Quinoa Cakes with Edamame Salsa at Whispering Canyon- sorry for the blurry picture
The Quinoa Cakes were good but the meal was missing something so we were still hungry after we left.
Neil's Big Drink at Whispering Canyon
Part of the fun of Whispering Canyon is that it is loud, rambunctious, and they waitstaff pics on you to know end. So when Neil ordered his cola they brought it out in the largest mason jar they could find.
samosas at sanaa
Parathas at Sanaa
Mango Chutney, Grilled Red Pepper Hummus and Garlic Pickle
Sipping on a Mojito at Sanaa
We wished we had gone to dinner at Sanaa but we were only able to stop in for drinks and appetizers but the food was amazing. We talked to the chef and he explained what was vegan on the menu and the other options that he could do up for us if we desired. We got bread sampler (only the paratha is vegan) and the samosas.
Our day at Magic Kingdom was pretty boring for food. Neil and I picked up bread at the food court at our resort and made PB&J sandwiches for breakfast which we snacked on throughout the morning. For lunch we went to Cosmic Ray’s and got veggie burgers with fries- not the best choice and we were feeling nauseous after- we don’t eat a lot of fried food so it didn’t set well on our stomachs.
We had planned to go to The Crystal Palace for dinner however by 7pm we had been at MK for 12 hours and were exhausted, freezing and ready to head out. So we went back to the hotel and changed and headed downtown to Wolfgang Puck Express and boring us got the exact same thing as the day before- Italian Chopped Salad and Spaghetti with tomato, basil and garlic sauce with fruit for dessert and a yummy Sam Adams.
Many people have been posting about goals for the new year and it has got me thinking about what I want out of the new year. This year has been tough with having a horrible job, our miscarriage and the a variety of other challenges but I am positive about the new year. My goals for this year:
1. Eat more raw- we have been really good this year about eating more raw dishes and with my dehydrator and new blendtec total blender I know it is possible to create more raw dishes. I love my husband for buying me a new dehydrator.
2. Lose some weight…I have lost 40lbs in the last 4 years but I am still not at my ideal weight and this is my year.
3. To run a 5K- I really want to be able to do this by next fall and I think I can do it! (I know I can)
4. Blog more- I know I have been better at blogging but I can be better. I want to blog with more of a purpose and get back to blogging more recipes for everyone to try and learn more about.
5. Find a job that makes me happy. I have spent the last 18months working in a position that makes me miserable and I know I deserve to be happy.
What are you goals for the New Year? And how do you intend to attain them?
When I am down I make a funny face and think about how lucky I am to be married to my best friend and the love of my life.
On our way home from the airport we stopped in to the vegan Cafe Indigo in Concord, NH. We have wanted to go here many times but it isn’t open on Saturdays and that is when we normally go through. Well lucky us it was Monday and they were open and we were starving.
The Rachel
Veggie Burger
My dad and Neil ordered The Rachel which is the vegan seitan version of the Ruben and it was delicious. My omni father who loves his meat even loved this sandwich he couldn’t stop talking about how good it was. My mom ordered the Veggie Burger which was homemade and so good. My favorite dish was my own the Spinach and Soysage Burrito it was amazing. The burrito was creamy and delicious.
Spinach and Soysage Burrito
For dessert the 4 of us split a chocolate chip cookie bar which was delicious. They were all out of there Carrot Cake which has been named by VegNews for being the best vegan carrot cake. Oh well we loved our cookie.
One of the other great features about this place is that they have to-go items such as cookies, cupcakes, and salads. They also have tofu turkeys to go and homemade pies- this would be great for anyone looking for a quick holiday meal!
I was a bad photo taker on our day at Epcot so I included a couple of fun pictures of us visiting however there are no food pictures. We started the morning off getting to ride Soarin’ three times in a row with no wait because they had one of Disney’s Magical Moments and let the first 400 people in at 8:30 am (the park doesn’t open until 9). After that we went on a few rides and met up with Neil’s parents just in time for lunch. We ate lunch at the Sunshine Seasons food court at The Land. There are tons of options here and it is great for vegans. We settled on a tofu noodle bowl and veggie sushi with popsicles for our dessert. The food was really great and our parents really enjoyed their food as well.
Later on in the afternoon Neil and I went out for some drinks around the world- we got a Gran Marnier Slushie at France and then stopped over to Mexico for a Margarita and chips & guacamole. The food was great and the drinks were huge and strong.
For dinner we went to Morocco and got the Vegetarian Plate which included tabouli, hummus, bread, marinated olives, lentil salad and falafel. Since we were using our dining plan points it also came with a drink and baklava; we gave the baklava to our parents. The food at Morocco was really good- my favorite was the marinated olives so delicious. The tabouli was okay but it didn’t live up to the tabouli we had at Tusker House.
Wednesday morning we jumped on an early flight to Orlando and after dropping our bags off at our resort we headed straight to Animal Kingdom for my Dad’s birthday. It was lunch time when we arrived and all of us were starving so we decided to go to Tusker House for dinner. Tusker House is a buffet that features Indian and Asian influenced dishes and has a ton of vegan dishes. We let the waitress know that we had dietary restrictions and the chef came out and walked us around the buffet showing us the numerous vegan dishes. Some of our favorite dishes were: greenbean and onion salad, mango chutney, tabouli, pita, hummus, couscous with veggies and roasted potatoes. Also featured were a few other salads, rice dishes and tandoori tofu; the tandoori tofu was kind of bland. We had fruit for dessert and took a few oranges and bananas in our bag to snack on the rest of the day.
Yummy Tabouli and Hummus at Tusker House
The tabouli was my favorite ever! Many times I find that a traditional tabouli is just too much parsley and doesn’t have enough acid in it but this was the most perfect balance of oil and acid.
Eating Yummy Food at Tusker House
Dad "blowing" out his Birthday Candles
Also available at Animal Kingdom are various counter service locations that have salads, vegetable wraps and veggie burgers. We stayed at the park late because it was an Extra Magic Hours night so we ate at the park. We went to Restorantosaurus for dinner- when we walked in we let the employee taking our order that we had dietary restrictions and he let the cook know. The cook came out and let us know that she could substitute a tapioca roll for the bun (there is dairy in the bun) and she reassured us that the fries were cooked in separate oil that is vegan. There was a condiment bar which had onions, tomato, lettuce, relish, ect. I filled mine up with tons of lettuce and tomato and made myself a salad burger. Our first day at Disney went great and was yummy!