Wednesday, March 14, 2012

My Attempt to Eat Healthily in Disneyland

I like Disneyland. When I step into the park my senses become alive. The smells of the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor waft through Main Street, everywhere you look there is a special Disney detail not to be missed, the workers are cheery (generally), and each land has a different tune to serenade the masses.

One thing I can't help but notice, as is the same with most of the visitors, is the food. Cupcakes, corn dogs, churros, popcorn (probably covered in dirty vegetable oils), weird pieces of chicken covered in bread, the Monte Cristo Sandwich, ice cream, sugary drinks, cotton candy, etc. The list goes on and on.

Since I am an Annual Passholder and frequent the park several times a year, I knew I had to be strong enough to withstand the bad food temptations. I simply cannot devour such a high amount of sugary, carb ridden food. It makes me feel lethargic and gross. If I over indulge myself in such a disgusting manner, I am sure to be running to the bathroom to try and relieve an upset stomach or going back to the hotel to lay down for the rest of the afternoon. Crappy food just does not sit well with me.

Also, please understand, I love food. But let me clarify, I love good food. I also enjoy traveling and believe that trying new foods is part of the experience.One thing needs to be understood here though; Disney food is not a culinary experience. It's shoveling crap loads of cheap food into the plethora of visitors to keep them happy. Yes, I know, all those cupcakes and pies are cute. Hell, I even pinned most of them to my boards because I enjoy looking at them and I can appreciate the artwork. But it doesn't mean I'm going to be a glutton and just shove it all down my throat.

Anyway, enough nagging, here's what matters.

My most recent trip to Disneyland was in January. M and I decided to surprise the Little Boy with a trip for his 5th birthday. We booked the hotel, booked the flights, and I thought about what back-up food I was going to stuff in my handy-dandy backpack.

Here's my Disneyland Emergency Food List:

1) Organic Beef Jerky (I ordered mine here)
2) Pre-made Trail Mix Packs (pictured below)
3) Pack of Almonds
4) Dried Fruit

 Ingredients: Macadamia Nuts, Organic Banana Chips, Apple Juice Sweetened Cranberries, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

What I didn't bring but usually do:

1) Canned Salmon (wild caught, packed in water)
2) All Natural Smoked Wild Kippers (this brand)
    The smoked kippers are my favorite snack. They are absolutely delicious.

Armed with my Emergency Food, I felt confident going into the park. I also had a "last meal" of sorts the morning we left. Yes, I ate this at 5 in the morning; it was delicious. I craved this for the entire weekend.

Grass-Fed Burger topped with raw sauerkraut and sweet potato fries

After we landed in Orange County, I ate one of my trail mix packs on the way to our hotel. I was feeling a little peckish and knew we were going to be going, going, going all morning so I figured I'd re-fuel. The fat in the macadamia nuts gave me energy and kept me feeling satiated. 

On the first day at lunch we stopped at Main Street's new bakery, Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe. Now, I avoid grains as much as possible, they're just not good for youso I wasn't sure what to expect in this place. I wasn't about to grab a sandwich or muffin with all sorts of weird ingredients in it. I was pleasantly surprised to discover they had a nice array of salads to choose from. I chose the Angus Roast Beef Salad with a nice basil dressing that was quite good. The dressing, that is.


Bread was served with it but I removed it. Overall, the salad was decent. If you're hungry. And there's nothing else. The lettuce was crisp enough but it was very plain. Now, I know some of you laugh at that and say, "All lettuce is plain....duh," but that is not that case. I eat a wide variety of lettuce and each one has a unique flavor. If you combine different types of lettuce, arugula, romaine, kale, spinach, etc. you get a very nice tasting salad with unique flavors. 

The "Angus Beef" on the dish was questionable. I know Disney isn't about to serve up grass-fed beef but I was hoping for something a little better than what was presented. The fact that it's cut into small pieces makes me nervous. It was dry and a little chewy at times. I wasn't expecting anything amazing with this dish, but next time I'll probably stick with chicken or turkey, or nix the meat all together and throw some kippers on top. 


That night, we had dinner at the Wine Country Trattoria and did the World of Color Dining Package. I was particularly excited for this meal because the last two times I ate lunch there it was pretty decent. I'm not sure if that's because I had copious amounts of alcohol, I was starved, or I really did like it. This was going to be my first dinner experience and I was really expecting to leave there feeling satisfied and proud of myself for booking such a delicious dinner.
I was wrong.


I chose the Lamb Shank. On the side you will notice spinach with way too much salt, and nice pile of sh..., I mean polenta. At least I'm pretty sure that's polenta. The lamb was decent but gamey. Some people just don't do lamb right. The polenta or whatever was weird, and yes, I know it's a grain. I tried it all the same for the experience. It was disgusting. The spinach, as I mentioned before, was way too salty and rubbery tasting. 

Our package came with dessert, and I was looking forward to a little bit of sweet. I don't eat a lot of sweets at home but while I'm on vacation I like to try different things and branch out of the norm a little bit.They offered us a dessert sampler of sorts.

