Disney foods: What to try when you visit

Before we arrived in the States, Hubby and I had said that we wanted to continue eating well {just because we felt good and happy and wanted to keep that way}, but were happy to have a few treats. It was not long after we landed that we realised Disney is home to treats, treats and more treats and that healthy-eating idea was kinda going out the window. You can definitely eat well while visiting Disneyland, it’s just a matter of planning, and seeking out the healthier options at the Disney Eateries.

We stayed at Disneyland for seven days, and I had planned to write this post about Disney Foods, so it was fun to go out and try them. We managed to eat well around these meals though, and when we got home we hopped on the scales and noticed we’d actually lost weight. I think it was all the walking we did around the parks each day. And you know, everything in moderation!

Here’s 15 foods to try when visiting Disneyland and California Adventure Park:

1. Soft Serve Ice Cream, Paradise Pier Ice Cream {California Adventure Park}
This was my favourite. Who doesn’t love a soft serve cone? You can get this in vanilla, chocolate or a vanilla and chocolate combo swirl. You can even get it dipped in chocolate too. It’s big, it’s soft and it’s so so good. There’s another place that serves these which can be found at the cozy cone area in Cars Land at California Adventure Park.

2. Matterhorn Macaroon, Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe {Disneyland}
Another favourite of mine, this was better than I expected. It’s shaped like the snowy mountain and is all coconut-y and perfect, topped with a white icing of sorts. It only costs a few dollars, and worth lining up for {each time I went to the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe it had a line up}.

3. Disneyland Diamond Anniversary Cake Pops, Candy Palace {Disneyland}
For their 60th Anniversary Disney released a few foods and packaging to celebrate the occasion. This is one of them. It’s chewy with marshmallow ears, and perfectly cake-y inside.

4. Popcorn, various outlets at both parks
A friend went to the movies at Downtown Disney during our stay and he said that the popcorn had butter in a dispenser that you could POUR all over your popcorn. Can you believe it? You can’t get that at Disneyland or California Adventure Park, but it kinda doesn’t need it. This was a welcome relief from the sweet treats we had throughout our trip. I had to buy the Mickey container. I’m not sure when I’ll use it again, but I kinda didn’t want to live without it.

5. Soft Tacos Monterey, Cocina Cucamonga {California Adventure Park}
Just a short walk from the pier at California Adventure Park you can find a food court of sorts with various cuisines. We found this place, and were grateful that it offered simpler options for when it came to dinner. I think Hubby grabbed brown rice and vegies for the kids one night when I had a party. You can even grab toddler meals, which was a small container of rice with vegetables and apple puree. Lulu was happy! Hubby and I shared these tacos, and there pretty delicious.

6. Corn dog and Funnel Cake, Stage Door Cafe {Disneyland}
I know. I know. But it had to be done. I wouldn’t touch a corn dog EVER, but it’s Hubby’s thing and I love a good Funnel Cake, so we ventured to Frontierland to try these deep fried goodies. They didn’t all get eaten {they were BIG} but what we did eat we sure did enjoy.

7. Gumbo bread bowls, New Orleans Square {Disneyland}
I have to be honest here, and say that I didn’t love this. You can choose between beef, seafood and vegetarian with the chowder filling. Hubby wanted beef so we went with that. It’s hard to eat {it would be easier if the bread was soft} and the meat was like something out of a can… so I had to opt out. Definitely ask for butter when ordering, because if you’re going to do it you might as well go ALL THE WAY.

8. Diamond Anniversary Cupcakes, Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe {Disneyland}
These were so popular that I wasn’t able to even get my hands on one. I did line up for 30 minutes at the cafe in hopes of grabbing one, but it was after the 24 hour party that Disneyland held and I was totally out of luck. The ones pictured are a variation of the cupcake that they served at a party I went to {sadly I didn’t try one because I’d already sampled many other treats and planned to grab one from the park the next day! Bummer!}.

9. Character Lunch at Ariel’s Grotto {California Adventure Park}
Lacey and Lulu love the Disney princesses, so when I saw that they had a character lunch, I booked us in and made it happen. A character lunch is when you have lunch while the characters come and visit you at your table. The Princesses who visited us were Ariel, Rapunzel, Mulan, Cinderella and Tiana. I wasn’t expecting much from the food, and was thinking it was going to be all about the experience… but the food was actually really good. We sat down to three courses and this dessert was delicious. I would do this again in a heartbeat.

10. Chili Cone Queso Cone, Cozy Cone Motel, Cars Land {California Adventure Park}
I didn’t try this, but Hubby said it was awesome. You can get a few different options in the cone, including mac & cheese, Chili Cone Queso, Pulled Pork and others. Hubby said it was at the top of his Disney food list.

11. Dole Whip, The Tiki Juice Bar {Disneyland}
If you want to try this one {which you do} you kinda want to get in early. We were lucky and got in early before a line formed, but friends went later and the line was a 40 minute wait for Dole Whip. This is different to what we had in Hawaii because it’s creamy… but it’s so very good and refreshing. Think pineapple-y ice cream. {If you want to make your own at home, I shared a recipe here}.

12. Beignet, Jazz Kitchen Express {Downtown Disney}
These are like donuts, soft little pillows of sugary goodness. Apparently you can get these in the shape of Mickey, which would totally up their cool-factor, but I couldn’t find any. They’re sweet and good, and worth heading out of the parks for.

13. Soft drink in Diamond Celebration Packaging {Disneyland}
Ok, I’m just sneaking this one in because I can. I love that cup.

14. Burgers and salads, Smokejumpers Grill {California Adventure Park}
This was the first meal we had after getting off a plane and walking straight into the parks while our room was readied for us. I had a burger, Hubby a salad and the kids shared nuggets and chips. It totally hit the spot.

15. Cotton Candy {both parks}
I am adding this in for Lacey. She loves this stuff, so we’d make her happy by buying her some, letting her take a small handful and then promptly losing it {in the bin}. While in Disney, make the kids happy!

Which would you like to eat right now?