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    In just a few days, our family will be celebrating our first annual Glen & Helen Reynolds Family Reunion.  This first reunion of our family that begins with my husband and I and includes our children and grandchildren will hopefully be the start of a bi-annual event that will keep our family ties strong as our family grows and spreads out.  Since Madalynn is the one who got this event to be in the works over 2 years ago, it is, of course, happening at Disneyland.  You will be hearing all about it and how we planned it and made it happen soon.  But, I wanted to kick start the event by talking about food.
    I'm sure you know that going to a Disney Park is not an inexpensive event.  Food will be a major part of the cost.  But, you need to eat and you need energy to do all of that walking around the Park.  So, it is a really good idea to plan ahead.  It is especially a good idea to plan ahead when you have many children to feed.  Since I have 10 going on 11 grandchildren, I decided to do some research into the most economical ways to eat in Disneyland.

Bring Things Into the Park:

The folks at Disney are very nice about allowing food to be brought into the park. You can bring in a small ice chest of about 24 inches and your own water. They also have places to fill your water or you can get complimentary cups of water at the restaurants. Water flavoring packs are wonderful to add some variety to your water. Also, we are bringing in snacks for everyone that are Disney themed so that when the kids want the pricey snack that they see in the park, we will have a nice replacement for them. But, that will be the topic of an upcoming post.
Alicia and her family are able to go to Disneyland fairly often and she has told me that they try to bring one meal into the park with them and then eat one meal in the park. She has taken in homemade Lunchables or Burritos. One idea I've had is to take in my Yeti, filled with soup. The Yeti keeps things nice and hot all day. Since we are going in February, warm soup might really hit the spot. Sandwiches would be easy to pack as well. Strollers really come in handy for carrying your ice chest and other supplies. Whatever you bring, you are sure to save a bunch of money.

What to Purchase In the Park:

    I feel like if you are staying anywhere besides a Disney Resort Hotel, it isn't very convenient and is time consuming to leave the park to eat and then to come back in.  Besides, there are some fun themed restaurants with good food to eat that adds to the whole Disney experience.  So, eating at least one meal in the park is worth a small splurge.  But, I understand that budgets may be really tight.  I've been there!  So, I went through all of the menus of the places to eat in Disneyland, (you can do that on the app, but I've done it for you) and used some of my personal experience to make you a printable list of the best ideas for eating on a strict budget!  I am going to post the list here, but also add a pdf for you to print it if you want it handy for reference in Disneyland.  Sometimes there are places where splitting a meal is a great thing to do and there are some other tips, so watch for those! 

Have You Heard? These are the Best and Most Economical Places to Eat in Disneyland!
                                                                                                                          

​Within Disneyland Park:

• Bengal Barbecue-This is more of a snack place found in Adventureland across from the Indiana Jones ride. But, if you aren’t super hungry, you can get meat and vegetable skewers here to keep the hunger cravings down for a low price.  For Example:  2 Kinds of Beef Skewers available at $5.49 each.  A Chicken Skewer for $4.99.  The vegetable skewer, which is particularly hardy with more items on the skewer that the meat ones, $4.49. 
• French Market Restaurant-This is one of my husband favorite places to eat because the portions are large, so sharing a meal is an option.  Plus there are more options for different kid’s meals than there are in some other restaurants.  The French Market is found in New Orleans Square, off of Main Street.  May husbands favorite item is the Beef Stew in a Bread Bowl for $11.49.  Kids can choose from Chicken and Rice for $7.99 or Pasta with Marinara Sauce for $6.99.  The location of the French Market is great.  You can look out and see the river and the ships, plus, there is often a New Orleans Band playing here.
• Harbour Gallery-Right across from the Haunted Mansion is this little place that sells Lobster Rolls and Chowder in Bread Bowls ($11.49).  The soup is totally shareable because the bread bowl is so filling!  Not a lot of places to sit though, so stake out a place quickly!
• Jolly Holiday Bakery-On Main Street as it reaches New Orleans Square; this Bakery is great for breakfast or lunch.  Try to go at off times because the line can get long.  If you got up early to enter the park when it opened and therefore ate an early breakfast at your hotel, then while Jolly Holiday is still serving breakfast sandwiches, pick one up for an early lunch!  Their breakfast sandwiches can be purchased for right around $5.99!  Lunch time sandwiches are about $10.99.  Of course, if you have small kids, you can split the lunch sandwiches with them, making the price very reasonable.  Also, check out Jolly Holiday’s soups!  Tomato soup with a bread stick is just $5.99, as well as Turkey Pot Pie Soup that comes with a stick of pie crust!  Don’t forget the delicious Matterhorn Macaroon for dessert for just $2.99.

