It’s been forever since I’ve been to visit my blog. I’m not even sure what happened. Life did I guess. Or maybe laziness. Or maybe my new iPhone. It really has taken precedence over a lot. Really. I thought I was already addicted to Pinterest but it’s now on a whole other level. A borderline embarrassing level. And don’t even get me started on Instagram…

Anyway, I had two more posts I wanted to share about our honeymoon – before another year goes by!

Animal Kingdom: Day 7
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Day 8

Animal Kingdom was cool, but not my favorite from the trip. It’s like one big zoo, except much much better. You can get closer to the animals and there are rides!
Notable rides/attractions at Animal Kingdom: Kali River Rapids {careful, there is a VERY good chance you will come out completely soaked}, Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest

{Tree of Life}

The Safari was one of the best attractions at the park. It’s a chance to get super close to a lot of exotic {some dangerous!} animals – and of course Disney puts their twist on it. You’re on an African Safari and you come across poachers. The guide driving the vehicle does a pretty good job. There are no visible fences/gates/etc., so the feeling that there is nothing separating you from the lion 500 feet away is a very real one.

This mountain is the setting for the big thrill ride at Animal Kingdom – Expedition Everest. It’s a roller coaster that takes you fast and furious, and then stops and takes you fast and furious backwards.

And of course, this park visit wouldn’t be complete without something to eat!

{cinnamon sugar roasted almonds}

Next, the reason we extended our vacation for a couple days after the cruise: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. There was no way we could visit Orlando and not check this out. I mean, hello, the chance to actually taste butterbeer? Yes!

Notable rides/attractions at Harry Potter World: Honeydukes, Butterbeer!, Dragon Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Hogwart’s Castle

We arrived to Universal well before the park actually opened, because we knew how crazy busy Harry Potter World would be. Especially the main attraction: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. An awesome ride. One of my favorites of the whole trip. The only bad thing is that it must be everyone else’s favorite too. And they don’t allow a Fast Pass on it. So we got there early and scampered on over to the ride as quickly as our legs would carry us. And still had to wait in line for awhile. The good thing about waiting in line? The line takes you through Hogwarts Castle

{Herbology class}

{Tri-wizard cup}

{The portrait of the Fat Lady – she talked}

The walk through the castle was so much cooler than I’m giving credit here. A lot of my photos didn’t turn out very well because of the special effects and lighting.

Honeydukes and Zonkos was fun – I controlled myself and only made two purchases. I could have done SO much worse.

{These came home with us}

We ate at the Three Broomsticks, which was attached to the Hog’s Head Pub. Brian had the Shepard’s Pie and I just couldn’t resist ordering the Cornish Pasties – not bad!

The thing I was looking forward to the most: BUTTERBEER!! It was good. Kind of tasted like cream soda. You can order it cold or as a slush. I recommend just cold. I also tried the Pumpkin Juice which tasted a little like apple cider. It just didn’t even compare to the butterbeer though.

And a few randoms…

{Hagrid’s Hut}

{The flying car}

{Crazy fun roller coaster}

{The Monster Book of Monsters}

We are going to be heading back to Disney in August and we will most definitely be making time for Harry Potter World Again. You MUST see it if you’re in the area and are even a small fan of the books/movies.

Dang these girls are good. I hate to say it but I like this version so much more.
Song starts at 0:25.

The Polynesian: Where we stayed the first part of the trip
Hollywood Studios: Day 3

I would absolutely stay at The Polynesian again in a heartbeat. It was beautiful, luxurious, and provided convenient access to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. This is where we first stepped foot on our honeymoon at about 8am Monday morning. Since our room wasn’t quite yet ready, the staff graciously stowed are luggage so we could get going to Magic Kingdom.

We didn’t spend a whole lot of time at the resort, but did manage to sample their amazing pineapple drink {only need one of these!}, attended their luau and ate their tonga toast {unfortunately no photo of this but oh. my. word. amazing}.

These were waiting for us in our room. The pin seemed kind of lame to me at first, but it scored us some free dessert and “congratulations” everywhere we went. It was kind of nice.

This drink happened pretty early on. Mmm so good – and potent!

The luau dinner was the best! The food was amazing and the entertainment even better. Especially when the hubby became the entertainment when he was pulled onstage to learn how to dance. HA.

{These ribs were crazy good}

{clearly I hated the dessert}

{Brian dancing!}

It’s a good thing he had one of these before getting up on stage…

This guy was crazy…

So fun!

Next, Hollywood Studios!

This place was fun, but not my favorite. The rides were awesome, but you can only ride them so many times. Except for Toy Story Mania – a 3D arcade-like ride. It was super fun. I’ll beat you some day Brian…Just be sure to get there early for your Fast Pass, it’s a very popular ride.

