ROASTED YELLOW GRAPE TOMATOES
Serves 2 as a side dish

Ingredients:

4 cups grape tomatoes, halved
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon basil, chiffonade 
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated  


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl add the grape tomatoes and garlic cloves.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Place the tomatoes and garlic cloves on a parchment lined sheet pan. The garlic and tomatoes should be in one layer.
4. Roast for 20 minutes and then stir. Return to the oven and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more.
5. The tomatoes will be caramelized, soft and a little shriveled when they're ready to come out.
​6. Sprinkle basil and parmesan on top before serving. 

We were honored to be included in Career Week at Harlem’s P.S. 28 Wright Brothers School and this “thank you” letter really touched our hearts.

The students were jotting down such great notes! Look below at another student's notes and notice how closely they were paying attention. 
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​Alli and I had the opportunity to share each of our journey's to how we became personal chefs and we delved into struggles to get to this place in life.

The kids LOVED hearing all about the kinds of food we cook, but what they appreciated the most was how we were very open and honest about our bumps in the road along the way. It was important to me and Alli to be relatable to these students. When we were kids, we didn't always feel like adults really understood what it was like to be a kid. Even though we probably seem like two old goats to these kids, we wanted them to know that it didn't feel like that long ago when we were sitting in our 5th grade classrooms going through our own set of issues and that we faced quite a few hurtles (and continue to do so) in order to pursue a career that we love.

When we were 5th graders, we never thought that we would be chefs. We wanted to convey that the key to finding a career that we are passionate about included pushing ourselves to our limits sacrifice, a willingness to challenge ourselves and each other regularly, and dedicating ourselves to being hardworking students. We stressed that continuing education after high school was imperative in our success! 

Talking about food with these kids was so much fun as well. They loved asking questions about what exactly it means to be a vegetarian or a vegan. They knew so much more about a plant-based diet than we expected which was very exciting! The kids also asked Alli what her favorite meat dish was to cook, which of course is her famous short-ribs, but she told them how much she loves to work with wild fish. Alli brought awareness to the importance of only using organic, grass-fed, humanly raised animal products and how she refuses to work with products made by companies who mistreat their livestock.

We consider it a huge accomplishment if we can get even one kid excited about one day choosing a career that they love and are passionate about the way that we are about being health-supportive chefs! Alli and I would also like to say a special thank you to my cousin, Lauren Ginsberg DeVilbiss, the librarian at P.S. 28 and founder of their career week. Thank you for including us in this special program. You are doing so much for these students. You drive home the importance of education and you push your students to always try to be the best version of themselves. 

We are nuts about almonds because they provide a ton of nutrition for the amount of calories they pack. With six grams of protein per ounce, they are a perfect addition to this post-workout smoothie. 

Strawberries are a tasty, low-calorie treat. Just one cup of these red beauties satisfies the daily requirement for vitamin C (75 milligrams per day for women and 90 for men) and contains more than a quarter of the suggested daily value of manganese, along with 3 grams of dietary fiber!

We figured if Gwen Stefani chose to sing about these yellow wonders, we needed to add them to this superfood smoothie. The average banana contains 120 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and a whole lotta flavor. Adding this to our drink definitely helps keep us full for a while! Feeling a little hungover? Try this smoothie after a night of partying- the potassium in the 'naner (as we refer to them) helps to replace the electrolytes after a heavy night of drinking. 

Cacao nibs are one of the most nutritiously dense foods on the planet. They have more antioxidants than almost anything else. These little guys benefit to your intestinal regularity, heart, blood vessels and blood sugar level. Some studies even suggest that they can improve your memory! Plus, they add a little bit of chocolately deliciousness to everything they touch- and who doesn't want that?! 
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​Banana-Nut Berry Smoothie
Serves 1 person (16 ounces)

Ingredients
1c Almond milk
1c Strawberries, frozen
1 Banana, frozen
2T Cocoa nibs 
2T Almond Butter
Ice, optional

1. Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Add ice to blender if you'd like to chill or for an icy texture. 



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​Beans are the greatest, most convenient thing since sliced bread. Sure, we love soaking our beans for many recipes, but in a pinch, there is nothing more satisfying than pulling out a can of beans from the pantry and creating a super delicious, protein-rich meal. 

This is one of our easiest recipes. Even the anti-cooks we know can pull this one off. A medium bowl and a little planning is all you need to make this happen. This salad can even be used to fill quesadillas, tacos, or be used as a topping for chips. We like to keep it simple and ingest it in it's purest form: with a spoon, right out of the bowl. 

EGGS 'N THINGS:
Serves 2, generously. (3 if you're not pigs like Michele and Allison.) 

Ingredients:

1/2 head large cabbage, sliced
1 small bunch collards, remove stems and sliced
1 TBS + 1 tsp coconut oil 
4 eggs, scrambled (scrambling instructions below)
1 avocado, sliced
(salt and pepper to taste)

Directions:

1. Wash and then remove stems from the collard greens. Roll up leaves and slice into 1/2-inch ribbons. 

2. Cut cabbage in half, remove core, and slice vertically into 1/2-inch slices. Combine cabbage and collards in a large bowl and set aside. 

3. Next, add in your cabbage and collards to the pan and stir. Add salt to taste. While that is cooking, crack your four eggs into a medium size bowl and whisk. 

4. Cook your cabbage and collards for 5-7 minutes until they have wilted, but haven't lost their bite. When those are done, remove them from the pan to your serving plate and set aside. 

5. Now, make your eggs in the same pan. Heat 1 tsp of coconut oil on medium-high. Once the coconut oil is melted, add your eggs into the pan and add salt to taste. Using a spatula, stir the eggs frequently. As the mixture begins to set, keep moving them so they don't ever get too hot - they should still be quite soft and lumpy. Take the eggs off about one minute before you think they are done. They will continue to cook and waiting any longer will result in overcooked eggs. Pile the soft scrambled eggs over the veggies. 

6. Top with an avocado and add you can add salt and pepper to taste. We like to add a little salt to our avocado. ENJOY!
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These are our scrumptious meals from week one! We even used kale stems as the skewers so that all parts were edible and healthy while also producing less waste. A win all around! We are really inspired by last month's positive feedback to provide healthy lunches for the community. Alli and I try to live a very health supportive lifestyle ( I somehow tricked her into cutting out refined carbs, cheese, sugar, and more with me to prepare for my upcoming nuptials) and we are very pleased to be sharing meals with our clients that we eat on a regular basis.

Speaking of recipes that we adore on the regular.... we want to share one of our favorites with our readers... 

Roasted Garlicky Green Bean & Carrot "Fries"




Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed
6 large carrots, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 Tbs.  olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced 
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Lemon slices, for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray.

2. Mix green beans, carrots, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. 

3. Place veggies on prepared baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until all bean tips are brown. Transfer "fries" to serving plate or in bundles in a cup and garnish with lemon slices if using.

Anyway, it was actually harder than we thought it would be. Despite both of us being fairly filter-less (Michele would argue this is an issue that I alone am plagued with, but that is very obviously not the case) in our everyday lives, going up to complete strangers surprisingly did not come totally naturally to us. We did, however, manage to talk to some really nice, interested people and get our menu circulating around town. I would definitely call it a win! Minus the peanut butter poop bites maybe.