Orlando Food Haul 2015

If you know me you know I like a good suitcase haul. If you didn't see last years post it explains how I pack things to bring them back to the UK as unscathed as possible. Again travelling Premium Economy this year allowed me to bring back two extra suitcases filled will goodies. Not all food...but mainly.

Here is everything I brought home...

My last visit to Wholefoods Orlando was a bit like supermarket sweep. One of the things I grabbed as I was dashing round the store was this Follow Your Heart Ranch. I saw ranch dressing everywhere in Florida and i'd never tried it so when I saw this I knew I had to take it home. This was a chilled item so I had to pack it with ice packs to keep it cool. Its dairy, egg, gluten free and vegan. I've been using it on salads and as a dip and I really like it. Once its gone its gone though as I don't think this is available in the UK. Sob.

I know some people find Chia seeds weird. I'd probably describe them as frog spawn. But I actually really like them. Mamma Chia is a popular brand in the usa with lots of flavours. I'd actually brought these to drink while I was there but didn't get round to them so I wrapped them up to bring home. I really enjoyed both flavours. Are there any of these drinks in the UK?

While in the airport we were spending our last bit of spare cash on snacks. I spotted these Dry Roasted Edamame. They were free from Gluten & Dairy so I purchased. I really enjoyed them as a savoury snack.

Ah Tostitos. I love Tostitos. We usually buy the scoops but this year they had these new rolls which we loved. They were great dipped in salsa or hummus. Always amazes me the selection of Tortillas that the USA have compared to our selection. I also found the little tortilla trays in target and thought they were cute so I will use them for mini tacos or for salsa.

There are a lot of Justin's nut butters (including the peanut butter cups) in the usa. I found these little chocolate hazelnut butter packets in target. They are perfect size for a snack.

I noticed these bread crumbs in all three of the supermarkets, Walmart, Publix and Target. This one is free of dairy & egg too. I've used it already sprinkled on top of lasagne to make it crispy. It worked really well. I need to try them next to coat some chicken strips or prawns.

Random find but I had this brand of iced tea last year and was interested in trying this combination. I've not yet drank them but i'm looking forward to them. I love the cute packaging too.

Grape Jelly! or jam as we call it. I like anything grape flavoured (even the fake grape flavour). We dont tend to get grape jam over here so I always pop one in the suitcase.

These cute little biscuits may well have been my favourite haul purchase. I loved both flavours and I loved how tiny and sweet the little bunnies are. Not all Annies products are free from everything but i'm so glad these were free from dairy, egg and gluten because they were amazing.

I know we can now get a few Enjoy Life products in the UK now but I liked the sound of these. 

I found these baking mixes in Target and i've wanted to try the Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes for a while but on any UK websites they are really overly priced. I found them a lot cheaper in the usa. I've made the chocolate chip cookies and the brownies and they worked great and tasted great.

I used to love Oreo's so these two brands are great alternatives.

You can find Chex in all the supermarkets. There are lots of flavours to choose from. I brought home my favourites.

S'mores are very American, I think the closest we can get in the uk to a Graham style cracker is a digestive biscuit. Last year I made s'mores as desserts after summer bbq's. I'm looking forward to trying these crackers and using the square marshmallows.

I buy these crisps every year. They are a dairy free cheesy puff which reminds me of Wotsits. I love them. 

Wholefoods had a great selection of different pastas. I decided to try these two. I used the brown rice pasta lasagne recently in a lasagne and really enjoyed it. I like how it has a wavy edge.

I kinda miss sometimes being able to grab something cheap and simple. Lots of cuppa soups and instant noodles contain either gluten or milk so when I spotted these for under $1 in walmart I popped some in the trolley. I know they aren't the most nutritious of foods but it was nice to pop them in a mug at work and have them as a quick lunch. 

We love using our coffee machine and as much as we like nice Artisan ground coffee we are also drawn toward the cheaper flavoured brands too. Dunkin Donuts do some fab flavours and yes its probably not the best quality but we like it. Our favourite find this year was a cherry flavour which we had while we were there. The chocolate donut is also really nice. I'm going to use these for iced coffee's this summer.

