Dining at Disney Challenge - The Results

The kiddos with Rafiki while at Animal Kingdom...

So, did we - a family of four, committed to eating real, wholesome food on a budget - survive at the processed land o’ plenty that’s Disney?

You betcha.

And we kept it healthy.  And it wasn’t as painful as you might think. 

We spent about $40.-50./day on food and drinks, which was by no means inexpensive, but seems to be much less than most people spend while vacationing with the Mickey and the gang. 

We employed two strategies:

We committed to this daily meal plan:

  -big breakfast - 7:30 a.m. - fuel up!

  -heavy snacks throughout the day - this is KEY

  -light lunch - 11:00

  -light dinner - 4 or 5 p.m.

and...

We got snacks upon arrival for the 1) rooms (each had a mini-fridge) and 2) for strolling around the parks

The day we arrived we went to a local Super Target and stocked up:

-Bottled, filtered water - $6. (one 12-pk, med. size; one 10-pk, small size)

-Cashews – 12 oz. container - $4.99

-Peanuts – 12 oz. container - $2.59

-3 lb bag of mandarin oranges - $4.79

-organic milk – single serve – 6 @ $1./ea

-Clif bars – 5 @ .97/ea

-Kashi organic crackers - $3.19

-Organic single serve mozzarella sticks - $4.50/6

-Organic ½ and ½ (for morning coffee, which was supplied in the room with a coffee maker) - $1.75

TOTAL:  approx $40.  

Things I brought (all of this fit in my carry-on):

-One loaf of homemade, organic, pumpkin bread – pre-sliced (pretty much lasted us throughout our visit)

-One small, insulated container

-Two small freezer packs for keeping perishable snacks (like cheese)

-3 oz. organic maple syrup (I know I’m a weirdo – the thought of the kiddos pouring high fructose corn syrup on their morning pancakes was just too much too bear)

-Water bottles – one for each kid, one for the adults

See there on the left? That's maple syrup packed right in with our toiletries. No, TSA did not give us a hard time about it but a few eyebrows got raised. 

Also, another word on snacks, all eateries at the parks offer some sort of healthy side option, usually carrot sticks, grapes or apples.  We ended up stock-piling during the trip and they came in handy for between meal snacks.


MEALS

Please understand that we by no means ate all-organic while on vacation but did do our best to make healthy choices and stay very budget-conscious:

Breakfast

Cracker Barrel – kids had pancakes (with real maple syrup – see above) with a side of fruit; adults had eggs and biscuits or toast  - approx $22.

Denny’s Diner - kids split the adult pancake breakfast with side of fruit; adults had veggie scrambles – approx $22.

Bagels (Hole in a Roll on Hwy 192) - Kids had toasted cinnamon/raisin bagels (lightly buttered – with REAL butter); adults had egg, bacon and cheese sandwiches on seeded bagels – approx $10.

Lunch

Cosmic Ray’s – Tomorrowland – Turkey sandwich, strawberry yogurt for kids, small bags of grapes and mini carrots,  – about $25. for all of us

Publix – deli sandwiches, potato salad for all – about $21.

Animal Kingdom

Dino Land U.S.A. – Roasted turkey leg - $9. (When in Rome!  And, yes, it was delicious.)

Veggies wraps for kids – approx $12.

Dinner

Our first night in Orlando we stumbled across a fun place called Flippers that made wonderful pesto pizzas for the kids for about $7.; salads for the adults for about $7-9./ea.  We our meals delivered to the hotel at no extra charge! We called Flippers as we were leaving the park each evening and dinner arrived at our hotel about 5 minutes after we did!  

The net/net:  Yes, it’s possible to find somewhat healthy choices, low-cost food at Disney World but you’ll need to plan ahead and be willing to be flexible. 

Organically yours,

Minde

What’s your fave tip for eating health on a budget tip while at Disney? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section...

Dining at Disney - A 'Real Food' Challenge

I’ll be taking a blog break for the next week so we can go on a family vacation and veg (pun intended) out.  

Or will we?  

You see, we’re off to see The Mouse. Will veggies and other healthy food be readily available and easy to find? Will we need to pay an arm and a leg for it? We’re eager to find out if it’s possible to eat real, wholesome food on a tight budget while at Disney World. 

