Craving mexican food...

Oh, I love Mexican and would love to read about some lower cal alternatives

Salsa is low/no fat. Fish tacos with soft corn tortillas could be a low fat option. Love chips? Count them out so you know how many you can eat rather than eating blindly from the bowl.

You can eat Mexican...just modify it and choose healthy. Bank your calories for the day. Do extra exercise. Live your life. This should be a lifestyle change not constant deprivation.

You can use Ortega whole grain taco shells...they are 2 for 110 claories with 6 grams of fiber and either put a couple ounces of ground beef (94/6) in each or chopped chicken breast. (You can use the taco seasoning packs as they don't have too much calorie or sodium...I think they even make one with less sodium)...top with lettuce, tomato, light sprinkle of cheese if you have to have cheese and if you want sour cream, use plain fat free greek yogurt instead. Way better for you and way less calories.
Also, for "spanish rice" I make a serving of Minute brown rice and add 1/2 a cup of salsa to it while it's cooking...to me, it tastes the same, if not better than regular spanish rice because I know it's better for me. I get my fix without all the "bad" stuff.
Good luck!

I have a great recipe for Chilli!

I large bag of Quorn Mince (meat substiute- I'm in England, don't know if it's available in the US)
2 cans Red Kidney Beans
1 can of sweet corn
4 cans of chopped tomatoes
2 packets of Old El Paso Chilli Seasoning.

Cook the Quorn mince, dump in all the other ingredients bring to the boil and viola! Fast, easy, and so low in fat an calories you won't believe it!

That's a hefty batch of chilli!

I always give this recipe because it literally is the easiest thing you will ever make in your life. Take 1-2 lbs of organic chicken breasts. Put them in the crockpot, pour a jar of your favorite salsa on top. Cook for 3-4 hours on slow/low.

The chicken literally shredds apart, add to a whole wheat tortilla, daisy reduced fat sour cream, kraft reduced fat colby jack shredded cheese, and a hint of lime juice.

All about 300-450 calories, based on 3 tacos.

Make this! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/279757-black-bean-fajita-bowl-yum

It's what I'm having for dinner tonight!

Toss about a pound of chicken tenderloins in a crock pot with sliced red and green peppers and onions (I use a bag of frozen one), some frozen corn (lower sodium than canned), dry black beans (also lower in sodium than canned), and block of frozen spinach. Season with a half cup of salsa, and ground cumin and cilantro to taste. Let cook on medium about 5 hours, then stir in a cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese.

It'll taste like the inside of Chili's southwest eggrolls, and you should easily 4-5 meals out of it. I have it in fresh whole wheat tortillas like fajitas, or baked the tortillas for enchilladas. Over brown rice is delicious, too. Or crumble a handful of tortilla chips over it. Ten chips is about 150 calories, and in my opinion, well worth it!

I made a huge pot of what I call "fiesta black beans" and they work out to 100g servings for 74 calories and low fat. 2-16 oz bags of black beans, soaked for 24 hours. Put the beans, a jar of your favorite red salsa and 1/3 jar salsa verde, small can (3 peppers) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, a few splashes of Chipotle Tabasco (about 2-3 tablespoons). Cook on low for 18-20 hours. Spicy and yummy.

Use this as a base on your soft tortilla - I found La Tortilla factory 100 calorie tortillas that are fabulous. I put about 1/2 serving of the fiest black beans, lettuce onion, tomato, and cooked ground turkey or chunks of baked chicken (about 1 ounce) and then just drizzle a pinch of Mexican style cheese on top before you fold it up...

The tomatoes were juice enough that I didn't require sour cream - which is good because I really like sour cream.

I also mix this bean recipe with a serving of Mahatma Jasmine rice - oh my - unbelievably filling! (and I never seem to be full!) One serving of rice and one serving of the beans and 3 ounces of baked chicken without skin - and you can't move (it's like after a huge Thanksgiving dinner!)

I love Mexican as well and read in a book that if going out to eat always stick with fajitias and just skip the tortillas or just have one instead of three or four. Also avoid the sour cream and eat the guacomole. I feed the rice to my son,and hopefully skip the chips they put on the table.

I second the black bean fajita bowl!! I could never give up Mexican food. Ground turkey and chicken are even more delicious than beef, in my opinion. Cook them up with some good Mexican herbs or seasoning.

I tend to eat my Mexican in bowl form always now. Buy some fresh, healthy salsa, cheese, black beans, peppers, and whatever else you like in your fajitas/tacos/whatever! Serve them over hot rice (or shredded cauliflower for lower cal/lower carb--this is actually good, and I generally hate cauliflower), mix it all together, and it is DELICIOUS.

What is wrong with Mexican food? If you cook it right you can eat anything. Just find a recipe and pick low cal versions or even replace the meat with beans.

I have a recipe for tacos using a meat substitute called TVP and Flat-Out as the wrap. You can adjust the ingredients to your tastes, my version was 275 calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Jorra/view/tvp-tacos-116661

Mexican at home can be extremely healthy!

This is a really good recipie site and these slow cooked pork carnitas are amazing... Check it out!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/03/mexican-slow-cooked-pork-carnitas.html?showComment=1277394485403_AIe9_BGzYtqOmEh8U92xhKfzfOcTkipBes8Lj7DzgenvtMUCwky390244VsiBlEQgz2NsiUg6XdB6uGmPzN84frn0VDZfFL5h2NNkTRc7BYSVOq2iEqaPCCIW4JT2oPXCf1xJsPA7A7dkMILKhaofovqeenIFf4Jl9lCwJcICvoOo-vOuFC446bvdh8S6WQ53hRs41QoUOG5k_Lx_P0V2Kx7w-cvfrWHMy9fWLOtBO1TX8c_Wa7kCgI#c1503100289843047088

I made one of our favorite pseudo-mexican dishes last night - Weight Watchers recipe for Arroz Con Pollo:

Makes 4 servings

2 cups cooked chicken breast (about 1 lb) – diced
1 cup frozen peas – thawed
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic (about 1 tsp minced)
2 bell peppers (yellow and orange) – diced
1 small onion – diced
1 cup long-grain rice (uncooked)
2 cups chicken broth/stock
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
Adobo spice to taste
Topping - 2% mex blend shredded cheese (1 cup)

Heat oil in large skillet; add garlic, peppers and onion, saute for a few minutes to allow veggies to slightly soften. Add rice and cook until rice is slightly browned. Add broth, tomatoes, oregano and cumin (and adobo). Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Add peas and cooked chicken, cover and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until peas are cooked and chicken is heated through.
Top each serving with about ¼ cup mex cheese