Notable rides/attractions at Hollywood Studios: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Star Tours, Indiana Jones {although I’m not sure it’s worth the wait}, Toy Story Mania {the best!}

We cheated and snapped a pic of the TV monitor displaying shots from the ride. I think my eyes were closed. And the lady on the far left looks like she’s about to barf.

Star Tours:

{Ewoks – you either love them or hate them. I’d like to take one home in my pocket}

We ate lunch at the Drive-in Diner. You sit in cars and watch super old-school short films/ads/etc. The food wasn’t anything too crazy. I ate dessert of course. Brian actually had one of his {few} favorite desserts: strawberry milkshake.

Oh right. And I had a second dessert. Dang I ate a lot on this trip!

Epcot: Days 2&8
Brian made fun of me. We visited Epcot and Magic Kingdom twice. And each time I walked through one {didn’t matter which one} I told him it was my favorite out of all the parks. Ha. But really, looking back on the photos and thinking back on everything we experienced, I think Epcot really was my favorite.

We visited Epcot at the best time of the year, during their annual International Flower & Garden Festival. This place was absolutely visually stunning. The topiaries they create {which, oddly enough, always make me think of Stephen King’s The Shining – weird I know} are just incredible and it was a welcomed addition to the already fantastic culinary and entertainment smorgasbord that Epcot has to offer. My senses were on overload.

Notable rides/attractions at Epcot: Soarin’, Mission: Space, Star Tours, Spaceship Earth, Norway’s boat ride and Canada’s 360 degree movie {seriously wanted to plan my next trip to Canada because of this movie}

Oh, the flowers and topiaries. I had to place these first. They make me smile. And I’m starting it out with my favorite: Lady & the Tramp:

{Fantasia}

{Sleeping Beauty}

{Mickey & Minnie!}

{Peter Pan}

{Beauty & the Beast}

And then of course there were the counties! We ate and drank out way through those tee hee.

Mexico:

{Margarita – strawberry/pineapple?}

{Margarita – this was a spicy one!}

{Free dessert!}

Germany:

{Some kind of sausage I guess?}

{Beer flight}

Morocco:

{Belly Dancer}

{Lamb}

{Goat Cheese}

{Being silly :}

Japan:

{I picked an oyster and got a pearl!}

Norway:

{I may or may not think that trolls actually exist…}

China:

We got some pizza and sangria at The Boardwalk, which is a hotel near Epcot – I’d stay here in a heartbeat!

And finally, one of the best nights at Disney, the fireworks show at Epcot. We drank champagne in France while we watched. It was magical.

{Champers!}

Brian and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary yesterday. And while our special dinner was couple nights ago {pics from that later this week}, we decided to go through our honeymoon pics over some takeout last night. They reminded me how utterly excited I was to be on that trip. Freshly married and not a care in the world, with my best friend next to me to call my own for the rest of my life. So, one year later, I’m finally going to share a few  quite a few pics.

Wish I could re-wind the clock and re-live those days.

We decided to go to Disney World and take a Disney Cruise for our honeymoon. We aren’t the type that can lay on a beach for a week – we’d get too restless. So this was the perfect vacation for us. We hit Disney World first for a few days, went on the cruise and ended the trip back at Disney World {with a quick jaunt over to Universal to see Harry Potter world or course}.

This is in somewhat of a chronological order, although I’ve grouped the pics together by theme park, so there are a few days combined.

First up, Magic Kingdom: Days 1&9:

Of course I had to start with the iconic Cinderella castle. It’s the most well known feature of Magic Kingdom and can be seen from quite a ways away. At night they do a firework/music show that’s pretty impressive – unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of that which is surprising considering the ridiculous number of photos I took on this trip.

This was the entrance to Magic Kingdom. If you get there early enough before they open their gates, a bunch of the characters come out to welcome you in.

The Haunted Mansion. This is one of Brian’s favorite rides at Disney World. He’s loved it ever since he was a kid – and I think still got a kick out of it as an adult. It’s a pretty clever place and like everything else at Disney, is detailed beyond belief. One of the coolest things I found about Disney is the extra thought they put into areas surrounding the lines for the rides. You end up spending more time waiting for the ride than the ride itself, why not make the line part of the experience? The Haunted Mansion certainly does not disappoint.

{Tombstones – each character had their own unique form of death}

{This one had actual bubbles that made their way out of the coffin. You’ll see why…}

{Makes you giggle a little }

{Swiss Family treehouse}

And then there was the food. So. Much. Food. I had {somewhat} dieted before the wedding so I was all about eating anything and everything. And if you end up reading through this post and the next few, you’ll see I’m not exaggerating.

These few were from Cosmic Ray’s. It features an alien that sings while you eat. I thought it was a dinosaur. It was weird nonetheless. But the food was good. Brian and I each got one of our usual go-to’s: Chili dog {him} and BBQ pulled pork {me}.

