Photo Friday: Rose and Blooms

"Rose and Blooms", April 2008.  Nikon D40, 55mm, f/10, ISO 200, 1/400

It seemed appropriate to end our week with one of my best shots from the Flower and Garden Festival.  I took this on our first ever visit to the Festival.  We were strolling along the rose garden path between World Showcase and Future World.  The "Festival Blooms" along the water made for a striking backdrop for any picture, and the roses were very cooperative subjects.  I cropped this picture slightly from the original, and boosted the saturation and increased the shadows.

What do you think?

Where in the World?

Last Week I challenged you to guess where this garbage can is located.  If you guessed Disney's Hollywood Studios, you were right.

This Week's Puzzle:

I had to stick with the Flower and Garden theme.  This is another rose I photographed in a different garden in Walt Disney World.  Do you know which one?  This should be an easy one.  Leave your guesses in the comments below.

If you want to check out more of my Disney Pictures, check out our photography board on Pinterest.

Hope you enjoy your Easter Weekend!

Trip Tip Thursday: TRY It! You Might Like it!

Remy can tell you.  Settling for junk is easy.  But making better choices is worth the effort.

It's hard enough to get your family to eat healthy at home,  so how can you be expected to do that on vacation? When menu after menu is pushing fast-food style meals with french fries, and carts and shops are offering such temptations as cupcakes, pastries, candy, and ice cream, how do you persuade your family to eat anything on the healthier side?  Well, there's some hope in Disney.  Over the past few years, Disney's been coming up with ways to help you and your family identify and make healthier choices.

It's all part of the "Disney Magic of Healthy Living"...

The first key to eating healthier is Opportunity.  Disney has been hard at work improving its menus to provide a wider selection of healthy items.  Kids meals in Disney Parks now default to coming with healthier sides instead of soda and fries.  This wasn't the case that long ago.  I remember ordering a kids meal for my daughter in the Magic Kingdom just a few years ago and getting fries even though the menu stated it came with grapes and carrots.  I had to ask the Cast Member to substitute the healthier items.  I thought to myself, "I shouldn't have to go out of my way to get the healthier items."  Apparently, Disney has come to the same conclusion.  Enter the "Mickey Check."



"Disney's "Mickey Check" is a tool that makes it easier for kids and parents to identify healthier food and menu items in stores, online, and while on vacation at Disney Parks and Resorts. Food and beverage items that feature the "Mickey Check" meet Disney's specific nutrition criteria for limited calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. The nutrition guidelines pair the fun of Disney brands and characters with a nutritious portfolio of foods and make 'Good for you – fun too!'"

For more information, please visit www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/mohl.

 

Making the healthier options more available is only half the battle.  The other half, as we well know, is getting our families excited about trying new things.  Have picky eaters in your family?  Well, picky eating is less about not liking foods and more about being uncomfortable with new things. How do I know?

Okay, confession time:  I used to be a VERY picky eater. 

I'm a lot better today than I used to be. That's because somewhere in my adulthood I finally opened myself up to trying new foods, and now that I've gotten past that fear of trying new things, I've discovered so many new foods that I enjoy.  I wish I had been encouraged to try new foods as a kid. For me, being picky held me back from some great culinary experiences.

Because of my history, I try to encourage my kids to expand their palates and open up their minds to new tastes. In fact, we have a game we play when we go on vacation: try one new food.  This applies to all of us.  It could be something as simple as new fruit or vegetable, or something adventurous.  And what better place to try new things than at Disney!

This is where Disney's TRYit! Initiative comes in.  Across the company and its many outlets, Disney is making an effort to encourage kids and adults to live a healthier lifestyle by trying new foods and activities.  The most recent evidence of this can be seen at EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival.  This year, the festival includes various food and beverage kiosks throughout the park, and many of theses kiosks offer "TRYit!" items, such as:

• Beet Lollipop
• Wild Berry Slush 
• Baked Goat’s Brie with Kumquat Chutney
• Frushi (Fruit Sushi)
• Lasagna Primavera
• Potato Pancakes with house-made Apple Sauce
• Spring Pancake with Grilled Chicken & Green Apple
• Watermelon Salad with pickled Red Onions, BW Farms Baby Arugula, Feta Cheese & Balsamic Reduction
• Angel Food Cake with macerated Florida Berries
• Ratatouille Tarte with Goat Cheese
• Moroccan Sweet Pancake
• Waterkist Farms Heirloom Tomatoes with house-made Mozzarella, Minus 8 Vinegar & Basil

The Flower and Garden Festival only lasts until May 19, but hopefully Disney will find a way to keep the TRYit! foods in the parks.  I think it's a great way to sample smaller servings of new tastes, without breaking your budget.