 

• Red Rose Tavern-At the back of Fantasyland you will find this Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant.  Maddy and I fell in love with it when we were there a couple of years ago.  My favorite dish there is the Beef Poutine for $10.99.  I liked it so well that I made my own copycat recipe for it on the blog. It is a large portion, so definitely shareable.  There are smaller portions called Chip Dishes on the menu such as Pizza for $6.99, a Burger for $7.99 and Chicken Nuggets for $7.99.  There is a convenient water refill station in Red Rose as well.

 
Within California Adventure:

• Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta-The pasta dishes in this restaurant look totally splitable for kids.  The Spaghetti and Meatballs is only $10.99 which is very affordable if split between the little ones.
• Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill-One of our favorite places in California Adventures! Lots of shareable foods like their Street Tacos at $12.99.  And, a toddler meal of Arroz con Pollo for $4.49 sounds like something any kid would love!
• Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café-This is another place that serves Breakfast Sandwiches that would make a really great late morning lunch!  They run from $4.99-$5.99 each.
• Pacific Wharf Café-They sell Sour Dough Rounds for $5.99 here.  If you bring your own soup into the park in a Yeti that keeps it hot, just get a Sour Dough Round, hollow it out and pour in your soup!  Save a few bucks and it will be delicious!  They also have a Turkey Pesto Club Sandwich for $9.99 or a kid’s Turkey Sandwich for $7.99.  (Remember, the kid’s meals come with other things like a fruit and milk.)
• Smokejumpers Grill-I think that this is one of the best deals in the park!  You can get burgers and sandwiches here that are great, but for a smokin’ deal, (pun intended), check out the Extra Supplies!  There is Bison-Black Bean Chili served with a corn muffin and cilantro cream for just $6.49.  Or, go with that same Chili served over Cheese Fries for $7.99!  Kids can get a Chicken Skewer or a Burger for $7.99, or just get them the chili for less!

    My printable file is a lot cuter than that version, so click the button to get it! 

     I hope these dining ideas help you stay on your budget!  Spoiler-We made the Mickey Mouse Waffles for our first morning in our Vrbo house!  If you are in a hotel, eat there!  Save those inexpensive Disney breakfast sandwiches for an early lunch as I suggested in the list!  
​    Okay!  There will be a lot more Disney to come soon!  Talk to you then!

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support.​

    Maddy and I took a research trip to Disneyland and wrote this post of the top 10 tips if you're going on a trip to Disneyland.  Maddy has been back multiple times and has told me about the even better access to things because of the app and the Max Pass and more.  Well, we are leaving this weekend on our Family Reunion trip to Disneyland, so we will be updating this post soon, as well as sharing great ways to enjoy your family reunion at Disneyland.  This tips on this post are still pertinent and we will be using them, but we will be sharing many more ideas in the near future!  We are all so excited!  There will be 22 of us and for some of them it will be their first trip to The Park.  Plus, we have 4 February birthdays, so you know what that means...BUTTONS!  I have never been to Disneyland in February, so I am anxious to see what the crowds will be like.  They are supposed to be better, but with the new Star Wars attractions, who knows?  Well, we will find out and let you know!  In the meantime, if you are planning a trip, review these tips!   (PS-Prices may have changed over the past 2 years.)

     You may be thinking that the 5 day trip to Disneyland that Maddy and I took was just for fun and frivolity.  Well, maybe it was, but we also did research! We found ways to save money, ways to get the most out of the Disney experience and to get to go on the most attractions without killing yourself doing it! You may have read all kinds of Disney tips out there, but here we are going to present some ideas you may not have heard before.  
     This was not our first Disneyland trip by any means.  I was born and raised in California and thanks to my big sisters, I was able to go to Disneyland quite often as a kid.  I remember the "E" ticket days and the no California Adventure days.  That big building next to Autopia that houses Star Wars Characters and activities, used to be The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow attraction.  I also remember when The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and A Small World were brand new.  I have loved going to Disneyland over the years and it was important to me to get to share it with my kids, even though for many years we couldn't afford to go very often.  Now, I am looking forward to going with my grandchildren.  We are planning a family reunion to Disneyland in 2 years from now, when my youngest son returns home from his mission. The tips that Maddy and I are giving you today are definitely ones that we will be incorporating into our plans for that event! 
      

Before You Go:

• Download the Disneyland app to your phone! This thing is a treasure! It gives you line wait times, ride closures, nearby dining and restrooms in the park, it keeps track of reservations you have made, and it tells you where characters are doing meet and greets.  We used this app so much and it saved us so much leg work and waiting.  
• Try to book your time at Disneyland during an off season.  Madalynn chose the end of April because it is supposed to be one of the less crowded times.  It makes sense because Spring Breaks are over and people are usually thinking that they will wait until school is out for the Summer to bring their kids.  But, we did notice that there were quite a few school groups there for band activities and such that still added to the crowd. The first week of January through the middle of February is also supposed to be less crowded.  But, honestly, there are always going to be crowds of people there. 
• Buy or make souvenirs outside the park before you go.  This will save you a ton of money.  There are no clearance racks in Disneyland.    If you want to wear cute Disney shirts in the park, here is a tutorial we did for making some.  Or, look in stores like Ross or even the Disney Store which does have clearance.  I found a shirt with Belle on it that was on clearance for $5.99, plus 40% off! That was a smoking deal!  

