Mexican Food Dishes

Smittysbuttafli21
Smittysbuttafli21 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 15 in Recipes
Okay Mexican food is my weakness, I'm needing ideas and even photos so I can enjoy eating Mexican food while changing my eating habits.

Thanks

Replies

  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
    What habits need changing exactly? Is there a certain ingredient that is a trigger for you?

    Mexican food tends to be pretty healthy. If it's actually the cheese and sour cream-loaded Tex-Mex that's your weakness....well...I'd more recommend eating portions that fit into your daily goals.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

    That's certainly not authentic, but it's really good. Add some chicken if the recipe being vegan isn't important to you.
  • PAnn1
    PAnn1 Posts: 530 Member
    I like to make fajitas using chicken and lots of onions and peppers. You can make your own fajita seasoning (low sodium or sodium free). I don't care for the tortilla, so make brown rice instead and top that with my fajita mixture.If I make a Mexican dish I make a small amt. of guac and use low fat or fat free sour cream and only use about 1 Tbsp of each. Low fat shredded cheese is ok in moderation. Look over any Mexican recipe and try to make modifications so it's lower in fats. To me it's all about taste, so the seasons are a big thing for me. If you use a lean meat and lots of vegetables you really won't miss all the slathered on cheese.
    I agree with what cwolfman13 wrote.
  • JennyRATL
    JennyRATL Posts: 199 Member
    annacole94 wrote: »
    http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

    That's certainly not authentic, but it's really good. Add some chicken if the recipe being vegan isn't important to you.

    Vouch. This is one of my fave recipes! I add chicken, too.
  • Lift_Run_Eat
    Lift_Run_Eat Posts: 986 Member
    I agree with the above about the portions and being loaded with cheese.

    If you want ideas so you can continue to eat it:
    1. either adjust your day so you can enjoy it as is
    2. adjust your portion size, or
    3. Eat it without those foods you are trying to avoid.
    Cook it yourself so you can control what is exactly going into it.

    For example, I love tacos. I would eat 4+ in 1 sitting if allowed. This does not fit into my day, so I eat what I call taco bowls....Taco meat (mine is venison), pico de gallo, and sour cream. Sometimes I add lettuce.

    Last night we had steak fajitas. I did the same, but no pico (i didn't make any) and I added guacamole.

    I love my mexican food, but it does not always fit into my day, so I modify it. I can still hit my macros &/or calories this way.

    @cwolfman13 I am totally jealous you live in Mew Mexico. First off, I love it there-such a beautiful state, second off, I love the food. New Mexican dishes are way better than the Tex-Mex I get here in Oklahoma!!!
  • Rage_Phish
    Rage_Phish Posts: 1,507 Member
    annacole94 wrote: »
    http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

    That's certainly not authentic, but it's really good. Add some chicken if the recipe being vegan isn't important to you.

    that looks pretty good
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Play up the flavor, play down the high-calorie toppings.

    We have tacos pretty often at home, and it's one of my lower calorie meals. Using corn tortillas can save some calories. Go light on sour cream, cheese and guacamole (if you can - I love guac), use lean beef or chicken. Use plenty of spices and salsa.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    We do tacos at home regularly. I use extra lean ground beef or turkey. Then chopped iceberg, onion, black olives, jalapeño, tomato. I use a little bit of cheese and skip the sour cream. I eat at least 3 - they are so good.
  • lucys1225
    lucys1225 Posts: 597 Member
    This is very good http://www.food.com/recipe/slow-cooker-adobo-pork-441399
  • 3rdof7sisters
    3rdof7sisters Posts: 486 Member
    I always get chicken fajitas and avoid the tortillas.
  • NEOHgirl
    NEOHgirl Posts: 237 Member
    I love Mexican food, and as others have stated, it can be very healthy. It even works for my gluten-free and low-carb friends, so it's a great way to do a group meal or outing when people with diet restrictions are included. My boyfriend and I will often split a fajita dinner for two. Everything on the entree platter is grilled. If I don't have calories left for tortillas, I ask for lettuce leaves on the side and do lettuce wraps instead, or I just eat the fixings with a fork. I limit my consumption of the free condiments (shredded cheese, sour cream, etc). I mostly ignore the rice, or just put a small amount in to get the flavor. You might need to make some slight tweaks to HOW you eat your Mexican food, but you should still be able to enjoy it and stay on your plan.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    This is one of my faves. I noticed it's from the same website as one of the recipes posted above.
    http://damndelicious.net/2014/07/07/quinoa-enchilada-casserole/
  • deneenae
    deneenae Posts: 97 Member
    edited February 2017
    I love Mexican food. I grew up in Arizona where they can make a good carne asada burrito and chicken taco. Grew up on the border of New Mexico too, so I am familiar with their New Mexican-Mexican food. But, some of the places can be dangerous, calorie wise. Its the cheese... I love cheese... Any cheese...