Not heading down for the Festival?  Well, here's a tip for any park or resort restaurant:

**Look at the menus for the restaurants you've chosen before you travel and plan your meals. Talk about the choices with your family and get them excited to try something new**

for online viewing of current menus for all Disney restaurants, we suggest Allears.net

 

At-Home Twist

Since we won't be attending the Flower and Garden Festival this year, we decided to try one of the TRYIt! items at home: the Beet Lollipop from Intermission Café at the Festival Center. If your kids like carrots and potatoes, your kids will love this at home twist! The following recipe is based on reviews and pictures we've seen of this dish only. Since there wasn't a lot of information out there, I took my best guess. (especially when it came to the topping)



Beet and Rutabaga Lollipop (inspired by the Beet Lollipop from the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival)

• 3-4 beets
• 1 rutabaga
• about 10 sprigs of thyme, pulled away from the stems
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• cream cheese and a splash of milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the beets and the rutabaga and cut them into one inch chunks. **Heads up! Beets can stain , so cut them on a plastic surface and watch out for your fingers!**

Place the chunks on a shallow rimmed cookie sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Toss to combine.

Roast for 35-40 minutes.

While the veggies roast, place about 1/4 cup of cream cheese in a bowl. Thin out the cream cheese with a splash of milk so it's more of a frosting consistency.

Once cool, place one piece of rutabaga and one piece of beet into a push pop container. Top with a dollop of the thinned out cream cheese mixture.



The Results:

Although neither of my kids would eat them using the push pop, they did LOVE the roasted beets and rutabaga.! We will definitely be adding these veggies to our menu!

For me, the sweet veggies topped with the tart and creamy cream cheese, made for one delicious bite. I could eat a dozen of these!


What do you think of Disney's Magic of Healthy Living campaign? 

Have you noticed any difference in how your family eats in the park since they've implemented it?
What TRYit! food do you think you and your family would like to try most?

 

Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!

Theme: Disney Hats, Caps, Bonnets, and Bows

 

 

The various hats we wore on our 2012 Disney Vacation!

We're first time participants in the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop hosted by Deb @ Focused On The Magic.  Thank you to Deb for hosting and allowing us to join in the fun!  Make yourselves at home and feel free to comment, like, follow, and share!  And be sure to use the link below to go back and check out the rest of the blog hop posts!

Welcome Home Wednesday- Mickey Topiary Pinspiration

For me, the best part of any Epcot Flower and Garden Festival we've been to, has been the amazing topiaries that could be found all over the park. I love how the characters are magically brought to life using all natural materials. They are absolutely breathtaking.  Monday's post highlighted some of the ones we would have enjoyed if we were to have gone this year. Before I get into today's craft, I wanted to share some of the ones I have enjoyed in the past.

Speaking of topiaries, our craft for today was inspired by a birthday centerpiece I originally saw on Pinterest.

http://img2.etsystatic.com/004/0/7215547/il_570xN.367639398_oxh5.jpg

Given we are 'touring' the Flower and Garden Festival this week and our son will be having a farm party in a couple of weeks, I decided to give this project a natural twist.








You will need:

• a pot
• a wooden dowel
• paint
• 4 pieces of Styrofoam, 1 large for the head, 2 medium for the ears and one chunk to secure the dowel in the pot.

First we painted the pot and Styrofoam.

After they dried, we hot glued the ears on the head. Then we hot glued the dowel to the head and stuck it in the pot.

Once the Mickey head was in the pot we decorated it with moss and artificial plants to make it look more like a topiary.



We think they came out so adorable! We're hoping you'll be inspired to create your own topiaries at home to celebrate spring!

If you're interested in more Disney related crafts, please check out the other Disney bloggers on this week's Pinspiration Bloghop hosted by Disney Living Online.

Tasty Tuesday: Treats for your "Buds" at Flower and Garden

We hope you are enjoying your virtual tour so far. This seems about the right time to stop for a snack.  The best additions to this year's Flower and Garden Festival are the numerous food booths. Scattered all over World Showcase, these booths offer delicious seasonal offerings from all over the world.  Since we are still touring Future World, we think we are going to stop by the "Fruits by the Glass" food booth. Located at the World Showcase Plaza, this cart serves both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages with a fruit twist.

