The Magic of Healthy Living Weekend at Epcot with Pollo a las Rajas

Today has been a much better day than yesterday. For instance, nobody hacked my email this morning to beg all of my kith and kin for a wire transfer. It's the little things like not getting hacked and humiliated that can make a day so much brighter. And Blogher seems to be cooperating a little better today. Not perfect, but better. It's the little things like not having to download the same pictures 753.9 times that make my heart sing zipadeedoodah.

Now, onwards and upwards. Shall we?

Just a couple of weeks ago, Sailor was the lucky recipient of a hefty prize as an essay winner for Disney's Magic of Healthy Living contest. Sailor was just one of fifty. Her cousin, Annaliese, was another one of the fifty, and that made the prize just that much more special. My sister MK and her family joined us at Disneyworld for a whole week, culminating in the prize package weekend for the two girls. On Friday morning, the two girls were lucky enough to be part of a public service announcement that should show up on Disney sometime in the near future. The point of the public service announcement was to show some inexpensive and creative ways that kids could get fit. Sailor was filmed jump-roping and Annaliese was the hula-hooper. They were slated to have an interview with some Disney teen celebs, but the crew ran out of time. The girls were good sports, especially since they still got to meet some Disney VIPs, like Caroline Sunshine of Shake It Up. She was adorable, super friendly and really kind to her adoring little fans.

That evening we had our first official event in a giant warehouse-y structure within Epcot. When we walked through the door, we were greeted by Disney cheerleaders who were whooping and applauding. The whole place was cheerily decorated and full of wholesome Disney loveliness. We couldn't help but smile. Sailor was assigned a team leader with two other cute little girl essay winners. Our families sat together during mealtimes.

Here is Sailor with a healthy dinner. I think she was too excited to eat anything.

Several buffet tables were set up with a wide array of healthy choices, like fava bean succotash, root vegetable potato chips, roasted pork loin, heirloom tomato soup with tofu cream...

Disney put on quite a show for the kids. They watched a couple of picture collages on screen with pictures of the actual kids doing healthy activities with a few headshots sprinkled in. They also had a video message from the First Lady commending them for their commitment to healthy living. We had some Disney characters that showed up to boogie down with the winners, a pots and pan chef's band (The Jammers?), and were introduced to a few more Disney teen celebs that would be hosting for the weekend.

Dessert was an assortment of tiny puddings. We loved the Meyer Lemon and the Strawberry. I can't embrace tapioca in my pudding, even if it is chocolate.

Afterwards, Disney got the kids all pumped up again showered the kids with ticker tape.

We exited through the tunnel of amped-up cheerleaders and headed back to the hotel.

The next morning, Sailor went off on a bus with the winners. We attended a separate breakfast for the families.

We met up with Sailor and her gang at an empty field inside of Epcot. I would never have know these places existed.

The winners particpated in outdoor games throughout the entire morning. Simple games from all over the world. The equipment used was very simple: a ball, a balloon, a rope, a Chinese jumprope. Again, the idea of the weekend was to show that getting fit is fun and doesn't require a whole lot of money, equipment, or time.

There were lots of famous athletes and Disney celebs on hand to hang out with the winners. Maybe you will recognize them. I'm sorry to say that I did not. I don't know who famous people are. Who is Kim Kardashian? Why is Snooki famous? These things I do not ever hope to know.

We had a fun make-your-own lunch spread out on a lazy susan. There were sauteed peppers, grilled chicken, spinach, chopped onions, salsa, chutney, beans, pitas and tortillas-and it was up to you to decide how you wanted to make it. For dessert, we had a fabulous brownie with a banana macaron and strawberry basil ice cream with a green tea swirled cookie thingy. The brownie was excellent. Was it healthy and low fat? Maybe? I got the chef's business card so that I can email him for the recipe.

After lunch the kids met back with their groups for more games inside of Epcot.

Sailor's group went to a grassy knoll in Germany to meet with Dopey and Helga to play more games like "What time is it, Mr. Wolf?"

The also had a gardening class from preteen gardening expert Katie Stagliano of Katie's Krops.

In the evening, we headed back to the warehouse for an awards ceremony and formal dinner.

We ate heirloom tomato water, a grain salad, and a Vietnamese spring roll for appetizers.

The girls were busy sticking foil Mickey Mouse shapes on their water glasses.

For dinner we had roast chicken, heirloom beans and Mickey Mouse polenta. Nice little touch.

The kids marched up on stage to get Healthy Living "diplomas."

I didn't get any pictures, but afterwards Mickey came out to bust some moves with some young, fit Disney singers and dancers. To cap off a great weekend and a great event, we headed into Epcot to watch the fireworks over the lake and enjoy an outdoor dessert bar. My favorite dessert was the low fat lemon cheesecake push pops.

The whole weekend was incredible. I was so impressed with the winners and their families. We met some really remarkable people. Disney was so kind and generous to all of the winners and their families. Their hope is that we will come home and use what we've learned to promote healthy living in our neighborhoods and communities. We've got lots to think about. The best news of all is that Disney is hoping to do the event next year, too. I'm hoping that your kids will be there next.

And now a recipe to share from Epcot. This one hails from the Mexican restaurant inside the pyramid. It would not have been served at Healthy Living event, but I think you will like it anyway. Serve it with chips and salsa and a bed of rice for a lovely meal.

Pollo a las Rajas

4 chicken breast halves

1 cup of chorizo, casing removed and diced (I left this out.)