The Liberty Tree Tavern was our first food stop of the trip. Colonial style waiters and comfort food at it’s best. I ate a beef stew with a cobbler for dessert {there was quite a bit of dessert on this trip – basically every meal had one}.

{Liberty Bell}

And then there was the Dole Whip. This thing was amazing. Beyond amazing. Brian always told me before we went that this was one of the best things Disney had to offer in terms of sweets. And coming from Brian {who usually couldn’t give a crap about sweets} this really means something. Now, I consider myself to be somewhat of a sweet connoisseur and I gotta tell ya – this thing is amazing. In all its forms. I tried the Dole Whip. I tried the Dole Whip Float. Oh man. It’s what I look forward to on the next Disney trip.

{Dole Whip}

{Dole Whip Float}

One thing Brian did not deliver on: The Tiki Room. He said this was one of his favorites. I have one word for it: Lame. I can see the appeal in the dead of summer because it happens to be air conditioned inside. That is its sole winning characteristic. Sorry.

This next photo is a great example of how detailed Disney is. We came across a gentleman who was sweeping up the street. He had a bucket of water and was cleaning/sweeping as he went. Suddenly, he took his broom and started drawing Disney characters on the pavement with water. It was the most simple thing that felt really special at the same time.

{My one and only character photo from Disney World. Stitch, from one of my faves!}

]]> http://justbfresh.com/2013/04/15/flashback-disney-honeymoon-part-1/feed/ 0 cinderella castle2 justbfresh Disneygraphic V3 cinderella castle magic kingdom magic kingdom3 tombstones tombstone3 tombstone tombstone2 swiss family treehouse cosmic rays chili dog cosmic rays bbq sandwich liberty bell liberty tree beef strew liberty tree cobbler dole whip dole whip float tiki room mickey water drawing me and stitch http://justbfresh.com/2013/04/12/eating-clean-day-5/ http://justbfresh.com/2013/04/12/eating-clean-day-5/#comments Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:23:58 +0000 Bridget http://justbfresh.com/?p=3285 Continue reading »]]> {Clean cold-fighting weapons – OJ, water & hot toddy}

I made it. Five days of clean eating. I’m sorry to say I don’t have a new recipe to share today. I’m still feeling under the weather so I’ve opted for bed with many liquids and possibly a chick flick. But really I’m just hoping for a good, long night’s sleep {I feel inclined to say that my sleep will only be aided by the whiskey from my hot toddy. Typically I’d take a good dose of Nyquil which normally does the trick, but I’m staying clean today! Brian got me a care package full of Nyquil, Airborne, etc which I’ll be taking tomorrow if this thing doesn’t go away!}.

If I end up eating anything later this evening it will be leftover soup. The dinner I had originally planned for last night, then tonight will be made Sunday night. I’ll be sure to post it up.

Hope everyone has a happy and healthy weekend.

Clean eating breakdown for the day:

2 cups of coffee
1 glass of grapefruit juice
Breakfast: 2 eggs, scrambled
Lunch: Leftover soup
Snack: Raw carrots
Dinner: Leftover soup if I feel up to it. Otherwise it is as much OJ, water and hot toddy’s as I can drink!

{Chicken Soup with Brown Rice}

It snowed today! I realize that this is Iowa, but still, snow in April doesn’t typically happen. I guess it goes along with how I’m feeling though, a little below average. Which is partly why I switched up the meal for tonight’s dinner. That and I forgot to pull the meat out of the freezer…ooops. The alternative I found is perfect for the rainy/snowy week we are having and for nursing me back to health. I need to be feeling better asap since we have a big weekend coming up {1st wedding anniversary!}.

I have to admit, early on in making this soup I had my doubts. It wasn’t smelling amazing and I was worried I had dumped in too many spices {they were all floating at the top creating a green blanket over my soup}. I have never cooked with leeks and wasn’t sure how they would affect the flavor. Well. Fast forward about an hour when the soup was finished and I added the brown rice. Freaking awesome!! Seriously. I will make this over and over and over again. It will absolutely be on regular rotation next fall and winter. I’m not big on noodles so the rice substitution was perfect. The process was fairly easy and although it takes a little while to make, most of the time it’s heating/cooking so you can leave and do other things. And once again, scoring more points for the meal, Brian liked it! I always get a huge satisfaction when I find something he would eat again.