    So, I've started making it at home so I know what goes into it. I also eat lots of pico (green chile if in NM) to fill up on veggies. I make my dishes with extra onions and peppers and I make my own no-fat refried beans in the slow cooker. I make Mexican at lease once a week. I've started skipping the rice just because beans are more nutrient dense and have more fiber, which will get me full.

    But if I'm at a good restaurant, I order what I want and eat less and take the rest home for the next day. And I drink a ton of water while eating to trick myself. This has been incredibly hard, but I'm getting better at it. I even took home half a chili relleno and rice the other day! What the heck! Who am I?! As for the chips and salsa, this is the most dangerous part of eating out. I limit myself to a few chips and drink the whole bowl of salsa so my mouth is burning so much I don't want anything else in my mouth until my meal comes. Haha!
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    Yeah it really makes a difference if you're talking Mexican food out, or Mexican food you make. Last time I was at a Mexican restaurant I had the fajitas, used topping sparingly, ignored the shells. Ignored the chile rellenos.... but sometimes I do splurge and have what I want (within reason), I just make sure to save up calories for it.
  • mrsksepulveda
    mrsksepulveda Posts: 15 Member
    Hi! Im mexican n i loooove sopes!!!! So this is how i trick my head. I get lean ground turkey cabbage slaw feta cheese plain nonfat greek yogurt homemade guac n homemade salsa i put it in order just like a sope (without the shell). You can also add some black or pinto beans. That tricks my head n i feel great about it! I also do lettuce
  • JennyRATL
    JennyRATL Posts: 199 Member
    yayamom3 wrote: »
    This is one of my faves. I noticed it's from the same website as one of the recipes posted above.
    http://damndelicious.net/2014/07/07/quinoa-enchilada-casserole/

    She really does have a lot of great recipes!
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Black bean soup! Super easy. Saute chopped onion (about a half medium sized) & jalapeno until tender. Add 1-2 t. cumin and adobo spice. Add 2 cans of drained/rinsed black beans, 1 sm 8 oz can of mexican style tomato sauce and a can or two of water or chicken stock. Simmer a minimum of 10 minutes and use a stick blender to puree to desired consistency. This is better the 2nd day as the flavors will meld. Takes no time to make, but it's a keeper. Probably not authentic, but it's full of fiber and flavor. Add a squeeze of lime juice when serving and of course a dollop of sour cream is pretty tasty too, but not necessary.

    I also make a refried bean version of the same recipe, but use only a small amount of water. I serve it next to roasted sweet potatoes. Great flavor combination.

    I make a mexican type bowl and serve with either tortillas or cornmeal mush (cornmeal and water). Saute onion, jalapeno, cumin, adobo spice and then add in whatever vegetables sound good. Zucchini, carrot, canned tomatoes, frozen corn and either black or pinto beans. You can add in cooked chicken as well. And serve with a bit of cheese, sour cream or diced avocado.

    I also use these sazon flavor packets from Goya (orange box). I'm sure they are a sodium bomb, but I like the flavor.
  • fishcat123
    fishcat123 Posts: 74 Member
    Tacos for brunch! Two at about 300-350 calories each is one huge meal or the equivalent of two very reasonable ones. I like having them at around 11 or 3 for "combination meals" and don't really want or need another lunch/dinner. If you skip the taco shells or only eat half you can save more calories.

    Tamales, which are easy to find at Trader Joe's or Mexican supermarkets, make settings portions easier, because you can only eat one. There are also several good prepackaged quesadillas at Trader Joe's and depending on where you live (I'm in a city with a pretty large Mexican population so might be different elsewhere) in the regular supermarket too. Not all are low calorie but the calories are at least listed.

    Choosing lower fat meats (fajita cuts, tinga) or vegetables can also reduce calories. Also loading up at the salsa bar is a fun way to try different flavors without adding many calories.