Trattoria Tiramisu, European Macaroons, Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Fruit, Chocolate Caramel Espresso Tart

My favorite of this dessert sampler was the Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Fruit. The European Macarons come in second. The Espresso Tart was so-so. I was expecting so much more from that one considering I love chocolate.

AllEars.net has the menu for this dining experience listed here if you want to check it out. I will not choose the World of Color Dining Package here again. I am glad I was able to have some good protein for dinner though. I digested it easy enough.

I also want to point out that the desserts are not healthy in the slightest. The only thing on that plate with any integrity is the fresh fruit topped on the Panna Cotta. This was the only sweet thing I ate that day so that was my little Disney Day Treat. I don't even think we finished it.


The next day was rainy, which worked to our advantage. People aren't too keen on visiting Disneyland in the rain. We bundled up and made sure all of our electronics were protected and made our way to the park. On the way in, we stopped at Quizno's for breakfast. I know....sketch. It actually worked out very well though, despite the fact that the eggs I had in my omelet were probably from some sad, depressed chickens stuffed full of hormones and other vile things. The cheese probably came from a cow forced to walk around in her own feces. At any rate, it was all I had at that moment and I was going for it.

Quizno's Omelet with olives, ham, cheese and God knows what else

For anyone who knows, the quality of your food is just as important as what you are force feeding yourself. In this case I was left with very little options. It was convenient and a better choice than some pastry laden with sugar. It actually tasted decent (who knew!?). So, thank you, Quizno's. 


Lunch was eaten at the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square. This is one of my favorite restaurants in Disneyland because of the good food and amazing, unique ambiance. For those of you who don't know, the restaurant is made to feel like you are dining on the Bayou in the evening. They are also known for their delicious Monte Cristo sandwiches.
M's Monte Cristo

I did not order that but I did eat one of those crispy, carb, bad fat ridden pieces. It was delicious. And very unhealthy. If you are trying to eat healthy during your entire trip, don't eat this.

I did order the crab cakes.
                                               
The crab cakes are healthy, if they didn't have white bread crumbs in them. It looks as though they are sauteed in butter, which is good, but the quality of the butter is lacking, I don't doubt. There are potatoes on that plate as well, smothered in cheese. The green beans might be innocent but it's a good chance they are covered with some sort of unnatural oil. All in all, this choice was probably better then some of the others ones. I will probably order the chicken or beef platters next time. I didn't have dessert here.


Dinner that night was incredibly satisfying. We walked down to California Pizza Kitchen at the Anaheim GardenWalk shopping center and ordered chicken lettuce wraps with a side of avocado. My body needed it. I could have eaten another platter but when M says he is satisfied, it's embarrassing to say I could eat more. He is, after all, around 200 lbs and I'm 140. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps from California Pizza Kitchen with a side of avocado

So far so good, right? I mean I was doing a pretty good job but I know I could have done better. I'm not going to chastise myself for the little things here and there because I believe food is part of a vacation. Crappy food I can live without but I like to try specialties and enjoy myself. I encourage you to do the same but always be mindful of what you put into your mouth. Starting the morning with pastries and numerous cups of coffee and then continuing with ice cream, churros, popcorn, chocolate, cotton candy, pretzels, etc., is not a good way to make sure you are feeling at your best. 

The next morning we ate at Storyteller's Cafe in the Grand Californian Hotel. This place might be my ultimate favorite spot to eat at the Disney Resorts. Chip and Dale, Meeko, Brer Fox and other fun "woodland" characters parade around the restaurant signing autographs for children and creating great photo opportunities. They also have a very impressive buffet that is not to be missed. 

The breakfast spread is incredible. Smoked salmon, eggs, egg whites, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, fresh fruits, oatmeal, grits, muffins, danishes, yogurt, omelets made to order, Eggs Benedict, toast, cereal, hash browns; basically all the best breakfast foods. When I come here I make sure I eat plenty of food. We ate so much for breakfast that morning that I was hungry until 2 or 3 that afternoon. I felt satiated for the entire day. The Hollandaise sauce was filling and delicious, the bacon yummy, the smoked salmon hit the spot, the eggs were fluffy, the tea warm and delicious (I brought my own tea bag so maybe that's why), and the fruit was plentiful. So plentiful that I stuffed a bunch in my backpack. While I didn't snap any pictures of breakfast (I was too busy shoveling it in my mouth to remember), here's a nice picture of the smoked salmon spread.

The cost for the breakfast buffet is $24.99 for adults and $12.99 per child. If you make sure you have plenty to eat here then you can forget about lunch all together and spend that money on a super cool light up sword.

All in all I would say I did a decent job at trying to remain on a healthy eating schedule. I could have done better (did I mention I ate a churro?), but I didn't come back with tight pants and a muffin top. I came back a little bloated (there's a lot of salt in that food, and it's not the high quality one), but happy I went on a fun vacation.

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