Easy Mac

Greek Yogurt Mac & Cheese

Today, we made a healthy rendition of macaroni and cheese. When we were younger, we loved it when our mom would make cartoon-shaped macaroni for us after school; the Spongebob-shaped macaroni was (and still is) our favorite! However, the neon orange powder that creates the salty, cheesy flavor that we've come to love is surely not the healthiest or most natural food to consume. Homemade macaroni and cheese recipes are also sometimes laden with fats (think heavy cream and full-fat cheese), which sometimes leave you feeling overly full. We wanted to make a deliciously creamy and cheesy mac n cheese recipe that was also a bit healthier. We cut back on the cheese and used a reduced-fat brand, and we used plain Greek yogurt and skim milk to make it rich and creamy! So, while this recipe is certainly not as orange as boxed easy mac, it is definitely just as delicious!

Greek Yogurt Galore

Greek Yogurt Covered Fruit

As summer approaches and it becomes warmer outside, you might be craving a cold treat. Instead of eating ice cream, frozen yogurt, or chocolate-covered fruit, you can make Greek yogurt covered fruit. We decided to use blueberries and bananas, since these are some of our favorite types of fruit! However, you can use this recipe for other fruit like strawberries, apples, and grapes. Additionally, make sure that you freeze the fruit long enough so that the yogurt freezes completely! This snack is a nice healthy treat that you won't feel guilty about enjoying, as the Greek yogurt packs in extra protein and flavor. Enjoy!

Quesadillas

Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas with Greek yogurt "Sour Cream"

Are you ready for your next fiesta? With this quesadilla recipe you certainly will be! Yes, we know that Cinco de Mayo has passed. Even if you don't have a fiesta to attend, quesadillas are easy to make and are great for either lunch or dinner. We substituted sour cream for plain Greek yogurt and made guacamole. We put beans, corn, and reduced fat cheese in our quesadillas. We did not put chicken in our quesadillas, but you can if you would like. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Obsession

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

Today we made oatmeal chocolate chip peanut butter bars. That's certainly a mouthful, but these bars sure did not disappoint. We wanted to find another "healthy" way to utilize peanut butter in a recipe, and these bars were the answer. These bars have oats, whole-wheat flour, and applesauce (instead of butter) to make them wholesome and delicious! Feel free to add raisins or nuts to make these bars even more delicious. Of course, we couldn't resist adding a chocolate-peanut butter drizzle to top these off. Hope you enjoy!

Peanut Butter: Repurposed

Asian Peanut Noodles

Our family goes through a giant jar of peanut butter every week. Minimum. It is safe to say that we are peanut butter lovers! Typically, we eat peanut butter on sandwiches, crackers, on a sliced banana or apple, stirred into our oatmeal, or just straight out of the jar with a spoon. For our blog, we wanted to find a new and creative way to use peanut butter, so we decided to make Asian peanut noodles. This recipe is simple, and our family loved our new use of peanut butter! So if you are craving some peanut butter, ditch the plain peanut butter and try making this recipe instead (although, it is still acceptable to eat it straight out of the jar). Enjoy!

The Perfect BBQ Pasta Salad

Pesto Pasta

This pesto pasta is a perfect summer meal! I love to eat pasta and this is definitely my favorite pasta dish. Instead of using a purchased pesto mix, which is often high in sodium, my sister and I wanted to recreate this classic pasta recipe. Try this at your next summer barbecue!

Martha Stewart's Angel Food Cake

Angel Food Cake with Berry Sauce

This red, white, and blue dessert was a hit at our memorial day barbecue! We used Martha Stewart's recipe for Angel Food Cake and we made our own fruit sauce, consisting of blueberries and strawberries. Our cake did not rise as much as anticipated, but it was still delicious. Be sure that the egg whites look like whipped cream prior to adding the flour. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Two Ways

Spaghetti Squash Two Ways

Want to know how to make your favorite pasta dish healthier? Use spaghetti squash. Today, we recreated each of our favorite pasta dishes and substituted the pasta for spaghetti squash. Feel free to recreate your own dishes as well! Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Brownies

Black Bean Brownies 

Black beans can serve as a substitute for flour, so we decided to take a gluten-free approach for our favorite treat. Even though this brownie lacks flour, it has less calories than a traditional brownie and still retains a chocolaty flavor. Although you might be ambivalent about the idea of having black beans in your brownie, you would be surprised that you do not taste the black beans! So give these brownies a chance. Enjoy!

More Muffins!

Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

I know not everyone likes bananas and zucchini. I'm not even a banana lover, but these muffins are simply irresistible. What's better than a delicious treat that contains a fruit and a vegetable? If you don't know what to do with two ripe bananas and a zucchini freshly picked from your garden, then this is the recipe for you! Enjoy!

Veggie Delight

Breaded Zucchini

Today, Amanda and I decided to stick with the theme of coating and baking foods. If you want something even healthier than our delicious mozzarella sticks, then you can try these treats. These breaded zucchini sticks are simple and easy to make. Enjoy!

Say Cheese!

Mozzarella Sticks

Healthy mozzarella sticks. Who knew?! Today, Amanda and I recreated mozzarella sticks. Instead of frying them, we baked them.  In lieu of breadcrumbs, we used wanton wrappers. You will need one wanton wrapper for every half of a cheese stick. Feel free to make as many as you would like. Enjoy!