Notes: None! It was perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing! {And thankfully I made enough this time so I can pack a big bowl for lunch tomorrow and freeze some for later}

Eating Clean Week is rockin’ my world. Here’s the breakdown for the day:

2 cups of coffee
Breakfast: 2 eggs, scrambled and plain & one banana
Lunch: Spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries and pomegranate dressing
Snack 1: Raw carrots
Snack 2: Red seedless grapes
Dinner: Chicken Soup with Brown Rice
Night-Cap: Hot Toddy {need another throat soother :}

{

Tonight’s dinner rocked the house. Well, my taste buds. And tummy. It was really really good! Even better than the salmon. And scored more points because my hubby inhaled it as well. He isn’t necessarily a picky eater, but he’s hesitant with anything “healthy” and prefers beef to chicken any day. I was actually surprised he liked it so much since I thought the marinade and peppers had a sweet taste to them. But alas I will not question, I will just make it again!

My only complaint is that there are quite a few tedious steps. If I hadn’t taken care of a few things last night, it would not have been so easy tonight. But since I had prepped, we were done eating and dishes clean by 6:30. Not bad.

Notes: I didn’t try the almonds and parsley on top. Most likely it would have been tasty but not necessary. Asparagus was great as a side. You can’t get much easier. Only other thing: I’d make more. I’m pretty disappointed there weren’t any leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.

Here’s the breakdown for the day:

2 cups of coffee
1 glass of orange juice
Breakfast: 2 eggs, scrambled and plain
Lunch: Leftover arugula salad from last night. Putting the dressing on top of the whole salad was a mistake. It was pretty soggy today. Blech.
Snack 1: 1 banana, a few strawberries and blueberries
Snack 2: Raw almonds
1 small glass of grapefruit juice with apple-cider vinegar
Dinner: Honey-Mustard Chicken with a side of asparagus
Dessert: Hot Toddy {tea, whiskey, honey} I have a bit of a sore throat so I’m retiring with this delicious drink. Is whiskey clean? My husband seemed to think so…

Today’s main meal wasn’t quite as earth shatteringly delicious as yesterday’s, but it was a nice contrast: Arugula, Grape and Sunflower Seed Salad. I was actually more excited to make the Chickpea salad I have planned later this week, but I have a thing about squishy grapes. Blech. I like my grapes to make a satisfying crunch when I bite into the. So I figured this salad needed to happen soon.

There were some great flavors involved: peppery arugula, sweet grapes, nutty sunflower seeds and sharp dressing. The dressing was missing the maple syrup since I forgot to purchase it over the weekend, and I think that was key. I would definitely make this salad again, but most likely as a side rather than the main course. I’m a little worried about not staying full.

Notes: I used olive oil instead of grapeseed oil, did not toast the sunflower seeds and probably would have rather used half spinach half arugula rather than all arugula. Also, I think goat cheese would be awesome on top.

Here’s the breakdown for the day

1 tall glass of water with a squeeze of lemon, first thing in the morning
2 cups of coffee
Breakfast: 2 eggs, scrambled and plain
Snack: 1 banana, a few strawberries and blueberries
Lunch: Spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries and pomegranate dressing {not sure if the dressing was clean, but the ingredient list looked okay} & greek yogurt {this I’m pretty sure is not clean and I most likely won’t eat the rest of the week}
Snack: Raw almonds
Dinner: Arugula, Grape and Sunflower Seed Salad
Dessert: TBD but I’m going to try to hold out and skip it

{Blackened Salmon – I could not have started out with a better recipe}

I made it through the first day! Although, I should probably title this post, “Eating Mostly Clean: Day 1″. I cheated a little, but I think I did pretty good. First, I have to say, there is no way I can give up my coffee. I didn’t even try. I just know this about myself. Second, I forgot I had a lunch date. At a Mexican restaurant. I made the best choice I could: Fajitas, and I asked them to hold the rice, beans, sour cream, guacamole and tortillas. So I was left with chicken and veggies. Sounds pretty clean {let’s just look past the likelihood of them being cooked in quite a bit of oil shall we?}.

Except for those two items I’m pretty pleased with myself. Here’s the recap:

1 tall glass of water with a squeeze of lemon, first thing in the morning
2 cups of coffee
1 small glass of grapefruit juice with 2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar {quite disgusting tasting actually}
Breakfast: 1 banana and a few strawberries
Snack: Raw almonds
Lunch: Fajitas, stripped down
Snack: 1 small glass of grapefruit juice {no vinegar}
Dinner {the real hero of the day}: Blackened Salmon w/ Mango Salsa and green beans on the side
Dessert: 1 small glass of grapefruit juice {I cannot get enough of this stuff!}

Dinner was amazing. So many contrasting flavors all at once: spicy, sweet, tangy, salty. This recipe is absolutely going to be repeated again, even if I’m not eating clean. And a major perk? Because there were so many seasonings on the fish, it didn’t stink up the house like it usually does. Lizzy, you wanted some meal ideas, make the salmon! The mango was pretty good but I think it would taste just as good if you swapped it out for peaches?

If eating clean continues to taste this good, I may just have to keep it going indefinitely.

{so many spices involved – I knew it was going to taste good!}

{I could eat this salsa plain…Mmm}