I Love Tacos but...

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  • OneHundredToLose
    OneHundredToLose Posts: 8,534 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    OneHundredToLose wrote: »
    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
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    Tacos for dinner tonight! Possibly with lettuce instead of a tortilla (because I think that we are out of tortillas).
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    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: 13,576 Member
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    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
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    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    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: 9,626 Member
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    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: 41,874 Member
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    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...
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Rabbit - this is for you..

    tumblr_inline_mxs08jqoK81s5rpp7.gif
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    VykkDraygoVPR wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    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.


    Apologies. I meant - "I don't eat red meat, pork or poultry"

  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
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    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    VykkDraygoVPR wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    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.


    Apologies. I meant - "I don't eat red meat, pork or poultry"

    Fair enough. I figured that was the case, but I was genuinely confused for a second. ;)
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    Mexicans do, in fact, eat hard-shelled tortillas. They come flat, in bags that are about 2' long. Like this:

    IMG_3129.jpg

    I am cringing at the idea of a Spanish-Mexican cookbook. Only in New Mexico are these things related at all. While Spanish food had had some influence on Mexican cuisine (use of rice, for example) Mexico has multiple rich, complex food cultures that have absolutely NOTHING to do with Spain. My Mexican friends do not recognize my Spanish cooking as anything but foreign.

    Of course you shouldn't be eating from a taco truck if you are serious about tracking your nutrition. Tacos are dead simple to make at home where you can track what goes in them.
  • OneHundredToLose
    OneHundredToLose Posts: 8,534 Member
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    As someone who lives less than an hour from the border, it's really funny to watch you all discuss tacos :tongue:
  • c613477
    c613477 Posts: 296 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    That looks quite delicious actually

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2015/04/grilled-chicken-tacos-with-lettuce-slaw.html

    Although I would have thought the shell would immediately disintegrate on first bite ...so I'd go for a wrap or tortilla

    I have tried these and are delicious. OP you can make your own for a decent low calorie. I typically prefer my filling on a salad and just sprinkle the shell in small pieces on top to give it since crunch. A little low fat sour cream and scallions makes it delicious! Everyone else in the family eats them on either stuff or hard shells.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    OneHundredToLose wrote: »
    As someone who lives less than an hour from the border, it's really funny to watch you all discuss tacos :tongue:

    You have no idea how I would kill to have real tacos again. There are some decent food trucks around here, but nothing like I got in Texas, SoCal, or south of the border.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    OneHundredToLose wrote: »
    As someone who lives less than an hour from the border, it's really funny to watch you all discuss tacos :tongue:

    I'd love to try real Mexican food. I think the closest I got is from a local chain/taco truck, but who knows. It was delicious though and quite different from what I find in restaurants here.
  • OneHundredToLose
    OneHundredToLose Posts: 8,534 Member
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    robertw486 wrote: »
    OneHundredToLose wrote: »
    As someone who lives less than an hour from the border, it's really funny to watch you all discuss tacos :tongue:

    You have no idea how I would kill to have real tacos again. There are some decent food trucks around here, but nothing like I got in Texas, SoCal, or south of the border.
    Francl27 wrote: »
    OneHundredToLose wrote: »
    As someone who lives less than an hour from the border, it's really funny to watch you all discuss tacos :tongue:

    I'd love to try real Mexican food. I think the closest I got is from a local chain/taco truck, but who knows. It was delicious though and quite different from what I find in restaurants here.

    I'm always surprised when I mention a Carne Asada burrito to someone online and they don't know what it is. I'll tell you, living here has its downsides (like the 100+ degree weather for 80% of the year) but, let's just say the food is a large part of why I'm on MFP now.

    One of the great things is that you kind of learn how to cook great Mexican food just by default if you grow up in most areas of my town. I can make killer tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tortas, tamales, etc.
  • shandy4487
    shandy4487 Posts: 72 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Carne asada burritos are pretty much the best thing ever :) or carne asada nachos!

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