I need butter for my coffee! An April Keto-ish Dining review COMPLETE 6/22

Texans_loyal

Operation Disney is Underway!
Joined
Jun 26, 2016
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Hello and welcome to my 3rd food report! I want to apologize in advance for how short and to the point this report will be. This trip was a bit different. I had just started the Keto diet a month prior and was already down 11 pounds. I was determined to stay on track. While I knew staying in Ketosis (metabolic state in which your body burns fat instead of carbs) was going to be nearly impossible, I wanted to stay as close to low carb as possible.

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Joining me on this trip is my oldest step brother Moe and his family which I adore.
They had already been in Orlando a week prior to me arriving but hadn't done Disney yet. Come to think of it, I don't think anyone I know has done Disney without me. #ResidentialDisneyExpert They stayed off property till I arrived and checked us into POP. Moe asked if i needed any groceries before arriving, I asked for a small stick of butter. Taken back, he asked what I needed butter for? I replied "for my coffee!" ::yes::
...He didn't text me back :rotfl2:
Let's get started!
 
Garden Grove
I had originally heard about Garden Grove on the boards. :disrocks:
It has great reviews and is located at the Swan hotel. It’s not as popular due to no dining plan and no additional AP/DVC/TIW discounts. They do offer an AAA discount and parking is validated inside ($21 if not validated) we were the first guests to be seated at 5:30. It did pick up an hour later.

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Pluto and goofy gave us a lot of attention, we saw them multiple times. If you want quality time with characters, book the earliest reservation possible.

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Seafood sensation buffet menu

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Fried seafood basket for the table. Clam strips, popcorn shrimp, cheddar biscuits, battered Cod and fries. This was piping hot and very good, I sampled everything. The cod was phenomenal and the strips weren’t overcooked. I enjoyed the seasoned whipped butter.

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Each adult receives a half stuffed Maine lobster. The stuffing contained bread and crab, I wasn’t a fan. The lobster on the other hand was cooked perfectly. You can upgrade to unlimited stuffed lobster for an additional $16. We didn't feel the need to upgrade, there was plenty of food.


Buffet:

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Kid’s buffet area

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The strip roast paired with horseradish cream was amazing. I got 4 servings of that alone. The chicken was very dry, shame it looked good.

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The crab alone is worth the cost, they were huge!

Dessert:

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I had a bite of everything and it was top notch. The bread pudding was my favorite, Disney knows bread putting.

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The waiter was nice enough to bring me a plate of strawberries.

This was hands down my favorite meal of the trip. I would pay $40 for the food alone, add characters into the mix and it's a great deal. The food was fresh and tasted amazing. I loved everything except for the chicken, salmon dip and butter. their butter was very bitter. It truly is one of Disney's best kept secrets, We will definitely be back.

We spent the rest of the night at Disney Springs and had a blast. I love taking newbies to Disney! we were starving by 1 am so we stopped by shake shack.

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Great review and I just wanted to say you can lose all the weight you want you just have to stick with it. I know because in 18 months I have walked 170 pounds off my frame, just by control and walking and it was fun to look at the food you did eat ( I cannot eat 95% of the stuff you had because I keep largely kosher).
 
Magic Kingdom
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I know 11 pounds doesn't sound like a huge deal but I had gained 30 pounds in 3 months from different medications. Any weight-loss was huge for me, CMs made me feel extra special.

Breakfast:
Instead of butter coffee, I had Starbucks egg bites for breakfast.

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Perfectly cooked, cage-free eggs whites are prepared using the French "sous vide" technique resulting in a velvety texture that's bursting with flavor. We added creamy Monterey Jack cheese, plus spinach and fire-roasted red peppers for a high protein breakfast that's both delicious and convenient. I LOVE THESE! if they weren't so high in carbs, I would have them daily.

Be our Guest Lunch:

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Tuna Niçoise Salad

Seared Tuna with Chilled Green Beans, Fingerling Potatoes, Olives, Roasted Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Hard-poached Egg and Saffron Aioli. *No potatoes*

The aioli went very well with the tuna and egg. I normally hate eggs in my salad but this was very good. Not sure if any sugar was in the dressing but they didn't have another option.

This is where my old habits snuck up on me. I was used to having a nutella waffle during the parade and I was itching for something sweet. I mistook it for hunger and got a turkey leg.

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Sadly, this went straight into the trash, I wasn't hungry at all. I asked a CM if he knew of any sugar free options and he directed me to the ice cream stand.