Since we are traveling with our kids and they will probably want to sample, we will opt for the Wild Berry Slush.  If you look closely at the menu, you will notice the "Try it" symbol.

What this symbol means is that this choice is a part of Disney's TRYit initiative. The goal of this program is to get kids to try new foods in a fun and interesting way. (more information on this program to follow later this week)

Photo Courtesy: EasyWDW.com

Our slush is the one on the left.  Which did you choose? We take a sip...ahhh.. so refreshing. Now, off to sample some more tasty delights.

Also in Future World is Intermissions Café located at the Festival Center. The most interesting item on their menu is the Beet Lollipop served in a push pop! Sounds like something we must try.

(stay tuned for a bonus at home twist recipe for the Beet Lollipop later this week)

At Home Twist:

Ok, since we are really not at the festival this week, we decided to recreate one of the offerings from the food booths to make us feel like we really are there. Our choice was the same as above, the Wild Berry Slush.  The hard part of this week's recipe is that we have never tried it and have nothing but pictures to rely on. The good news is that we have nothing to compare it too so if it doesn't come out perfectly, we'll never know!

Berry Slush

by Home is Where the Mouse is, inspired by the Wild Berry Slush from the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of blueberries
• 1 cup of strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup of raspberries
• 1 cup of apple juice
• 3 cups of crushed ice

In a blender, put 3 cups of crushed ice.

Then, add blueberries...

strawberries...

raspberries (note: if you are not ok with the seeds being in your drink, you can blend the raspberries first then strain the liquid to separate it from the seeds)

Pour in 1 cup of apple juice

Blend until it is a slushy consistency. You may need to add more ice to get it really slushy.

Pour into a Disney glass and add a crazy straw! Enjoy!!

So what did we think? Bella and I loved it.  We're now thinking of other fruit combinations we can turn into slushies!

Come back tomorrow when we make a Flower and Garden Festival-inspired craft.  In the meantime, come over and give us a "Like" or a "Follow" on our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  You can also email us at HomeWhereMouseIs@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Magical Monday: EPCOT's Flower & Garden Festival - Part I

Photo Courtesy: WDWMagic.com

Spring is in the air.... well, maybe not exactly.  Spring may have technically started, but much of the country is experiencing very wintry conditions.  But there is one place where spring is in full bloom: EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival.  Each spring, Disney works its magic to transform EPCOT into a celebration of Spring, with their famous topiaries and garden exhibits.

We've been to the Flower and Garden Festival twice, and we can tell you from personal experience that it is quite a sight to see.  Unfortunately, we won't be able to make it this year. But through the power of the Internet, we can escape the frigid, wet weather around us and immerse ourselves in Springtime at Walt Disney World.

Come with us on a virtual tour of EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival...




Alright, it's a beautiful Florida morning and we're up and on our way to EPCOT for the 20th anniversary of the Flower and Garden Festival.  Since this is a virtual trip, let's pretend you were staying with us at the Grand Floridian and we've taken the monorail over to the TTC, transferred to the EPCOT monorail, and are now approaching our destination.  As much as I love the convenience of staying at the Boardwalk or Beach Club resorts and simply walking over to EPCOT, there is something so cool about arriving on the monorail and getting that sneak peak of Future World as you circle around Spaceship Earth.  Look, you can see some of the topiaries already! 

Never been to the Flower and Garden Festival before?  Well, you're in for a treat.  Disney adorns the entire park with its famous topiaries, lush gardens, nature exhibits, and they have activities for both adults and kids, as well as a special "Flower Power" concert series.  Even the experienced festival-goers have something extra special to look forward to this year, as they've added special food kiosks throughout the park as well!

We're here.  C'mon, let's go!  

One of the other great things about this virtual trips is that you can skip right through security and straight into the park.  There is so much to see and do at EPCOT during this time of year, that they have to publish a separate park map highlighting it all.  You can download yours here and just pretend along with us that we've picked it up at the main entrance.

Page 1 of the 2013 Flower and Garden Festival Map.  

Would you like to get a picture of your family at the entrance with Spaceship Earth behind you?  For the festival, Disney's added the Fab Five in topiary form.  They're celebrating the 20th anniversary with a cookout!

I hope Goofy doesn't drop that cake!

These photos were all courtesy of runeatdatesleep.com

Hey! no line for Spaceship Earth! Let's take a quick ride!