Finally, last year I brought the Twinings Cold Brew teabags from the UK area in Epcot. I didnt go into Epcot this year but while we were there my sister did so she picked me up the four flavours they do. I love them in summer as they are so refreshing. I also found in Walmart the Salted Caramel Black tea which is so nice. I also brought some sleepy tea for bedtimes.

So that brings my 2015 USA Eats series to an end. I hope you have enjoyed reading all my posts and I hope they will help you plan an amazing holiday in Florida. If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments or find me on twitter.

Favourite Fast Food Eats in Florida 2015

Over the last few years if I needed some fast food we always called at Chick-fil-a as I knew I could have the grilled chicken nuggets and waffle fries. I love them dipped in Polynesian sauce.

We only went once this time but I had my old faithful nuggets & waffle fries. Yum!

This year a new restaurant/take away had appeared on the main stretch of road that we traveled down every day (192 West Bronson Memorial Highway). It is called Pollo Tropical. I started by dropping them a little email to ask about allergies. They replied really quickly and sent me a full list of allergens.

A few days later when we were in need of some quick food we decided to give it a try. The man behind the counter was very helpful in telling me which options I could pick and he double checked his allergen lists. I decided to have a TropiChop which is a rice bowl with chicken and different toppings. I had rice, black beans, chicken, tomatoes and corn. There was also salsa and other sauces available.

This place became my new favourite. I was nice to be able to have something that wasn't fried and there were no fries in sight. I considered it a nice healthier option for when we were needing a lighter meal. It was really tasty too.

Not so much fast food but while we were out at Brevard Zoo (nice day out if you like animals) I spotted a sign for chocolate coated frozen bananas they were Dairy & Gluten Free. Unfortunately the cafe was closed so I was unable to try them but when I searched for the website it seems that they are sold in lots of locations around Florida.

On my return I really wanted to try and make them for myself. I froze some bananas on lollipop sticks and made a raw chocolate with cocoa butter, raw cacao & maple syrup. I dipped the frozen bananas in the raw chocolate and covered with sprinkles, cacao nibs and sea salt. Then popped them back in the freezer to set. All three combinations were yummy and they make a great summer treat.

Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter 2015

There is one word for this place... Beignets!!

You must visit this resort to enjoy the deliciousness that are allergy friendly Beignets.

These can be found at Sassagoula Floatworks.

 Take yourself to the pastry counter and order 3 or 6 of them! A chef will be called and he will be more than happy to go off and make you the delights.

These are one of my favourite sweet treats that can be found in Disney. They are worth visiting this resort for. While you are there take a walk around the resort and down the river as it is lovely.

Boatwrights at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside 2015

Boatwrights, which is a Louisiana style restaurant, can be found at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort. This is a pretty big resort which we found really nice to stroll around after our meal.

I made a reservation at Boatwrights after reading great reviews from Gluten Free & Dairy Free WDW. I knew I had to try the crawfish bites. I emailed Disneys special diets to request this as a starter. The chef emailed me back a few days later to confirm it would be possible. Yay! 

On arrival the server told me a chef would come out to see me. I told him I'd ordered the crawfish bites and I asked him what he'd recommend from the menu as a main. He suggested the Chicken & Waffles. I agreed as its not every day you can get safe Chicken & Waffles. Off he went to sort out our meals.

I was served two rolls with olive oil which I enjoyed but I was conscious that I didn't want to fill myself up with bread as I'm not used to having a starter and main.

I shared the crawfish bites with my husband as I'd seen that you got a pretty big portion. I really enjoyed them, they were crispy and nicely seasoned.

My main arrived and I must say I was slightly disappointed. I was served a waffle with chicken tenders. I was kinda expecting proper fried chicken as the chef didn't mention tenders. But it was nice all the same. I was really full by the end of it all though. I did wish I'd picked out the jambalaya or one of the fish dishes. My husband had catfish which looked lovely.

I really liked the setting and the theming of the restaurant and they were great with my special requested. I just made the wrong choice with the main.

When I got home I found crayfish tails in my local Morrisons so I thought I'd try my own crawfish bites. I seasoned some GF Plain Flour with smoked paprika and salt and mixed in some water to make a batter. I heated up a pan of oil and dipped each crayfish tail into the batter and then placed it into the oil. Once all were browned and crisp I removed them from the oil and drained them on some kitchen roll. I served mine with a nice fresh salad. They were yummy!