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This saved me,Totally hit the spot! I believe they are sold at every park.
It had started to rain so we headed back to our rooms to rest. It poured for hours so we canceled our crystal palace reservation and had dinner at POP.

Dinner:

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Roasted turkey, a double portion of garlic green beans, side salad and strawberries. This was ok, nothing special. At this point the rain had kept us hostage at POP and I was ready to get back to MK. HEA was cancelled due to weather and it was EMH. it was a ghost town, there were no lines at all. Space mountain and seven dwarfs were a walk on.

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Best night at MK EVER!​
 
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Following along! I recently lost 17lbs and leave for disney soon. I'm not sure if I'm going to try to stick to my diet or take a vacation break. I just don't want to fall into bad habits when I get back. Wondering how you did the rest of your trip.
 
Congrats on your weight loss!! Your pictures are amazing...I just texted my sister to tell her to check out the Garden Grove...we may go there next trip. Thanks!
 
You are doing an excellent job finding a new way, grrl!
I want every salad pictured @ the Garden Grove and the salad Nicoise @ BOG looks delicious but you are prolly right about the salad dressing: note to self have them put it on the side;).
Keep the information coming:).
 
Epcot :scared:
Out of all the parks, I was worried about Epcot the most. I can gain 12 pounds there alone. Even though I steered off track, I didn't go completely crazy.

For breakfast, I had a cup of strawberries and my nephew got tie dye cheesecake. #CoolestAuntEver :teeth:

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Lunch Sunshine seasons:

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Caesar Salad with Oak-fired Chicken
Romaine Lettuce and Caesar Dressing topped with a sliced Chicken Breast. Very refreshing, the chicken was not dry. surprised this was a QS salad.

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Moe and I split a caprese salad. Fresh and simple.

Flower and Garden Festival:
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Fritto Misto: Crispy Shrimps, Zucchini and Spicy Sauces
Wow. the shrimp and zucchini were perfectly coated, the sauce was spicy and sour at the same time. 100% worth cheating :rolleyes1

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Curry Chicken Pocket From China. If you've read my reports before, you know i'm obsessed with these things. No way was I going to Disney and not having at least one. :cloud9:

Dinner:
I wanted le cellier for dinner but everyone else voted middle eastern. :confused3 um, we're Arab. We eat Arabic food every day at home?! :ssst: but ok.
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Moe and crew started with:

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Hummus and Imported Olives
with Cornichons and Zaatar Pita Bread.
Mediocre at best.


Moe had the
Mix Grill Skewers:

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Marinated Beef and Chicken with French Green Beans, Toasted Almonds, and Rosemary Potatoes.
He said it was good. It also came with a side of saffron rice, that was the real star.

My sister in law got the:
All Natural Roasted Chicken

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Fennel-Fingerling Potatoes in Star Anise Ouzo Sauce
Again, the rice was all she talked about.

I got the
Coriander-crusted Rack of Lamb:

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Basmati Rice, Roasted Tomatoes, and Zucchini. no rice, green beans instead(not pictured)
I loved the spices on the lamb, it was cooked well. The green beans were tasty and not mushy. It honestly tasted like something my mom would make on the regular.

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We watched illuminations and slowly made our way out.
Spice road table is ok, I personally wouldn't go again. I do think it's waaay overpriced for the amount of food you get. We were hungry within an hour. If you just order apps and watch illuminations, it's worth it.

I needed some alone time so we split and i spent a magical evening at MK.

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Trenta passion tea. no water, classic or sweetner. add strawberries.


 
Animal Kingdom :simba:
Today was our last day :guilty: We quickly checked our bags in and hopped on a bus to AK.

Weirdest breakfast ever:

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Cheese, a pickle and more strawberries.o_O

Lunch Yak & Yeti:
I went with the
Ahi Tuna Nachos:
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Sushi grade Ahi, Asian slaw, crispy fried wontons, wasabi aioli, sweet soy glaze. Subbed wontons for romaine. Still one of my favorite dishes at Disney, The sauces are loaded with sugar though.

Moe and my sister in law ordered
Chicken Tikka Masala:

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Boneless chicken breast marinated in yogurt and freshly ground herbs cooked in a traditional Masala sauce, jasmine rice, garlic naan bread. The loved it! Both agreed it was their favorite meal on our trip.

Snacks:

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I allowed myself to cheat one last time. I dream about the lumpias!