1 large red bell pepper

1 large Spanish onion

1 large poblano chili

1 garlic clove, chopped 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup sour cream

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

1. Season the chicken breast halves with garlic, salt, and black pepper.Place the chicken breast halves in a roasting pan and bake in the oven at350 for 20 minutes or until cooked.2. In a saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of oil and lightly sauté poblano pepperuntil skin starts separating. Peel skin from poblano pepper. Make a slit andremove all the seeds. Slice onion, bell pepper, and poblano pepper intostrips.3. In a heavy skillet heat remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and add chorizo,garlic, onion, and peppers. Cook over medium high heat stirring occasionallyuntil onions and peppers are soft.4. Add sour cream, half-and-half, black pepper and salt and simmer for threeminutes.5. On ovenproof serving dishes, place 3/4 cup of vegetable mixture. Top withroasted chicken breast. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese on eachserving plate. Broil until cheese melts and turns golden.

Up Next:Harry Potter World and Frozen Butterbeer

The Ultimate Classic Tacos

When I was writing about the Taco Bell lawsuit a couple of days ago, I thought it would be handy to link to my own recipe for meaty, ground beef tacos. If you're craving tacos, you don't have to go out to eat or resort to one of those yawn-inducing taco seasoning packets. You can make them yourselves with my handy recipe! Um, just a second while I find that recipe. It must be crumpled and dog-eared at the bottom of my blog somewhere. Where is that darn recipe? It's not here. It never was. If a tree falls in the forest, or if a recipe is made but never written about on a blog, did it ever really exist? But hang on; we love tacos. We eat them all the time. Why weren't they here? What excuse could I have for this glaring omission? I think this is it: Sometimes I forget to share the everyday classics, maybe because they seem a little, well ordinary. But ordinary food is usually the favorite food, the food you return to again and again and find yourself making for dinner every Tuesday night. It's the food I like to make when people come to dinner because I know the grown-ups and the kids will both love it. There's nothing wildly exotic about these tacos. They're the ultimate classic with fried corn tortillas, chili and tomato flavored ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese and spicy and cooling pico de gallo. They'd be just as heavenly teetering on a plate on your lap while you watch the Super Bowl, as they would be around the dinnertable on a plain old weekday. So here they are, never to be lost forgotten or non-existent ever again. Long live ordinary, extraordinary tacos.

Ground Beef Tacos:

Estimated Cost for Ground Beef: $5.00-enough for 20 tacos

Notes: I love to double this recipe and freeze the leftovers.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 lb ground beef

2-4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (If you like it spicy, use El Pato)

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon. When the beef is almost cooked through, drain off the fat. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.

Serve inside lightly fried corn tortillas with homemade pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. I like to make refried beans in the crockpot to go along side; they're so easy, it won' take you but a moment.

Up Next: Chinese New Year favorites

Beefier than Taco Bell Nachos for Super Bowl Sunday

Have you been following the crazy law suit against Taco Bell? A consumer is calling for Taco Bell to be more honest about the actual percentage of beef they use in their tacos, burritos, and cheesy gordita crunch-a-ma-jigs. I don't know what they have on their menu. I haven't been there in years. Not since my sister Heidi bought a burrito on our drive from California to BYU and it dripped all over her cut-off sweats as she cruised the I-15. I was riding shotgun, trying to sop it all up with napkins and laughing my head off. I don't think that incident was Taco Bell's fault, but if you think it was, maybe I should consider a lawsuit. It has caused me considerable emotional distress and I haven't been able to step into a Taco Bell or wear cut-off sweats since then.

I think we're getting a little too big for our litigious britches, don't you? Here's what you do if you don't like what they're doing at Taco Bell, at Mc Donalds, at Acme Roller coaster company-you don't go. You don't spend your money there. You don't have to sue, get it? Your dollar is your vote. And aren't we forgetting the obvious here? Who goes to Taco Bell because they are expecting the finest quality Angus beef? Unless I've got America pegged all wrong, I think people are there for taste and price. Taco Bell, like any good housewife, stretches their budget by adding a little of this and a little of that to their ground beef. Didn't your Mom put oatmeal in her meatloaf? Beans in her chili? Breadcrumbs in her hamburger patties? That conniving little penny pincher! Take her to court and sue her for all she's worth! How dare you, Mom? Um...It sounds ridiculous, because it is ridiculous. Businesses, just like people, balance their budgets by making compromises here and there. If you don't like the extended beef at Taco Bell, take your discriminating dollar somewhere else. (Or make your own food at home; I'm here to help.) I'm pretty certain you'll be paying more, but maybe you'll be so busy eating you can keep your litigious mouth shut.

That sounded a little harsh. Let me try that last line again. Maybe you'll be so busy eating, you can keep your litigious mouth closed. Was that nicer? Oh, good. This is nicest of all: I've got some big, beefy nachos for your Super Bowl Sunday. They're loaded with shredded beef, melted cheddar, sour cream and homemade super-fast salsa. Get a pot roast going sometime this week so you'll have plenty for nachos this weekend. And if you're too busy to cook, you can always go to Taco Bell. No suing though, OK?

Pot Roast for Mexican Recipes

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for lots

Any inexpensive roast will work well, since you're going to be simmering for a long time.

1 pot roast, about 3 lbs.

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, whole

1 cup smooth salsa

1 cup beef broth

Put everything in the crockpot on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8. Mash up the onion and garlic with the juices. You can also do it on the stove top; just brown the roast in a little oil, add all the ingredients and simmer until tender about 3 hours.

Quick Salsa

Estimated Cost $1.00 for about 2 cups

1 (14 ounce) can Mexican style diced tomatoes with jalapenos

juice of 1/2 lime

pinch of sea salt

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in blender and process to smooth, or leave it a little chunky.

Nachos:

Layer tortilla chips, refried beans, shredded beef, and shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream, salsa, and chopped scallions and tomatoes.

Next Up: More Super Bowl food. Or Chinese New Year. Still thinking...

PS I might go to Taco Bell one of these days, just to show my support.