Around the back as we exit the Project Tomorrow interactive area, we find a couple of Disney pals.  It's Phineas and Ferb!  I wonder what those two are up today?  and hey, where's Perry?

Photo Courtesy: WDWMagic.com 

Let's hang a left to check out some more topiaries.  Over by the Festival Center, we find the fab five again.

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

The Festival Center is located in the old Wonders of Life pavilion.  Inside, we can get tips from gardening experts on how to make our gardens at home more beautiful and eco-friendly.  If we time it right, we might catch an HGTV star  on the Designer's stage outside!  They also offer a guided tour (for guests 16 and up, additional fee required)

Of course, they also have some neat garden merchandise inside as well!  Did you remember to bring extra money for some Mickey garden gnomes?

Photo Courtesy: WDWMagic.com

Photo Courtesy: Disney

Photo Courtesy: Disney

It's just a short walk from the Festival Center to infinity... and beyond, where we find Buzz Lightyear outside Mission: Space.  This is one of my favorite rides, so I think I'll get on the single rider line and catch up to the tour in a few minutes...

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Circling back to our right we pass through the "For the Birds" garden presented by the National Audubon Society. 

Ka-Chow!  We've arrived at Route 66 and Radiator Springs! the cutest little town in Carburetor County...  They've got my sons favorites: Lightning McQueen and Mater, as well as an interactive play area.  It's going to be hard getting him out of there!

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Video of the Interactive Play area!

Video Courtesy: UnderCover Tourist

Not only did they set aside a place for the kids, but here's a spot for adults to relax in the Garden Retreat.  It could do with a little more shade, but it's a nice spot to get off your feet for a bit.  Can someone grab me a Mickey Ice Cream bar while I'm sitting here?

We're passing by one of the best gift shops in all of WDW... Mouse Gear!  If you want to run inside, I'll be out here taking a picture of Spaceship Earth with the Fountain of Nations.

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

And behind us, we've got the Lion King topiaries and a fun activity area for the kids where they can make African masks!

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Crossing over to the west side of Future World brings us to Tink's Butterfly House.  This is my daughter's favorite.  Topiaries of Tink and all her fairie friends, plus butterflies fluttering all around! 

Photo Courtesy: runeatdatesleep.com

Video Tour of Tink's Butterfly House!

Video Courtesy: UnderCover Tourist

And right outside the Butterfly House is perhaps the best photo spot of the festival.  The "Festival Blooms" painstakingly laid out against the water.  Just beautiful!  And if you wait just a minute, you can get the monorail in your picture too as it comes through!  Don't forget to wave!

Next, we have one of this year's special exhibits: the "Land of Oz"  Has everyone seen the movie, "Oz, the Great and Powerful" yet?  This garden is inspired by the movie, and includes circus games and another great play area for the kids! Let's follow the yellow brick road on in and take a look!

Photo Courtesy: WDWMagic.com

Photo Courtesy: WDWMagic.com

Here's some video of the Land of Oz garden!

Video Courtesy: JeffLange DVD

Finishing out our tour of Future World, we find the "Water Wise Herbs and Vegetables" garden.  I think Lisa wants this garden in our backyard!  Then again, who wouldn't??

Wow.  we've certainly seen a lot, and that was only Future World!  We haven't even reached World Showcase yet!  Tell you what.  Let's take a break from the tour for a bit.  Meet us back here at the Water Wise Herb and Vegetable Garden and we'll head to World Showcase for Part 2 of our tour!  In the meantime, hit the bathroom, go use your Soarin' FastPass! get a bite to eat (but save room for the treats in all the countries!) and go back to revisit any of the exhibits we passed through! 

It's a virtual tour, so you've got all the time you need!  If you're hungry, be sure to check back tomorrow for our Tasty Tuesday segment on some of the Flower and Garden Festival treats they've added this year!




Special Thanks to the following sites we borrowed pictures and videos from:

• Run, Eat, Date, Sleep Blog
• WDW Magic
• Undercover Tourist
• Disney
• Jeff Lange DVD

For more information on the 2013 Flower and Garden Festival, be sure to visit: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-international-flower-and-garden-festival/

This has been a Magical Monday blog post.  

For other ideas of ways to add extra Magic to your Disney Vacation, click HERE.

Enjoying our Virtual Tour?? Leave us a comment and let us know you're on board!  Don't forget to check in tomorrow for tasty Festival Treats!  

While you're here, be sure to leave a comment to let us know you've stopped by!  You can also use the mickey head links below to Like us, Follow us, Email us, and Subscribe to us!