I Love Tacos but...

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Replies

  • riderfangal
    riderfangal Posts: 1,965 Member
    MommyL2015 wrote: »
    I sometimes make a taco salad type of thing where I take one hard shell and break it up, add the meat, cheese, veggies and salsa all to a bowl and eat that. I can sit and eat about 6 tacos, but this way I can still eat a big bowl full, but only have one or two shells. The hard ones are only about 60 calories each, so it's not all that bad. I don't do sour cream, so that never goes on my tacos anyway.

    I do exactly the same thing!! In fact I just finished a big bowl for about 420 calories!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    *wanders off to put chicken and chipotles into the crockpot*


    Barbacoa is AMAZING. I did find a decent copycat recipe awhile back, but compared to the price of chicken I typically cannot justify getting beef often. :neutral:

    This may be totally unacceptable, but I think I'm going to shred cabbage to put in my taco tonight. Nom!

    cow cheek is pretty cheap...
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    shell1005 wrote: »
    shell1005 wrote: »
    I will never live in a world without tacos. That would be unacceptable.

    I usually make mine at home, but when buying them out...I just do a nice calorie estimate.

    As a vegetarian, it took me a wee bit to make a version that was similar to the tacos I had growing up, but I made one that is basically the same, but no meat and healthier.

    We have a vegan taco truck here and I go there often. Yum!!

    What do you use for the filling, Shell? The Beyond Meat crumbles?

    I will be making tacos this week, methinks.

    I usually use some kind of crumbles...either Morningstar, Gardein or the Beyond Meat. I usually just buy whatever is on sale or that I have a coupon for. And then I add in mushrooms, diced tomatoes and some kind of beans. Sometimes I am CRAZY and add in quinoa. It makes it have a really nice consistency.

    I don't like to use the prepacked taco seasoning because I find it to be overly salty. I make my own with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin and red pepper flakes.

    I add mushrooms every time I do anything with beans. I'll try a mix of lentils, crumbles, and mushrooms. I make my own seasoning too.
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  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,399 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »

    I've never eaten a taco so what's in it? Bet you could adapt to a lower calorie version

    I must admit that a little part of me dies inside when I find out that any helpful member here has never eaten a taco!







    Lots of good suggestions by others. And if you avoid the dairy most tacos are reasonable in calories and high in protein. Good fish tacos can be really protein loaded as well. For those that are vegetarian or vegan, I've had some killer black bean mixes tacos, and I'm generally not one to eat a meal without meat and call it a meal.

    Back in the day we did quite a bit of fishing and screwing off surfing/diving in the remote areas of Mexico. You could get fresh made tacos for about 30 cents each. We could go to a little cantina with 10 bucks, eat and drink our fill, leave a good tip, and still have change in our pocket.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    edited November 2015
    OP, this is a good recipe for taco meat seasoning I like to use. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/46653/taco-seasoning-i/

    It's only 5 calories per serving (makes ten total, so it amounts to "about" a teaspoon), and it's so amazing and delicious you can use the LEANEST ground beef (which I find flavorless without this and avoid), or chicken or whatever. It's also great for sauteing the peppers in. I think the last time I made tacos I had three and discarded the upper part of the shell (thus consuming only about a third of the shell where the other food actually is) and it amounted to 331 calories. And that was BEEF. With peppers, onions, and low-fat blended mexican cheese (pre-shredded).

    That sounds like a lot, but these were stuffed tacos and I had three and it was way too filling, like sick-overfull. Coulda got away with like 180-200 if I'd slowed the heck down;)

    ETA: the packaged Taco Bell seasoning is 3 times the calories, which is why I brought this one up
  • Coley88
    Coley88 Posts: 114 Member
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    Member of the New Mexico crew checking in. I had these about a month ago from a local taco joint. These were brisket tacos. Corn tortillas lightly fried in oil and then grilled.
  • PalmChris
    PalmChris Posts: 36 Member
    Black bean taco...easy on the cheese and sour cream... not too bad calorie wise. Tastes great/less filling.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    You guys take your tacos so seriously :bigsmile:
  • bjess8411
    bjess8411 Posts: 68 Member
    edited November 2015
    They are so darn high in calories even the soft shell chicken ones, and the worst part is I get mine out of a taco truck and don't know the nutrition info... How do you deal with food when there is no way to figure out calories? Also please Friend me if your looking for friends! I am!


