Mexican restaurant tonight...what to order??

jakj00
jakj00 Posts: 97 Member
edited November 13 in Food and Nutrition
GI'm going out to eat tonight and dont want to blow my calories for the day...ideas??
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Replies

  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
    Fajitas; chicken tacos, easy on rice. =)
  • tat2cookie
    tat2cookie Posts: 1,899 Member
    Taco salad minus the retried beans and fried bowl or the fajitas.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    tat2cookie wrote: »
    Taco salad minus the retried beans and fried bowl or the fajitas.

    Taco salad is actually not always so low calories with all the sour cream, cheese, avocado and dressing...

    It would really depend on the restaurant. Typically, fajita without the tortillas and all the add ons are pretty good, although personally it would make me pretty sad. Typically I go with chicken tacos (the crunchy kind) with beans on the side (no rice).
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    I always order fajitas and tell them to keep the tortillas. I've always done that though.
    I eat the meat, the grilled veggies, the rice, the toppings veggies (tomatoes, lettuce) plus the cheese. I'll take a bite or two of the beans but don't eat much of those and I don't touch the sour cream but thats because I don't like it lol.

    When I lived near this awesome hole in the wall, might fall down Mexican place in CT, I got this delicious garlic shrimp dish that came with rice, tomatoes, avocado slides, fried plaintains, cucumbers, and radishes. I'd eat it all except the radishes. It's one of two things I miss about CT
  • JORDAN TRAVISS
  • diegops1
    diegops1 Posts: 154 Member
    Are you going to a real Mexican restaurant or to a chain Mexican style restaurant? OK, I checked your profile. I doubt there is a real Mexican restaurant in Akron. If you can get real carne asada or chicken tacos on small 5" corn tortillas they are usually about 150 to 175 calories each with 9 to 10 grams of protein. The problem with Mexican style chains is that they use lots of fat of some sort in their beans, they add sour cream, they use flour tortillas, and the food doesn't taste right. It's like American Italian food that doesn't taste anything like food in Italy. As tat2cookie suggested, the fajitas in most chains are a decent bet. That way you can pick and choose your ingredients. My Friday dinner with my grandkids usually consists of 3 carne asada tacos and a Negra Modelo and I am under 700 calories. I am careful earlier in the day knowing how much I plan to eat with the kids.
  • jakj00
    jakj00 Posts: 97 Member
    The place we are going is authentic. I was thinking veggie/chicken fajitas with corn tortillas, no beans or rice. Not sure how I accurate I will be in logging the calories, but will do my best. The tough part will be resisting a margarita!
  • dwaggs01
    dwaggs01 Posts: 13 Member
    Some Mexican restaurants douse the fajita meat and veggies in a bunch of vegetable oil when they put them on the grill. I saw a cook using a clear squeeze bottle to put the oil on at my favorite Mexican restaurant and he probably used 4-6 tablespoons of oil for one order of chicken fajitas. I ask them to prepare it light on oil now.

    - Try soft corn tortillas instead of soft flour tortillas
    - Use salsa, hot sauce or green chile instead of sour cream and cheese.
    - Black beans over refried beans
    - Nothing deep-fried. My biggest problem at Mexican restaurants are the complementary chips and salsa. I don't want to give them up entirely so I pull a set number of chips onto my plate and push the remaining chips as far away from myself as possible. I then load them up with as much salsa as I can. Salsa is low in calories, so fill up on as much salsa per chip to help feel more satisfied. Once I have cleaned my plate of chips, I don't allow myself anymore chips.
    - One other trick that works for me but may not work for others is to ask for everything extra hot/spicy. I like very spicy food but, I tend to eat it more slowly than milder food. And if it is really spicy, I might drink more water and add to feeling satisfied.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
    Do they have grilled chicken breast on the menu? Some Mexican restaurants do. And black beans and veggies to go with it is good. Or fajitas, which I get minus the tortilla (allergies).
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    look at their menu ahead of time online if you can. Helps with decision making when you get there
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    Tacos & Chips with Guac... duh
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
    Whatever you want. And eat 1/2. Order a box with your order and when it comes shove 1/2 in the box. That way you won't feel deprived.
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  • I always do the fajitas minus the tortillas. Easy beans, no rice. Steamed veggies and of course a skinny margarita!!
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    edited February 2015
    my local place calls it an especial de la casa numero 10.
    2 fried chimichangas (i get one steak one chicken). comes with beans, guac, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. my wife never finishes her arroz so i eat that as well.
    also goes down easy with a couple of house margs (upgraded to hornitos silver).

