nosh & nurture: hawaii - day one

So, we've arrived in paradise. It is absolutely beautiful here. A little humid, but who cares about humidity when you get to look at this:

Tip number one for traveling with food sensitivities, allergies, etc. Plan Ahead.   

I did have some anxiety about traveling so far from home to an island where I don't know the stores, restaurants  etc. I have been to Hawaii before, but that was four years ago, and though I remember the local fresh farmers markets and whole food, I didn't have the restrictions I have now so I wanted to be prepared so I didn't go hungry. We had a lot of fun excursions planned so I wanted to make sure I had fuel. So to plan ahead my husband pulled up Google Maps and we typed in our hotel and found it in Oahu, he then proceeded to show me that you can type just about anything in if you click "search nearby". I ended up finding a Whole Foods within 3 miles of our hotel, and 10 gluten free restaurants that ALSO had a dairy-free menu! I was so much more relaxed and was able to plan my trip and pack with excitement instead of hesitation due to food. 

Tip number two: If you are traveling to a place where you are not finding the correct restaurants and you don't have the option of a Whole Foods, Sprouts, or to bring your own along, call ahead. Speak to chefs and restaurant owners/managers about your issues. If they are clueless or don't seem to care, MOVE ON. It's not worth getting sick on your vacation. Find a chef who will speak to you and who is knowledgeable about your needs. 

Which brings me to Day 1 in Oahu: We left for our flight REALLY early in the morning (it was still dark out, so to me it was still the middle of the night) and though sometimes it's hard for me to eat that early I ate two organic hard-boiled eggs for protein since I didn't know what the plane would be serving. (Turns out it was NOTHING I could eat.) I also didn't take any food with me because of security. So I tried to sleep/entertain myself for six hours until we landed. Luckily, those eggs lasted a long time. So we have always DREAMED of visiting Aulani (The Hawaiian Disney Resort) because my husband and I are such HUGE Disney fans. I had looked up restaurants there ahead of time. MAKAHIKI at AULANI had a gluten-free menu listed on their website. The chef was so nice (Ask for Pu'u) and came out to my table to personally take my order and let me know that he would prepare my dish carefully as his daughter is celiac. (Disney chefs are THE BEST. I had a personal chef almost my entire trip to Disneyland last year, but more on Disney in another post.) At Makahiki I ordered a grilled chicken salad, with avocado, fresh tomato and olive oil for dressing and I DID cheat (just a little), they had gluten-free garlic fries that were AMAZING. I'm not suppose to have too much starch in my diet, but I decided to splurge since I had all fresh veggies and chicken. And I made my hubs take the bowl away half-way through because I would have scarfed them all. They were THAT GOOD.

mmmm.

makahiki

minnie & mickey

After visiting Aulani for a couple of hours we actually went back to our hotel room and slept for a few hours (oops, stupid jet lag) and by the time we woke up almost all of the restaurants were closed! We went to Whole Foods and stocked up on groceries because our room had a fridge! Tip number 3. If you can't get a hotel room with a full kitchen or kitchenette, at least ALWAYS get a fridge! I was able to buy my natural lunch meat, hummus, fresh fruit and veggies which ended up being our dinner in the room the first night because even room service had closed. :( All in all a beautiful first day in Oahu!