    Funny, I thought tacos were really low in calories. When I was doing weight watchers they were about 4 or 5 points a taco so about 180-250 calories. That isn't bad. When I make my own tacos I leave off cheese and sour cream and just use a whole grain, beans, vegetables and salsa and they are very low in calories.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,399 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    You guys take your tacos so seriously :bigsmile:

    @rabbitjb Everyone should take tacos seriously! You have no idea what you are missing out on!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    edited November 2015
    I love tacos ... they are my comfort food ... and my husband and I do make them ourselves so I know how many calories I'm dealing with.

    The shells, unfortunately, are rather high in calories, but the rest of the stuff isn't bad. So I usually have them on a weekend when I'm exercising and can burn off those shells.



    We have to make them ourselves because, sadly, tacos are not an Australian thing. So hard to find a place that sells them here. It's one of the things I really miss about Canada. Tacos and perogies.
  • misty_taggart28
    misty_taggart28 Posts: 16 Member
    I love tacos too! Especially with homemade tortilla! And chicken wraps with homemade tortilla! I didn't think they were too bad in calories
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I love tacos ... they are my comfort food ... and my husband and I do make them ourselves so I know how many calories I'm dealing with.

    The shells, unfortunately, are rather high in calories, but the rest of the stuff isn't bad. So I usually have them on a weekend when I'm exercising and can burn off those shells.



    We have to make them ourselves because, sadly, tacos are not an Australian thing. So hard to find a place that sells them here. It's one of the things I really miss about Canada. Tacos and perogies.

    Corn tortillas are about 50 calories each - I don't think it's that bad at all!
  • mariannew72
    mariannew72 Posts: 9 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Do you watch coronation street?!? My favorite bbc show!

    Used to ...not for a few years...and now I barely recognise any of the characters

    I grew up in Manchester, where it's based ...there are terraced streets like that (not where I lived but probably 20 minutes away)

    Hi rabbitjb from a fellow manc .. Hi poodledoodledop sorry to crash your post x
  • bmayes2014
    bmayes2014 Posts: 232 Member
    edited November 2015
    uggh the addiction is real! Tacos and Tex Mex are everything! I reserve them for "cheat days" because I love them so <3

    ETA - I eat chicken on corn tortillas with pico and a slice of avocado for breakfast sometimes - pretty low cal and I have also eaten them on lettuce and loved them as well. What can I say? We're in love <3

    ohhh and fish tacos. yaaaasss, please!!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    bjess8411 wrote: »
    They are so darn high in calories even the soft shell chicken ones, and the worst part is I get mine out of a taco truck and don't know the nutrition info... How do you deal with food when there is no way to figure out calories? Also please Friend me if your looking for friends! I am!


    Funny, I thought tacos were really low in calories. When I was doing weight watchers they were about 4 or 5 points a taco so about 180-250 calories. That isn't bad. When I make my own tacos I leave off cheese and sour cream and just use a whole grain, beans, vegetables and salsa and they are very low in calories.

    they are very low in calories until you start adding all the stuff to them.
    i generally go with "naked" tacos
  • spatulamom
    spatulamom Posts: 158 Member
    I eat homemade tacos at least 3-4 times a week (sometimes more). I use chicken, homemade taco seasoning (after learning the recipe, I'll never use the packets again), tomatoes, red onion, salsa verde, fat-free sour cream (I use the FF kind because I freaking LOVE sour cream and I can use more this way), and sometimes red/orange/yellow peppers. There's a brand of tortillas that I use called Ole Xtreme Wellness (I get them at Kroger) that are 50 calories per tortillas, give or take a gram or two. (These recently went from 90 calories to 50 calories, made with flaxseed, olive oil and some other stuff - they aren't exactly like tortillas, but close enough for me.) Depending on how many tortillas I use, it's anywhere from 290 calories to 400 calories for a meal.

    I'll still eat a taco out here and there (we have an awesome taco truck in town that makes its way to my work neighborhood every so ofen), but I really like the ones I make at home, and they are FILLING.
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
    edited November 2015
    Im not a huge meat eater (can't get beyond the taste), but my veggie sandwiches have morphed into avocado tacos when I replaced the bread with corn tortillas. They are amazing, and low calorie. I spread fresh avocado on the tortilla, and a sharp tasting cheese, lettuce, tomato, and tons of onions. I haven't progressed to salsa or sour cream yet (they're pretty low calories so I can have several). I keep everything prepped in the fridge so they take less then 10 minutes to prepare. Sad I didn't discover these earlier lol.