Universal Studios Eats 2015

During our 2nd week we visited Universal Studios. Again, i'd never eaten a proper meal in the park over the past few years, i'd just settled with a melon pot or some crisps. This year I was determined to eat somewhere with my husband and my sister & her boyfriend who we met for the day while we were in the park.

My place of choice was Bumblebee Mans taco Truck in the Simpsons Springfield area of the park. 

The server was very helpful and explained which tacos were safe and what could be omitted. I decided on a Carne Asada Taco which was Skirt Steak. I received two corn tacos with steak, lettuce and salsa along with a side of tortilla chips. I did notice that corn tortillas are alot more available in restaurants and supermarkets in the USA than they are in the UK. Ours always seem to by the flour tortillas which is a shame as I think the corn tortillas are tastier. Anyway, I really enjoyed my lunch and washed it down with a Flaming Moe from Moe's Tavern.

We headed back to the new Harry Potter area, Diagon Alley and explored all the shops. This place is amazing and everything has been done to the very last detail.

As usual everyone was walking around slurping up their Butter Beers which unfortunately us dairy free people cant have. Boo hiss!! But I spotted a cool stall that was selling Gilly Water with a "Potion". There were lots of different coloured potions to choose from and the server told me the flavours of each of them. I decided on the Draught of Peace which was mainly blueberry I think. It was basically a syrup that you poured into your bottle of Gilly Water and shook up to make a drink. I really liked it as it allowed me to also have a quirky drink while the others enjoyed their Butter Beers.

Something else I like to cool down with at the Universal Parks are Dippin Dots. The Rainbow Ice flavour is the only dairy free option but they are nice and fruity. They are tiny balls of flavoured ice frozen with liquid nitrogen. I really like them.

When I contacted the Special Diets dept before my holiday they told me that in Universal Studios there were two full service restaurants that had chefs that could come to the table, they are Lombards Landing and Finnegans. GF Pasta is available in the full service restaurants too. He also advised that the Lemon and Strawberry Slush carts were ok and there were fruit cups sold in various areas.

Its worth emailing before your holiday to get an idea of your options. I felt a lot more comfortable this year eating in this park. Thumbs up Universal!

Disney's Magic Kingdom Eats 2015

We'd not been to the Magic Kingdom since our honeymoon back in 2012. There's been lots of new additions since then so this year we decided to get a day ticket and go back. I'm so glad we did as it was such a fun day. We'd had a huge breakfast at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Hotel before our last visit so I didn't eat at the park. I was looking forward to eating in the park this year and felt a lot more comfortable doing so knowing how amazing Disney are with food allergies.

For lunch we stopped at Gastons Tavern in the new Fantasy Land Area (Look out for Gaston in the courtyard for some funny banter). Its a quick service counter with a small seating area in a themed room to the left of the counter.

I really wanted to try the Roasted Pork Shank. I checked with the server and she showed me the ingredients list. Thumbs up it was safe for me. It was $7.99 which isn't cheap for just a bone with meat but when in Disney! I actually enjoyed it and it did fill me up nicely.

I also knew where I wanted to eat for Tea. I'd lined up Columbia Harbor House as they had a Special Diets Menu. This is a counter service restaurant with lots of indoor and outdoor seating.

I spotted a staff member while I was in the queue and asked for the special diets menu. I think he actually turned out to be a supervisor/manager as he told me to let him know what I wanted, he put it through with the cashier and he went into the back to arrange it. 

I picked the chicken tenders with fries (yes I was close to turning into a chicken tender by the end of the holiday, I was making the most of them). I also added an Enjoy Life cookie as a sweet treat. It was a nice filling meal and great service.

I loved our Disney day and it was so nice to know that as we were there for around 10 hours I was able to have two decent meals. The park has lots and lots of options for special diets. I'd highly recommend checking out Gluten Free & Dairy Free WDW blog as Sarah has lots of reviews for the restaurants in the park (plus all the other parks and hotels). Another favourite blog is Gluten Free Orlando. She also has loads of reviews of the parks and surrounding areas.

