Super Sunday Brunch with
Super Foods
29 April 2012
Spiderman: Marvel superhero, Disney owned character,
spokesperson for healthy eating-these are the elements that led to
today's Super Hero Week article of Sunday Brunch! One of my favorite
moments from the first Spiderman film was when our hero performs
another death defying act off of a building and upon landing a child
asks him how he does it. Spiderman's advice: 'Eat your fruits and
vegetables!' Spidey is right; fruits and vegetables provide an
enhanced source of energy in our daily lives, and this energy is
what enables super heroes and everyone to accomplish tasks big and
small!
Today we'll be looking at random places around Walt
Disney World where you too can power up your theme park meal with
the fuel of superheroes. Most guests have a limited amount of time
to spend in the parks, so families zoom in and out of Quick Service
restaurants to maximize playtime. While it is quite common to find
vegetable sides and servings at Table Service restaurants, in Disney
and anywhere, it is sometimes harder to find in these Quick-Service
locations where heavy, greasy food dominates.
As discussed last week, it is difficult to find
better food options at the Magic Kingdom, but the few exceptions
actually fit in today's topic. Two of the greatest sources of
healthier eating can be found in Liberty Square!
At Columbia Harbour House, the menu was revamped
several months ago, adding more seafood entrees and healthier
options. For a hearty, yet healthy meal, to power up your day, order
the Broccoli Peppercorn Salad containing mixed greens with chicken,
parmesan, and bacon and also garden vegetables, broccoli with a
creamy Peppercorn dressing. For those wanting a lighter salad, try
the Garden Harvest Salad with mixed greens, garden vegetables, green
beans, carrots, and chicken. Additionally, Columbia Harbour House
adds the option of fruits and vegetables with nearly every entree.
Rather than being limited to French Fries, the recent trend of apple
slice substitutes is found here as well as the option for steamed
fresh broccoli. With such healthy food options, I'm sure this would
be one of Spiderman's top Magic Kingdom food picks.
Grilled Salmon with Steamed Fresh Broccoli and Cous Cous
Around the corner towards the central hub of the
Magic Kingdom, stop by Sleepy Hollow Refreshments for a sweet and
healthy treat: the Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich. Though
the Waffle and Nutella portions of this sandwich may not be the
healthiest items, they do provide the quick energy sources needed
for hero work! Though to balance and enhance your super food
experience, the fresh fruit of the sandwich provides the natural
sugar sources, vitamins and minerals needed from fruit.
Healthy eating may be tricky to find in the parks,
though in recent experiences, I've found some of Disney's Deluxe
resorts have many healthy eating options. At the Contemporary
Resort's quick service location Contempo Caf' offers such menu items
as the chicken artichoke Flatbread, a variety of tossed to order
salads, and the Veggie Bake, as seen below. An assortment of chopped
tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and other vegetables are baked to make
a delicious vegetable casserole of sorts. Topped with a sprinkling
of goat cheese, this was a perfect accompaniment to any meal, packed
with power through vitamins and minerals in the vegetables with
calcium and healthy milk proteins from the cheese.
Across the property at the Animal Kingdom Lodge's
quick service restaurant the Mara, guests will find a variety of
healthy entrees with African and Indian flavors. The African Stew
serves a variety of fresh vegetables over a bed of Basmati Rice
while the pita sandwiches come with fresh greens, cucumber, and
hummus. Hummus is a terrific spread made from garbanzo beans and
packed with a different type of protein source not found in meat and
poultry. I recently had the Chicken Pita sandwich, and while I would
have liked a little more hummus spread on the pita bread, I did like
that the sandwich was filling and fresh. These were certainly
elements for a super meal!
Being a super hero is not just about heroic acts and
super powers. We can be like our favorite super heroes by eating
healthy, and at the Walt Disney World resort, this is not an
impossible task. With Disney's recent directive for healthier eating
in the parks, we are seeing more and more revisions to menus and
improvements to the already excellent food quality at the resort.
Freshness has always been a key factor in my reviews of Disney
foods, and most of that can be credited to the fresh fruits and
vegetables provided in these meals. Super Heroes save lives. Fresh
fruits and vegetables save super heroes!
Fuel the superhero in you with these fresh fruits
and vegetables in these Quick Service Restaurants already discussed
on Sunday Brunch:
Animal Kingdom
- - Fresh melon and fresh fruit at Flame Tree Barbecue (http://fromscreentotheme.com/SundayBrunchFlameTreeBarbeque1.aspx)
Epcot
- - Vegetable Sides and dishes at Katsura Grill (http://fromscreentotheme.com/SundayBrunchKatsuraGrill.aspx)
Hollywood Studios
- - Vegetable Pizza and salads at Pizza Planet (http://fromscreentotheme.com/SundayBrunchPizzaPlanet.aspx)
Magic Kingdom
- - Whole Fruit and fruit beverages at Cheshire Cafe
(http://fromscreentotheme.com/SundayBrunchChesireCafe.aspx)