Downtown Disney Weekend Recap

DEAR GOD my left knee hurts! Come to think of it my right knee hurts too. I did the elliptical yesterday and 20 minutes elliptical today followed by 10 minutes of running/walking on the treadmill. I thought cutting back on the running would help but what can I say? My knees HAAAATE me.

Anyway rant over.



After breakfast and a gym workout, Andy and I headed over to Downtown Disney. Before checking into our hotel for the night, we stopped by Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen so I could get my favorite...Chicken Caesar Wrap with parmesan garlic fries.

Um...can you saw holy fries?



This wrap is obviously not a "health" food but it is so dang good! Seasoned grilled chicken breast with caesar dressing, parmesan cheese, bacon, tomatoes and romaine lettuce.



Andy ordered a pulled pork sandwich with the tastiest potato salad. I HATE mayo-y potato salads but this one? YUM!



So I loved my wrap but only half about 1/3 of the fries. (That's with Andy's help!) I hate how huge portions at restaurants are. It drives me insane. And I'll admit there were definitely days in my past where I could finish those fries off. Not anymore though!



Still Brennan's has great food. Next time, I might have to try a shrimp po' boy!



After Brennan's Andy and I walked around the shops at Downtown Disney to digest. We even managed to find a Minnie and Mickey Christmas "Just Married" ornament for half price. I was pretty stoked! It was actually pretty warm at Disneyland, so we drove to our hotel and checked in. And took a nap.



After the nap, I needed an alcoholic beverage. My first of 2010! We walked from our hotel to Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. I love the rustic feel of the lobby.





And the bar inside the hotel has all sorts of cute touches to it.



I usually order a sangria but I was in the mood for something tropical and full of rum!



Along with some snacks, it totally hit the spot. Andy ordered a Newcastle. I didn't take a picture.



After more walking and window-shopping, Andy and I decided to grab dinner before the show. We headed over to the La Brea Bakery. Where they gave us fresh baked sourdough to start with.



And soup in a bread bowl for dinner. I ordered the tomato & red bell pepper.



And Andy had clam chowder. Both were delicious without being too filling.

As for the concert. It was an awesome show. Andy and I really wanted to see both Anthony Raneri (of the band Bayside) and Chris Conley (Saves the Day) so it was nice that they both played first. Anthony has such an amazing voice! It's just nice to go to concerts with Andy and relax a little bit.



Lunch this afternoon was some cream of broccoli soup from Natural Cafe. (My sister gave us a gift card for Christmas! Thanks Emily!)



And a turkey burger with avocado.



Andy ordered a Natural Caesar salad with grilled chicken.

Now we're back home. I have to go in to fill out paperwork at my new job tomorrow and I'm kind of stressed out about it. I guess going back to reality is tough. That and starting school January 19th. I will totally miss my free time!

How was your weekend?

Why I am excited

I applied for a scholarship back in March 2008. I never heard anything back so I just assumed that I didn't get it, which was fine!

Then yesterday, I got a phone call and an email asking me to immediately come in and talk to the financial aid department regarding my scholarship status. I won't know if I qualify for another two to four weeks so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! School is expensive, yo! I could really use the help.

So yeah I was excited about the possibility of money. That's a little sad. Told you it wasn't that exciting.

Tomorrow Andy and I are going to a concert at the House of Blues in Anaheim. The House of Blues is actually part of Downtown Disney and I am hoping to eat at my favorite restaurant, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen! We are going to the "Where's The Band Tour" with the lead singers from Thrice (meh), Saves the Day (yay!), The Get Up Kids (nostalgia!) and Bayside. I love Bayside so I am stoked!



We went to Disneyland last on December 30th. It was pouring rain!



But we met Santa and Mrs. Claus. Pictured: Me, Andrew, Tiffany, Gary, Brett and Adina.



And Woody. My hair was so wet from not having a hoodie or anything. I never prepare properly for rain.



I love when Small World is lit up for Christmas.



Haunted Mansion was decked out for the holidays too.

I am pretty excited to be close to the magic again tomorrow. We won't be going into the parks but I love shopping at Downtown Disney.

I don't have much to share food-wise. I am planning on eating lots of leftovers today. Boringggg.

Do you have anything exciting planned for this weeked?

Sweet Potato Fries + Chili

First and foremost, I need to tell you about the fabulous dinner I had with Andy, his parents and grandparents. We had a great time. I love my new family!



We went to Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. I ordered Paneed Chicken and Grits.



Large portions ahead. Beware. And fear not, I only ate half!



The chicken was topped with ham and cheese sort of like a creole version of chicken cordon bleu.



Andy ordered catfish. He said the breading wasn't his favorite but the side dish of potato salad was fabulous. And I HATE potato salad!



For dessert I had a slice of caramel apple cheesecake.



Andy got the bread pudding. I failed to try a bite. GRR



This morning, I was feeling a little queasy and dying for a run. I had a smallish breakfast of one huge honeycrisp apple and a little bit of magic on the side!



Emily, this peanut butter is 10 times better than I expected!!!



After breakfast, I ran 2.13 miles in 25 minutes. For me this is a small miracle. I felt great afterwards.



Lunch was leftovers. They were great! I'm glad I had a light breakfast!



For dinner tonight I made a small salad with pathetic ingredients. All for the $100 november challenge though right? I threw some tomatoes, feta cheese and salsa ranch on some romaine lettuce and called it a salad.





I cheated with the chili. I grabbed a can of Hormel Turkey Chili and threw in the rest of the tomato, some sliced shallots and green onion.



Then I heated up some sweet potato fries. For the fries, I simply spray some olive oil and add some cajun seasonings.



Added some lite cheddar cheese and sour cream and called it Chili Cheese fries. Note this is a salad plate. I wish it was a bigger plate. These were FREAKING DELICIOUS! Andy and I didn't even talk during dinner because we were so busy eating.

I am excited for the Foodbuzz festival on Friday!!! AAAAAWWWWW!!!