Sugar Rush

M&M Cookie Pie & Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

We decided to bake some indulgent treats for the weekend!

A Fruity Friday

Oatmeal Fruit Crisp

With our school year almost coming to an end, it certainly feels like summer. To us, summer not only means wearing flip flops, swimming outdoors, getting a suntan (or sunburn), and experiencing a change of pace from the regular year, but also means that we will be eating tons of fresh fruit. Although it is only May, soon fruit such as apricots, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and peaches will be in season. We knew that we wanted to create a versatile recipe that could be cooked while substituting any of your favorite seasonal fruits. Because we had a lot of apples, pears, and strawberries around our house, we decided to cook up our fruit crisp with them. Feel free, however, to use any fruit of your liking! This warm, sweet fruit crisp will taste great paired with vanilla ice cream on any of the upcoming warm summer days!

Homemade Granola Bars: Two Ways

Granola Bars: Two Ways

Today we decided to make granola bars. Purchased granola bars tend to be pricey, so we wanted to create these healthy, delicious treats ourselves. Much like our oatmeal, we have different preferences, so of course we made two types of granola bars. We made a chocolatey granola bar to satisfy those with a sweet tooth as well as a granola bar with raisins and Craisins to satisfy those who like a fruity kick. If you need a snack, these granola bars are the prefect treat. In our recipe, we cooked the granola bars for about 10 minutes at 300F. For the future, we would recommend baking them for about 7 minutes since ours were slightly overcooked. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Power: Part 2

Vegetable Fried Cauliflower "Rice"

After making cauliflower crusted pizza, Amanda and I wanted to make something else with the remaining cauliflower. Since the cauliflower has a rice-like consistency, we decided to recreate fried rice. This recipe does lack soy sauce, but it is our creation of healthier fried rice. We put mushrooms and peppers in our fried rice, but other vegetables such as tomatoes and broccoli can be used. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Power: Part 1

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

 Today we decided to try out a recipe involving one of the most widely-loved foods in New York-- pizza. This pizza, while cutting out carbs and gluten, definitely does not cut back on taste. Kimberly and I have heard of using cauliflower as a substitute for pizza crust, but have always been skeptical to try it out ourselves. Cauliflower alone is not enough to stand in for pizza dough, so we decided to add eggs and cheese to the "crust" mixture. We baked the pizza crust for approximately 20 minutes, added toppings, and then baked the pizza for a little bit more time. We used an oven temperature of 350 degrees F, but in the future it would be optimal to use a higher temperature--one closer to 400 degrees F--in order to make the pizza crispier. Below you will find step-by-step photos to this recipe! Enjoy!

Instant Oats No More: Banana Oatmeal

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bowls

For our next recipe, we wanted to create a fast, easy meal that you can eat for breakfast. A lot of people don't eat breakfast and give a number of excuses why they simply choose to skip this meal; however, with these oatmeal bowls, breakfast will become a meal that you definitely won't want to miss. In addition, this recipe is fast, so you can cook it up in a number of minutes before rushing out the door in the morning to head out to school, the gym, or your workplace. Oatmeal is easily customizable, and you can feel free to add whatever toppings or mix-ins that you desire. Here are two oatmeal recipes that we enjoy eating for breakfast. We decided to provide you with two recipes, for although we are twins, Kimberly and I do not always have the same taste. I have a preference for chocolate, and Kimberly often chooses vanilla when it comes to ice cream, cake, cookies, etc. 

Getting Started!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

For our first recipe, we decided to bake muffins. Muffins are a great snack or breakfast food, but when they are store-bought, they are often high in calories and saturated fats. So, making your own muffins is a quick and healthy alternative. With our basic muffin recipe, you can really add in any of your favorite fresh or dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc. Our muffin recipe uses applesauce in place of oil to make things healthier. We also chose to include strawberries and chocolate chips, because who doesn't love chocolate covered strawberries?

Welcome to our blog!

Hi everyone!

Our names are Amanda and Kimberly, and we love to cook, bake, and, most of all, eat. Ever since we were little, we have enjoyed spending time in the kitchen. Coming from a big, Italian family, this is no big surprise. Nearly all holidays, birthdays, and special occasions in our home are centered around food and cooking. In the kitchen, everyone joins together to laugh, eat, and make lasting memories. In the past few years, we have particularly enjoyed baking treats for our family and friends to enjoy. Nearly every week you can find us cooking up a new recipe to eat and share. These treats are often delectable desserts--homemade cookies, cupcakes, and brownies are some of our most popular recipes--but they are usually not the healthiest of foods. Of course, nothing compares to a rich, gooey brownie, warm out of the oven, but, at times, we wish that these desserts were better for our bodies.

Kimberly and I are both students and athletes and often seek to fuel our bodies with the proper nutrients they need. It is crucial that we have enough energy to give us both mental and physical stamina throughout the day. And while we love to cook, we also wish that our meals were a bit richer in nutritional value and substance. So, on this blog we will be sharing some of our favorite recipes--reinvented. We will be making substitutions for "unhealthy" ingredients and rewriting recipes to make them healthier than before, while still maintaining their taste.

Being twins, we share a similar set of passions, and cooking is certainly one of them. We hope that through this blog we are able to share our passion with you! We will be sharing at least one recipe per day, from Monday through Friday, so feast your eyes upon our delicious treats!

~Amanda and Kim