     You can find Disney merchandise everywhere.  When kids ask you for the souvenirs that they see others with in the park, just pull out something from your stash for them.  One of the smart things that we saw parents do was to have little items to give kids while they were waiting in line.  For example, Dollar Tree has little plastic figures of Disney characters.  You could give them the ones that match the ride you are going on to get them excited instead of bored with waiting! If you look on the Dollar Tree website, there are 7 pages of Disney themed products to choose from! If you are going on a family reunion like we are with at least 10 grandchildren, buying in bulk is the way to go!  Trust me, none of the little toys and items like these in the park cost only $1.00!  If you really want a souvenir from within the park, make it something that you can't really find outside of the park.  A very inexpensive idea for everyone is to start a collection of the pressed coins you can get from machines all over the park.  You can even purchase a reasonable album to keep them in! Here is an example of the one you can find in the park on Amazon, but in this case, it is actually more reasonable to purchase it in the park! 

• While you are purchasing things outside the park, don't forget refillable water bottles for everyone. (Here are some Disney ones for kids from Dollar Tree!) Purchasing soda and other special drinks in the park is pricey, almost $4.00 and then upward.  But, there are filtered water stations throughout the park where you can refill your bottles and you can also get complimentary water in the restaurants.  Also, it is nice to pack and bring those little water flavoring packets for a change of pace, especially for kids who may want a special drink.  (Dollar Tree also has some special Disney cups you can serve their drinks in to make them more special without paying the price that is charged for souvenir cups). 
• Also, Disneyland is great about letting you bring in your own food and snacks! We like to eat at some of the restaurants and there are ways to do that more reasonably than you may think.  But you can spend a ton of money on snacks if you aren't careful.  Bring snacks in your backpack to munch on while you are in line or in a show when it is allowed.  It will save you time and money.  Later we will cover the treat splurges that are worth paying for.

When you are there:

• Get to the park early, when it opens.  The lines to get in the park may seem long, but when you get in, it will seem empty for the first couple of hours! Also, if you do not have the extra magic morning hour, go to the park, either Disney or California Adventures that does not offer it that day because it will be less crowded in the morning as well. On our first day, Monday, we got into the park when the gates were opened and waited at the Adventure land entrance until we were allowed all of the way in.  We walked onto Splash Mountain (where we were drenched!), then the Haunted Mansion and then had a super short wait on Thunder Mountain Railroad!  After that we went into Fantasy Land and had short waits on about 3 of those rides.  In about an hour and a half we had gone on 6 rides.  We tried to stay within one area and get on what we could there without running from place to place and getting worn out.  Since we were going to be there for 5 days, we knew we could be a little more leisurely and strategic about what we did.  But, even if we were only going to be there for a day, it would have been very successful.  On Monday, we rode 16 rides, met 5 characters and saw 2 shows, (The Tiki Room and The Golden Horseshoe Review).
• As the day goes on, the park will get more and more crowded.  Use the Disney App and use your Fast Passes wisely.  It doesn't make sense to go and get a Fast Pass for Space Mountain and then run back to Splash Mountain if your time is just an hour away. You will wear yourselves out. When we were in Adventure Land, we saw that the line for Indiana Jones was 40 minutes long and the Fast Pass time was about an hour from then. The Jungle Boat Cruise, right next door was only a 25 minute wait. So, we went on the Jungle Boat Cruise and then it was almost time to go on Indiana Jones.  It was the perfect time to eat a snack and then use our Fast Pass. We found that if the wait time was 30 minutes or less, we would get in line rather than get a Fast Pass because sometimes even a Fast Pass was nearly that long of a wait in some instances. 
• When you want to eat in a restaurant, time your meals to eat earlier or later than normal meal times when the crowds at the registers and in the seating will be greater.  One restaurant that we loved to dine in was the Red Rose Tavern.  They had delicious Burgers, a Cauliflower Burger for Madalynn and a Beef Poutine which was so good that I am working on a copycat version to share with you now.  They also have a very nice breakfast menu.  Their Breakfast Platter was only $8.99 and had eggs, a generous portion of bacon, delicious crispy fried potatoes and a buttery  little croissant.  I could have easily shared it because the portions were generous. That is a trick my husband and I learned a long time ago at Disneyland.  Go to the restaurants where there are really good meals served and share! The portions sizes are usually large enough to do this. You can use the Disney app to check out the menus at the restaurants in advance and strategically plan where and what you will eat. 
• As the crowds get larger and the lines longer and your legs and feet are getting more and more tired, it is a great time to check out the shows.  That was one of the advantages of going for multiple days.  We were able to see the wonderful shows at the park. Usually we were in such a hurry to hit as many rides as possible and skipped the shows.  Now we see the folly of our old ways.  The quality of the shows is so good!  And, what a nice way to relax and take the load off of your feet! We were able to see the hour long stage version of Frozen in California Adventures.  It was so good!  Not only that, while we waited in our seats for the show to begin, we were able to doze off for the about 10 minute wait!  Ha Ha, I don't think I snored, but both Maddy and I decided that we felt so refreshed after that little power nap! We stayed for the parade that night without feeling exhausted! So, even if you are only going to the park for one day or two, eek out some time for a show break! They aren't all an hour long but they do give you a break.  We suggest the Royal Theater, by the outside of the castle on the way to Frontier Land, Mickey's Magical Map in the theater on the way to Toon Town, and of course I always love the Tiki Room.
• As we mentioned before, while you are waiting in line is a great time to eat.  If you bring your own snacks, break them out to keep everyone happy and energized.  When we have our reunion, I am already planning on making some special treats to take the place of some of the enticing and pricey ones in the park and I am on the lookout for those Disney themed snacks as well.  There are a few Disney treats that you may want to splurge on though.  Here are a couple that we loved:

• One last tip is that you will want to keep your cell phones charged all day.  Keep your eyes open for outlets in restaurants and the places you sit to rest.  Some are even in the planters! Make sure you have your charger in your backpack and plug in whenever you are sitting and resting or while you are eating! 

     We hope that these tips will help you on your next Disney vacation! Next week, Maddy will be giving that ear making tutorial and she also plans to give you a rundown on what we learned about plant based dining in the Disney parks.  I am going to share my copycat poutine recipe with you soon! You won't want to miss a thing! Some of you have been following our Instagram posts while we were away and said that you really wanted that Ear Tutorial, so it is high on our list! Thanks for the feedback! 

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thanks for your support!

Sometimes, when I think about that fact that my mom made us a home cooked meal for dinner almost every night of my childhood (and sometimes even now) my mind is blown. Thinking up and making something for dinner every night is the hardest part of adulting, I believe.

For me, simplicity is the name of the game. That is why I like this recipe for smoked paprika chicken thighs so much. It's simple, requires very few dishes, and the best part? It tastes so yummy! As you can see from my photo collage, I paired my smoked paprika chicken thighs with rice, corn, and strawberries. (Colorful dinner plates are the name of the game guys.) You can mix it up however you like.

PH loves chicken and rice and Friday was his birthday, so I thought these smoked paprika chicken thighs would be a great and tasty variation on a theme. I was right. The chicken thighs were moist and flavorful.

So, without further ado, here is your recipe for smoked paprika baked chicken thighs so you can have something to make for dinner tonight.

Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs

This quick and easy dinner is sure to be a big hit with your family
Ingredients:1 pound
Bone in, skin on chicken thighs

1  ½ TBSP
Smoked Paprika

1 TBSP
Garlic powder

2 TSP
Onion powder

2 TSP
Salt

1 ½ TSP
Black Pepper

2 TBSP
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions:Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
Mix together all spices and oil in a large sealable bag
Add chicken to bag and seal
Toss chicken until coated. Use fingers to rub in spice mix to the chicken.
Place chicken in a baking dish
Bake in the oven covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Remove from oven and serve with a side of rice and your favorite veggies.

    I know!  Friday is Valentine's day and you are in a hurry to find a quick treat idea to share with family or friend or even that special someone!  You don't have time to read a long blog post, so I am not going to give you one.  Instead, I am going to give you a list of resources and ideas to help you out!  Here goes! 

Need Even Simpler Ideas?  (I mean, you can't get much easier than those cannolis...)  Try these:

• Rice Krispy Treats with sprinkles or Valentine M&Ms mixed in and shaped or cut out into hearts.
• Popcorn Balls with sprinkles, colored pink or M&Ms mixed in. Or, just pop some popcorn and mix in the candies and drizzle on white chocolate.
• Cupcakes, obviously. 
• Chocolate dipped pretzels with sprinkles.
• Heart shaped pancakes.  These Cherry 7-up ones are a pretty pink.  Or how about these Apple Pancakes with RED HOT Sauce?
• Just buy some candy and add these printable Valentine's that Alicia created to go with your candy choice.  

    Okay!  There you go!  You've got this!  Now get busy and have a great Valentine's Day!