I had the pleasure of being invited to a blogger event by Cigna, one of the sponsors of the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. It was so much fun to meet other blogger friends and reconnect with those I've been at events with before.
runDisney people are the best!!!
We met at Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel at 10 and were greeted with chef hats and a warm welcome from Disney and Cigna. We talked a little about health eating and the importance of spreading the word of health through what we do (hellloooo...this seriously IS my life's calling!). We were split into 4 groups and got to attend 4 cooking demonstrations by some of Disney's best chefs. Someday I have great hopes of working with runDisney on running training or fitness in some aspect...clearly I have NO hope of working with Disney in a kitchen! They made it look so easy!
We started with a delicious chicken with pesto, veggies, and farrow. Yep, I'd never heard of it either, but it was delicious. Chef Chris from Disney's Banquet Dept flew threw the recipe, even butchering a whole chicken in minutes. It would have easily taken an hour for me, but it's definitely inspiring to see someone so passionate about the creative side of cooking!
We followed up with the dessert station where we tried tons of delicious fruits I had never heard of, including cotton candy grapes (what???). They actually tasted like cotton candy. The main ingredient was peaches, of course. The ONE thing I can't even touch because I'm allergic. They did look delicious, and we also learned to make a yummy crumble, which I plan on using for a different cobbler. Don't worry, I had a big spoonful of the crumble to make up for the lack of peaches in my tummy!
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| Mmmmm...dessert! |
Next up was smoothies. We did a pre-workout and a post-workout. They were simple and tasty. I made sure to take meticulous notes, so I'll be sharing both of those in a separate post so you can make them too! I guess this is my level of chef-status...throwing things in a blender!
Finally, we headed to the salad station, where we learned how to make our own dressing, as well as a salad filled with berries, Delish! I definitely need to make my own salad dressing--it not only is healthier, but saves money too. Forget all those chemicals they put in the bottled junk at the store!
Of course, after we finished, the man of the hour appeared: Chef Mickey! Nothing like an appearance by the big cheese to get a bunch of Disney nuts excited. We took some pictures, then sat to eat all of the yummy things we'd been staring at for over an hour. This preggo lady was ready to EAT!!! Not that I had any doubts, but each dish was more delicious than the last. It was a great meal, and a great start to my Disneyland weekend.
I have to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Cigna for hosting such a fun event! I had a blast, and I hope there are more in the future. See you at the next race!
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| And finally...we EAT! |
Coffee Crunchy Pre-Workout Smoothie (one serving):