Moe got corn and SIL got a pretzel.

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Dinner Satuli:

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Combination allergy plate

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my brother, kamal, asked me to bring him back a plate. being the best sister ever, I got this to go and lugged it around for 2 hours + 2 hour flight :rolleyes:

Thank you for reading the shortest report ever! I apologize for the phone photos and lack of detail. Next trip is in August! Promise I'll do a better job.
I ended up staying in ketosis the whole time, which I am grateful for since I cheated. I also lost 6 pounds from all the walking :yay: I am 15 weeks into my journey and down 30 pounds.
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My keto page on IG is @keto_monster_ if y'all would like to follow.
If anyone has questions, I am happy to help!​
 
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This is very cool! :woohoo: on the weight loss!

How do you know you stayed in ketosis? My daughter is eating keto currently. I just followed you on the IG.
 
Wow, you did amazingly well and should be so proud of yourself! I veer between keto and paleo and always fail at my plans to eat better at Disney.
 
Thanks for sharing. I can't believe what willpower you had during the trip. It was worth it though, you look great!
 
You look fantastic! Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Garden Grove does look really good, my family loves the seafood buffet at Cape May but it might be nice to try this for a change.

Best of luck as you continue your weight loss journey!
 
It looks like I missed the start and end of your dining report! This Lobster looks humongous. I've been here a couple times, but never for their seafood buffet. It looks really good, but everyone I know seems to dislike seafood so I'll probably never get to experience it.

I love how they set up their desserts here.

This salad looks great! I've been trying to decide what I'd order if I go back to change things up and I think this would be it for sure.

We watched illuminations and slowly made our way out.
Spice road table is ok, I personally wouldn't go again. I do think it's waaay overpriced for the amount of food you get. We were hungry within an hour. If you just order apps and watch illuminations, it's worth it.
That's too bad about it not being worth a repeat visit, but it seems like a great place to watch fireworks. The Moroccan restaurant inside is really good, I've been there a few times.

You look awesome! Dieting is so hard you're doing a great job and did good at picking food at Disney, because dieting while on vacation is so hard. Inspirational :)
 
Wow! You’re such an inspiration! I lost 50lbs doing PALEO last year. I have gained back 10 eating “normal” but I can bounce back to low carb and drop 5 pretty easily. However, I didn’t eat low carb at all on my Disney trip!
 
great job staying on plan! i wasnt so successful last trip and gained 10 pounds in 6 days. then back home and back at it. keep calm and keto on!
 
Fellow keto'r here. I was pretty successful at sticking to keto when I went in April so I'm following along to see how it went for you.
Hello! What was your favorite keto dish/snack? I will be back at DW soon and I need ideas! Thank you for reading!

Really excited for this report! I am almost 2 months and 27lbs into keto and am wondering how to fit it into my Disney plans.
Hello and thank you for reading! Congrats on your weight loss, that's huge! Keto at Disney wasn't that hard to be honest, you will do great.

Great review and I just wanted to say you can lose all the weight you want you just have to stick with it. I know because in 18 months I have walked 170 pounds off my frame, just by control and walking and it was fun to look at the food you did eat ( I cannot eat 95% of the stuff you had because I keep largely kosher).

Wow! That is amazing, congrats! I am defiantly ready incorporate exercise, Consistency is key.

Following along! Congtats on the weight loss! Staying on track while on vacation is so hard!

welcome and thank you! It was hard but worth it. If I can stay on track at Disney, I can stay on track anywhere.

Following along! I recently lost 17lbs and leave for disney soon. I'm not sure if I'm going to try to stick to my diet or take a vacation break. I just don't want to fall into bad habits when I get back. Wondering how you did the rest of your trip.

Hello, congrats on your weight loss! That was my main concern, falling back into old habits was my worst fear. I found letting myself have bites here and there really helped me control cravings. Good luck!


Congrats on your weight loss!! Your pictures are amazing...I just texted my sister to tell her to check out the Garden Grove...we may go there next trip. Thanks!

Hello and welcome! Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy Garden grove!

You are doing an excellent job finding a new way, grrl!
I want every salad pictured @ the Garden Grove and the salad Nicoise @ BOG looks delicious but you are prolly right about the salad dressing: note to self have them put it on the side;).
Keep the information coming:).

Hi! Thank you for reading! The salads at Disney were awesome, so much variety. The dressing does come on the side, I just didn't want to eat a dry salad. :rolleyes1:P
 

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