    Mexican inspired salads are also good! Lettuce, beans, tomato based salsa, maybe a little meat/cheese/guacamole depending on your target calories. Also, I sometimes like a small portion of full-fat, etc, enchiladas with a green salad for dinner.

    Sad to say, but margaritas are super high calorie usually. Tequila with lime is probably the best option at a restaurant, at home blending it with watermelon or citrus has kind of the same feel.

    Also, not the most authentic Mexican, but Taco Bell actually has a lot of lower calorie options. Because it's a chain the calories are easy to find beforehand.

    Can you tell I love Mexican food too, lol? I've lost about 10 pounds in the new year eating tacos probably twice a week, fitting them into 1200 calories a day easily, so it's definitely doable!
  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
    Exchange beef for ground chicken or turkey, add 1/2 can fat free refried beans to the meat mixture with the seasonings, sliced avocado and hot sauce.
    I also use corn tortillas and drape them over 2 of the rails of my oven rack and bake until crisp for a crunchy shell that isn't fried.
  • lilithsrose
    lilithsrose Posts: 752 Member
    Mexican food is pretty healthy on its own. However, if you'd like to cut some calories, try swapping beef for venison. You can use ground venison or even cook it as chunks or shredded. Season it as you would beef. Try chicken or shrimp dishes. They're fairly common in Mexican food. If you'd like to lighten up the rice, try swapping it for rice cauliflower and season like you normally would.
  • Macy9336
    Macy9336 Posts: 694 Member
    Lots of good advice here. I lived in NM for four years and learned how to make many dishes and sauces from scratch. I think that is key to keeping Mexican food healthy. If you buy a jar of enchilada sauce or a can of chili or a tub of guacamole it is not going to be as healthy as homemade where you can control the ingredients...i.e. Lean meats, no oils, no added sugar, extra veg, etc. Worst is Mexican food from a fast food joint like Chipolata or Taco Bell...yuck...to be avoided at all costs. Mexican food is also pretty nutrient dense and filling so definitely watch portion size and toppings like cheese, guacamole or sour cream.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    TheCupcakeCounter wrote: »
    Exchange beef for ground chicken or turkey, add 1/2 can fat free refried beans to the meat mixture with the seasonings, sliced avocado and hot sauce.
    I also use corn tortillas and drape them over 2 of the rails of my oven rack and bake until crisp for a crunchy shell that isn't fried.

    Have you ever looked at the nutritional information on ground beef vs ground turkey? If you're comparing apples to apples % fat, there's really not much difference. 93% GB is going to be pretty much the same as 93% GT and I'll take the GB any day of the week.
  • kwil74
    kwil74 Posts: 42 Member
    Homemade enchilada gravy..Tablespoon olive oil and tbs flour brown the flour like you would for gravy add chicken broth just enough to make a small amount of not overly thick gravy go from there add a can or 2 of tomato sauce small cans plenty of garlic powder, cumin, plenty of chili powder salt pepper taste as you go along adjust to your liking..Mission tortillas makes a untra thin corn tortilla 3 tortillas 100 calories..Brown some 96% lean ground beef with onion and seasonings roll you up some enchilada tops with sauce sprinkle top with reduced fat mexi blend cheese bake..Top with green onions and and a spoon 2% fage you have 3 enchiladas for prob less than 300 cal..Or fajitas..sams has a wheat tortilla 90 cal low carb that actually tastes good but I can eat fajitas by themselves..I use ramirez fajita seasoning its salty but the best..My weakness to is mexican food but it can actually be healthy I just made brown rice mexican rice it was pretty good..Brown rice cooks different than white rice so be sure to google a recipe..And the above enchilada sauce can double as a lean carne guisada gravy can use beef broth instead of chicken..Also posole is low cal low fat of you use chicken..And lastly the bean chalupa..Make your own pot of beans mush some up for refried beans el paso Tostada shells 150 caloires for 3..top with beans lettuce tomato and onion hot sauce skip the cheese you wont even notice..You have another prob 300 calorie meal..best of luck
  • sarraheclark
    sarraheclark Posts: 125 Member
    edited March 2017
    I use this site often and the enchilada verde recipe is great! http://www.skinnytaste.com/latin-recipes/
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I usually order shrimp fajitas and ask them to go easy on the oil. I skip the tortillas, sour cream , cheese, chips, and margaritas.
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