

Apple Oat Pancakes

This recipe is from Justine Snacks, and I’ve probably made it 5 times already. It’s quick and easy, and I usually split a batch between all 3 of us (Me, Grant, and Sagan). I just use smaller dollops to prepare Sagan’s, and then I give it to him plain. He loves them! For the adults, I’ll serve the pancakes with a pat of salted butter and some maple syrup.

Whipped Bone Marrow

I’ve been served so many Instagram reels of moms making whipped bone marrow for their babies, and although Sagan does enjoy whipped bone marrow (he’s eaten it plain, on toast, melted onto sweet potatoes or buckwheat), I make it so often because I love it! It’s so tasty with a little flaky salt on sourdough. I get grass-fed bone marrow from the frozen section at Sprouts!

To make: Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and add the bone marrow, marrow-side up. Roast for 15-20 minutes until bone marrow is soft. Let cool slightly before removing the marrow from the bone and adding to a bowl. I like to use chopsticks to help remove everything, and I include the fat from the baking sheet. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to help solidify the marrow just slightly, and then beat the marrow with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.

I usually set aside half to freeze using silicone ice cube trays and keep half in the fridge. To serve, you may need to microwave it or leave it out at room temperature for a bit to soften.

Kefir Chia Pudding

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I make myself kefir chia pudding often, and Sagan loves it too! For myself, I’ll add fruit, granola, and/or nuts and seeds, and for Sagan, I like to mash in some berries and do a “nut butter” drizzle, which is a mix of nut butter and breast milk to thin it out. I’ll add hemp seeds sometimes for him, too.

To make: Add 1/2 cup chia seeds along with 2 cups kefir to a bowl. Mix together, refrigerate for 20 minutes, and then give it a good stir. Return to the fridge, and let sit overnight to thicken.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for a Date and Almond Chicken Salad sandwich! Bring this one to work, take it to the beach, make it on a lazy Sunday. It’s made with Greek yogurt and mayo for creaminess (but not heaviness) and the dates and almonds add a special touch!

As a reminder, 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!