Enjoy a free from Disney trip!

Discovery Cove Eats 2015

Spending the day at Discovery Cove is one of our favourite things to do on holiday in Orlando. You can buy a day ticket which allows you to have fun at the cove all day and includes breakfast, lunch, drinks and snacks. You can also add a dolphin swim onto the base ticket. We did this on our honeymoon but the last few visits we haven't felt the need to do it again. This year we did the SeaVenture which was great fun walking on the sea bed with the fish.

I didn't have anything exciting for breakfast as I wasn't too hungry, I opted for a fruit bowl as it was an easy option to pick out.

Around the park there a numerous kiosks with self serve drinks machines containing soda and slushies. They also have a selection of crisps which some are free from dairy & gluten and if I remember some packets of trail mix. The also serve "normal" pretzels and cookies.

For lunch I asked the server about allergies and she called out the chef to the end of the queue. He told me what options I had and I chose to have chicken and fries. He did tell me there were no safe dessert options. He came out with a plate full of chicken and fries and he's added some fresh fruit. It was a nice meal and fueled me up for more swimming.

What I did notice this year was there were no signs in the dining areas or kisoks advertising Gluten Free snacks like there was last year. There was also no sign of the allergy free snack packs that i'd had given me previous years so I can only assume they have stopped providing them which is a shame as snacks are limited.

I still like that they are good at catering for special diets and they go off and make everything separately in the back but I do think they could provide a few more allergy friendly snacks and an allergy friendly dessert option.

I highly recommend visiting Discovery Cove for the day though, its an amazing place and you wont be disappointed.

Last years post can be found here

Wholefoods Orlando Haul 2015

It's no secret that I absolutely love Wholefoods and I especially love the ones in Florida as they are filled with so much different stuff compared to what we get in the UK. Our closest one in Orlando is just near the universal parks which makes it perfect to call into when we're out and about

My husband loves the buffet items in the store so we like to fill a tub with whatever we fancy. On this occasion I had a piece of marinated chicken, a portion of ribs and some chilli with rice. All the signs above the food has the ingredients written out so you can pick out safe options. You pay by weight so it's not cheap but it's tasty!

I also like the sushi selection that they have. It's all super fresh and tasty. I like the Shrimp Summer rolls with sweet chilli sauce. I can never resist edamame too as a side.

This is my Wholefoods haul, some of it was to take home but frozen stuff I had to devour while I was there. I really could have brought a whole lot more as there is just so much choice for every dietary need. I could go mad in the frozen isles but there's only so many meal times and not enough space in my belly.

I knew I had to find the Daiya Cheesecakes which are a new addition since my last visit. They come in a few different flavours but I picked the New York style. Now I couldn't wait to try this but stupidly I didn't check the ingredients. It was made with coconut milk which I can't tolerate. My husband talked me into trying it just in case I was ok with it, it didn't like me. But, it was worth the discomfort as it was so rich and creamy and tasted just like proper cheesecake. I wish I could still eat coconut because it used to be my fave and it would open up so many more options for me.

Another favourite of mine which can be found in the refrigerated section is Eat Pastry cookie dough. It makes lovely cookies. They are really good. They are really quick to make as you just scoop out the dough and pop them in the oven. Perfect to nibble on round the pool or at night.

I also picked up some guacamole as Wholefoods guacamole is my all time favourite. It is just the same in the UK stores too. Really delicious. I found some Amy's salsa too which was really nice.

Can't beat freshly made guacamole. Mm mm.

Another new thing I found was the Bold Organics pizza. I thought this pizza was by far the best free from pizza I've ever had. They had a selection of different flavours but I couldn't resist the meat lovers one as I love pepperoni.

The base was really tasty and had just the right crunch. The toppings were fab and the dairy free cheese melted and toasted well. I ended up having a couple while we were there as they were just too good.

For a sweet treat I love the Piping Gourmets whoopie pies. They are kept in the freezer and as they are individually wrapped you can take them out as you fancy. I didn't even wait for them to defrost as I quite liked them straight from the freezer. 

The mint ones are my favorite.

All in all Wholefoods is definitely a place you should visit in America. You will be overwhelmed by the selection and choices. I just wish I could have brought it all home with me.