For instance, we probably won't be eating this:

But we may be eating this:

Chances are very good that we won’t find any organic fare at the parks but we’ll do our best to source out fresh, whole foods as much as possible. Our hotel has a fridge but no cooking facilities and we only plan to go to the grocery store once – snacks only.  So, we’ll be limited to park food and close-to-the hotel restaurants for our meals.  

Can we do it?  I think we can. I'm hopeful we can. Check back next week and find out.

Do you have any tips for us on our Disney World food adventure?  Please leave in the comments below...

Organically yours,

Minde

Road Trip - Part 2 - the pics

We arrived in Miami in 14 hours and 13 minutes. With only 4 stops.

And we didn’t watch a single DVD.

(I may consider writing a book. It really wasn't that bad.)

Our holiday vacation was wonderful; I think the pictures say it all:


Christmas Eve - S & J are mesmerized by the lighted tree


Moxie Mama reads to S & J and cousin Mary


Scooter Girls. Yo.


G'ma helps the kiddos with the piano.



"I want to be a tiger, mama."


Yeah! Aveda hand lotion! Sweet!


J decorates her first ever Gingerbread Man cookie.



S at the nearby playground...



A quiet moment... A girl in her tutu enjoying a book...

TRUCKS!!!!!

The neighbor's Air Pogo. Must. Order. One. Now.


S with his cousins, who are also twins.


Frolicking on Miami Beach.


The obligatory family photo. (Which came out surprisingly well, I think.)


Cousin Josh reads to S & J. (We do a lot of that...)

Great memories.. Can't wait 'til next year! (I really mean that.)

Road Trip - Part 1

Happy New Year! We are back from the Road Trip. And finally ready to write about it.

The plan was to get up in the dead of night, put sleeping kiddos in the car and drive half-way to Miami before they woke up.

This was Danger Dad’s plan.

Danger Dad doesn’t understand that our children have never, EVER slept in the car.

Except for J.

After hand surgery.

So, here’s how it started:

1:45 a.m. – DD and I gently scoop sleeping kiddos out of their beds

1:45 and 10 seconds a.m. - S pops up head and says excitedly, “We’re going to Miami!”

1:47 a.m. – depart Atlanta

1:47 – 3:20 a.m. – S and J chatter about Miami! and Cousin Mary! and “This is really funny!” (meaning “driving in the dark”, which they have rarely experienced) and “Miami is THIS way” accompanied by lots of pointing and finally several rousing choruses of “Baa Baa Black Sheep”

3:21 a.m. - S announces, “All done.”

3:21 – 5 a.m. – S whines, chants and begs… “All done, all done, all done…”

(During this time I’m singing, reading, singing, soothing, playing music, talking, reading, soothing…. Lather, rinse, repeat…)

5 a.m. – S falls asleep

5:30 – S awake

(More reading, singing, reading, etc.)

7:30 a.m. – Breakfast stop at a Cracker Barrel. Those rocking chairs are from heaven... and the best jungle gym on the planet.

9 a.m. – back in car


(I think everyone looks pretty good...)

9 - 11:38 a.m. - "We Might be Giants" serenades us with "Robot Parade", "I'm Not Your Broom", "Middle. Middle, Middle" and on and on and on... We also sample a bit of "Philadelphia Chickens" (fave is a toss up between "Belly Button" and "Silly Lullaby", "Snacktime!" (no clear fave) and an assortment of ABC and 123 songs. (I LOVE THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. Even after nearly 2 hours. LOVE.)

11:39 a.m. – J sleeps

11:49 a.m. – J wakes up

(that was a whole 10 minutes of sleep in case you're good at math...)

Noon – J and S see the ocean for the first time.

Magic.

Much frolicking on beach. Unbridled enthusiasm and boundless joy. Amazing to watch. No fear. Total happiness. I am spellbound and do my best to capture it:

…to be continued…

Tunes to Survive By

"We are driving." he said. "If we fly we won't get the adventure."

Oh nooooooooooooooo....

It's official. We're driving to Florida for the holidays. South Florida.

10+ hours with 2.5-year old toddlers.

I plan to reach the stage of "acceptance" any minute now.

Since I'm a big-time music lover, I figured one of my survivial tactics to bring along some really fantastic tunes. For the kiddos that we could also enjoy. (ENJOY, not tolerate.) I cast the net (i.e. sent e-mails) to the various parent groups that I belong to and waited for the suggestions.