    edit: and i mean the food goes down easy with a couple margaritas, not my wife. she just needs one. ;)
  • gamesandgains
    gamesandgains Posts: 640 Member
    njitaliana wrote: »
    Do they have grilled chicken breast on the menu? Some Mexican restaurants do. And black beans and veggies to go with it is good.

    +1

  • dcglobalgirl
    dcglobalgirl Posts: 207 Member
    If they have a "pescado veracruzano", it's usually a grilled fish with a tomato sauce. I get it with veggies and guacamole instead of rice and beans and it's very healthy.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    Mexican food. Eat the rice or tortillas. Just don't eat a ton. It's one dinner. All this no tortilla, no rice stuff is just sad.
    My not eating the tortilla has nothing to do with counting calories, I'm just not a huge fan of tortillas. And I'm such a klutz that if I tried assembling the fajita, I'd end up wearing it lol which is a large part of why I eat things separately. I'm also a weirdo lol
    I'd rather rice than a tortilla
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    Mexican food. Eat the rice or tortillas. Just don't eat a ton. It's one dinner. All this no tortilla, no rice stuff is just sad.

    Yeah I agree. It's pretty sad when you go to restaurants and end up eating stuff you could make easily at home, lol.
  • misscaligreen
    misscaligreen Posts: 819 Member
    Fajitas or shrimp cocktail!
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    I love fajita/taco salads. Personally, I avoid sour cream (never been a fan) and use salsa instead of dressing. So good! Although (again, personal opinion) if there's no guacamole or avocado on the salad, it's no longer worth it. Then it's just a sad salad...
  • allie_00p
    allie_00p Posts: 280 Member
    We've got a local mexican place that does a stuffed avocado, it's literally a whole fresh avocado with the skins stuffed with shrimp and veggies/pico and the "meat" of the avocado sliced and on the plate.
    Or there's always taco salad minus the chips/taco bowl with the cheese, sauces, etc. on the side.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    Order what you want and eat less of it. Fajitas sound delicious and are normally what I would order even not counting calories - they can be greasy though.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Wow, why all the advice to skip the beans?
  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
    Wow, why all the advice to skip the beans?

    I'm thinking same. I know they're refried but good source of fiber. I prefer to go light on rice meaning I eat some but not all. And I prefer corn tortillas for extra nutrients.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    Wow, why all the advice to skip the beans?

    People hate fiber?

    No idea, I rarely eat the ones I get but again, I'm weird...
  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
    Wow, why all the advice to skip the beans?

    People hate fiber?

    No idea, I rarely eat the ones I get but again, I'm weird...

    Naa you're not weird. :) I'm not a fan of avocado. I've tried to eat them so many times but can't seem to acquire a taste for them.

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Wow, why all the advice to skip the beans?

    I'm guessing because they are often high calorie... typically 200 calories for a side of beans pretty much anywhere.

    I like them though and for me they are one of the most filling foods there is (especially refried beans).
  • ScrAgnX
    ScrAgnX Posts: 368 Member
    I go for Chicken on the Beach if it's available; bed of rice with grilled chicken, and cheese sauce over it all. I always stay away from the chips because they're too easy to go overboard on.
  • caminoslo
    caminoslo Posts: 239 Member
    jakj00 wrote: »
    GI'm going out to eat tonight and dont want to blow my calories for the day...ideas??

    I'm from california and usually thats 90% of the options to eat in my town. I get a la carte chile verde and eat the salsa and go very very easy on the chips. and dont eat the tortilla your chile verde comes in.
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