Best vegetarian and vegan food options at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

We just recently got back from a trip to Disney World and had an amazing time, it was my first time and I got to say I had a much better time than I thought I would.  We have three young children so it was ideal time for us to go and for everyone to really enjoyed the experience.  Before hand I was a little concerned if we would find meals that were either vegan or vegetarian.  A little research was quite enlightening as there are quite a number of options if you look for them, does take some planning though.

The food options range from the fastest food to fine dining table service so it depends on the type of experience you want.  We were there to not spend too much time on dining and more time in the park and utilized the mobile food order option when we could – this was a life saver with the kids.  You just place an order on the app and go to an express line and pick it up, usually only takes 5-10 min.  All of this is pre-made so don’t expect anything too fancy here.  I am just going to highlight the places and menu items that have a vegetarian or vegan option and have a mobile order option as well.

Casey’s Corner (Main Street)

Loaded Slaw Dog: Plant-based Sausage topped with Pickled Slaw, Barbecue Vegan Aïoli, and Roasted Corn Relish served with French Fries or Apple Slices (this actually sounds delicious and I wish I got this).

“Sausage” Dog (yes the quotations are on purpose and how it is listed on the menu) : plant-based sausage on a bun, guessing that the bun is not vegan.

Columbia Harbor House (Liberty Square)

Lighthouse sandwich: Hummus with Tomato and Broccoli Slaw served on Toasted Multigrain Bread with House-made Potato Chips

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe (Tomorrowland)

Plant-based Sloppy Joe : Plant-based Beef Crumbles tossed in a Sloppy Joe Sauce of Diced Onions, Yellow Mustard, Ketchup, Garlic, and Brown Sugar served with French Fries.  I actually had this and I would not recommend!

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn (Frontierland)

Southwest Salad: Mixed Greens topped with Roasted Corn and Bean Salsa, Tomatoes and Tortilla Crisps (don’t eat the tortillas and this would be vegan)

Veggie nachos: Tortilla Chips topped with Queso, Zucchini and Squash

Plant-based Southwest burger: topped with Vegan Jalapeño Jack and Vegan Avocado Aïoli on a Toasted Bun (bun may not be vegan so for a full vegan meal may want to omit)

Veggie Rice bowl: Yellow Rice topped with Black Beans and Roasted Vegetables (vegan option)

Pinocchio Village Haus

Margherita Flatbread: Flatbread topped with Shredded Mozzarella, fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella Pearls and Basil

Gourmet Cheese Flatbread: Flatbread topped with Tomato Sauce, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Provolone and Parmesan

Penne pasta with Marinara: Penne Pasta topped with Marinara and sprinkling of Basil

If you really wanted a vegan option here you could also get a side salad with french fried or tomato basil soup.

 

 

 

Why become a Selective Flexitarian?

Since I started this journey of eating meat from responsible sources (pasture raised, grass fed, free range, heritage breed, all natural, cage free, no hormones, etc) there are some economic and logistical consequences that arise. Firstly it is quite expensive to buy responsibly raised meat, either from the supermarket or a farm. Meat from a factory farm is less expensive since they grow their animals faster using hormones and non-natural diets. Also by cramming these animals into confined spaces they get more return per square foot. These factors and many more result in factory farms being able to produce relatively inexpensive meat so people can afford to eat meat every day if they want. And most people want to eat meat every day, I was one of them for most of my life. Raising animals on pasture or truly free range is labor intensive and more expensive just like organic vegetables are more expensive than non-organic. If you make the decision to only eat responsibly raised meat then you need to make a choice. Spend more money on meat or eat less meat. Seems obvious right?

If all factory farms were banned today the smaller farms that raise animals the right way could not produce enough meat for everyone. Meat prices would go up and would become a luxury item just like it was 60 years ago before factory farms really took hold of the farming industry.  So there are some options here for the consumer that believes that factory farming is wrong.  The most obvious one is to become vegan.  There has been a large conversion of people to veganism in the last 10 years and the realization of the practices that occur at factory farms has contributed greatly to this shift.  Being a vegan in 2020 is still a lot of work and a big commitment.  The other option for me is to become what I call a “Selective Flexitarian”.  Flexitarian is an actual word in the dictionary (adopted in 2012, so not sure why the spellcheck keeps saying it is a spelling mistake) and is defined as : “one whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish”.  If you google flexitarian a lot of articles will come up and it is closely tied to the Reductarian movement which is aimed at reducing the amount of meat in people’s diets due to concerns with animal welfare and the environment.  A lot of vegans may say that eating some meat is cheating, I kind of agree, and I don’t think I am ready to give up meat completely.  Also, for me if the meat is not raised responsibly then it is really cheating, hence the term ‘Selective Flexitarian’, if one is to eat meat then it should be selective from a responsible source.

So now I want to be a ‘Selective Flexitarian’ what does that mean?  For me it means finding responsible sources of meat which is eaten on occasion, while the rest of the food I eat should come from vegetable or plant-based sources.  The majority of my blog to date has focused on the responsible meat part of the journey; looking for farms, food brands and restaurants that meet the criteria.  There has been a steady shift to find more plant-based, vegan or vegetarian meals in my week, going forward I will be writing more about the second part of my conversion!