    ETA - they come out to ~550 cal for three really full versions. Use about a half an avocado amongst all of them.
  • brightsideofpink
    brightsideofpink Posts: 1,018 Member
    This is a good recipe to try if you can go without the shell:
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/04/turkey-taco-lettuce-wraps-3-pts.html

    If you're like me though, you sometimes want the crunch. So I'll make a taco salad, extra extra lettuce and tomatoes, and add in a half serving (I weigh out about 15g) of doritos or a tortilla chips and crush them in my hand and add them to the bowl. Perfect amount of crunch for only about 60-80 added calories. I typically prefer full fat dairy as its more satiating, but when mixed with other ingredients like in a taco salad, I'll go light and not notice much of a difference in taste.

    Taco salads or lettuce wraps are one of my favorite foods when I'm craving high volume with low-ish calories.
  • OneHundredToLose
    OneHundredToLose Posts: 8,523 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I've never eaten a taco so what's in it? Bet you could adapt to a lower calorie version

    There are people in the first world who haven't eaten a taco? What is this, the dark ages?
  • Nuke_64
    Nuke_64 Posts: 406 Member
    I eat tacos and fajitas all the time. Corn tortillas are much lower in calories but I still prefer white flour. I'm using some now that are "fajita" sized according to the package. I think they are 90 calories.

    The one thing I do now is try to load up the shells more, 3 oz, 4 if it will fit of protein. The ingredients I use aren't that high in calories. For meat, its typically ground turkey, flank steak, carnitas (pork shoulder), chicken, shrimp, or tilapia. For the steak and chicken fajitas, I used a half serving of 2% shredded cheese. For tilapia, I make a crema out of greek yogurt and adobe sauce, All the other toppings have negligible amounts of calories: salsa, onions, tomatoes, hot sauce, cilantro, vinegar slaw, etc.
  • rocketblaster
    rocketblaster Posts: 50 Member
    Lettuce leaf shells make them a little more mainstream. I sometimes use a boston lettuce leaf, ground chicken with taco seasoning, tomatoes, peppers, onions, a little sharp cheddar and cilantro cream (non-fat greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, splenda, salt) and they are SO good. You can eat quite a few of these as long as you keep to your selected amt of chicken / cheese.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I've never eaten a taco so what's in it? Bet you could adapt to a lower calorie version

    There are people in the first world who haven't eaten a taco? What is this, the dark ages?

    Well to be fair she HAS had fajitas,so we're closer to pre-renaissance I think :p
  • soapsandropes
    soapsandropes Posts: 269 Member
    Tacos for dinner tonight! Possibly with lettuce instead of a tortilla (because I think that we are out of tortillas).
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Since I don't eat meat, I do a grilled shrimp taco. I use reduced-fat shredded cheese and sour cream and it's actually one of the lower calorie dinners I have. Oh! and if I'm feeling a bit dangerous I throw in some avocado too :smile:
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I typically make tacos at home using lean meat and beans. They are a pretty balanced meal and not high calorie at all. I can eat 3 and still have calories left for a glass or two of wine.
  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
    Since I don't eat meat, I do a grilled shrimp taco.

    Shrimps are definitely made of meat, so I don't understand this statement.




    Anyhow, tacos aren't super caloric. Unless you load them with cheese, I guess. I like the fresh flour tortillas from HEB, and just load it with meat (like, just meat, salsa if I have some homemade). At restaurants, I grab chicken tacos, or tacos al carbon. All pretty low cal. What kills me is the chips and salsa I can't stop eating... or the huge servings of rice...
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    For a slightly healthier taco, I use ground turkey. Once the onions, peppers and spices get involved it's not a bad substitution. Chicken doesn't cut it for me. For chicken, I need a whole different group of spices.

    Skip the yummy shells, add some corn and make a taco salad with very little (or no) cheese and you get the taco flavor without all the calories. The shells aren't that terrible as calories go, but I know that every little bit helps. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I love tacos ... they are my comfort food ... and my husband and I do make them ourselves so I know how many calories I'm dealing with.

    The shells, unfortunately, are rather high in calories, but the rest of the stuff isn't bad. So I usually have them on a weekend when I'm exercising and can burn off those shells.



    We have to make them ourselves because, sadly, tacos are not an Australian thing. So hard to find a place that sells them here. It's one of the things I really miss about Canada. Tacos and perogies.

    most corn tortillas that I've seen are 50 calories per...