My request was specific: I need kid music that isn't kiddie music.

None of the "WHEELS ON THE BUS GO 'ROUND AND 'ROUND" stuff...

Absolutely (bleepin') not.

I got some GREAT feedback. (Thanks, everyone!)

Here's a sample of the set list:

The entire album "No!" by They Might Be Giants (all I had to do was listen to "Robot Parade" and I was hooked)

Octopus' Garden - The Beatles

Yellow Submarine - The Beatles

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

HoneyPie - The Beatles

Blackbird - The Beatles

Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da - The Beatles

Various Jack Johnson tunes including some the Curious George soundtrack (minus "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." That one makes my ears bleed... Ah, c'mon, don't look at me like that...)


Dancing Queen - ABBA (No, Danger Dad doesn't mind listening to ABBA for short periods of time. Another good reason to stay married to him.)

Waterloo - ABBA


Mama Mia - ABBA


Take a Chance on Me - ABBA


Super Trouper - ABBA


Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey

How Sweet It Is (to be loved by you) - James Taylor *and* Michael Buble versions

Groove Me - King Floyd

Entire Album of Muisiques Pour Mon Bébé (a great classical mix given to me by a dear friend that lives in Luxemburg - fantastic for winding down or napping)

Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb

Boogie Shoes - K.C. & The Sunshine Band

Various Ben Folds (and Ben Folds Five) - (but not as much as I would like since he's a big fan of the F-word.)

The entire album of "Philadelphia Chickens" by Sandra Boynton. (Yes, this is technically "kiddie" music but it is fun and sweet and smart and idd I mention fun? And we can turn it off when we feel like our brains are going to explode.)

Any other suggestions???

Hittin' the road... or skies.

Road trips suck.

(Unless you’re 17 or 18 and young and dumb and with a bunch of girlfriends getting crazy and listening to Journey and Prince and The English Beat REALLY LOUD and contemplating what to do with your lives and are actually excited about your final destination… Not that I’ve ever done that…)

I’m good for 3-4 hours TOPS and then I start to lose my mind. This, however, has not stopped us from planning a road trip to Miami for the holidays.

Which is a 10-11 hour drive from our house.

I can already feel the crazy creeping up…

I created an “Adventure List” with all that we’ll need to survive the journey and the subsequent 5-day stay at DD’s brother’s family house. I got all set and organized.

I decided to embrace the road trip.

Then yesterday Danger Dad announced that he’d found some fantastic airline rates and we may be flying to Miami instead of driving!

(YAHOOOO! HOLY COW! FABULOUS! YAY! YES! YES! YES!)

I hesitate to get my hopes up but I am totally stoked at the possibilities. As long as we plan to take it slow and not get caught up in the holiday airport crush it might actually be fun. The kids would be so curious about the security line (all those people in uniform!), the subway train to the terminal, the boarding process, the take-off and landing… And it’s only a two-hour flight. Nice.

S & J frequently talk about going on an airplane ride, especially since we’ve had many visitors that have taken planes to see us and I’ve lately traveled to SF for work via airplane. (Of course.) We live just 15 miles or so from the airport and I’ve taken them to meet friends that are on layovers, plus our neighborhood is sometimes is in the flight path so we can see lots of planes in the sky on a clear day. They love airplanes.

They don’t like the car so much.

They’ve never really traveled more than 2 hours in the car. And it always gets somewhat painful although I know they are doing their best. Let’s face it: Car travel can boring. And when you’re 2 ½ it can be really, really boring despite all the fun music and games and books and distractions. Who wants to be belted down? Confined, feet hanging down, sitting straight up? Not ideal positioning. I lobbied to rent an RV when we first started entertaining the idea of a Miami road trip. I figured then at least the kiddos could lie down, run around, etc. and it wouldn’t be quite so unbearable. A traveling party! Yay! But RV rentals are expensive (wow, are they expensive, even the smaller ones) so we crossed that option off the list and decided to bite the bullet. Our mini-van is quite nice and comfortable and God knows our parents made us do road trips in far less style so we could definitely survive.

But now I have visions of air travel in my head. I wonder if I can even consider a road trip now.

Think I’ll go blast some Journey to get in the mood... Just in case…