Mexican Restaurant Tonight! What to EAT???

ShoeGal81
ShoeGal81 Posts: 29 Member
edited October 1 in Introduce Yourself
It's my best friends birthday and we have a dinner planned tonight. Unfortunatly the Restaurant does not offer the nutritional value of the dishes they serve (i checked the website) Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should eat or stay away from? I was thinking of just having a salad.

PS- i know that Margaritas are out of the question!!!! :-)

Replies

  • BeckyJill7
    BeckyJill7 Posts: 547 Member
    Advice I try to follow- don't eat the free food at restaurants. Chips/salsa, breadsticks, etc.

    I would try to go with chicken tacos or fajitas, limit cheese, sour cream, guacamole. Lots of veggies. Good luck and have fun!
  • RNewton4269
    RNewton4269 Posts: 663 Member
    I like the fajitas....(minus the tortillas)...I skip sour cream too mostly because I don't like it. My go to lunch at the Mex restaurant here is a mushroom quesadilla..(yumm!)...a small guacamole salad and pico de gallo...big water with lots of lemons.
  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
    Girl, you are celebrating, enjoy yourself a margarita!! :P
  • laurendough
    laurendough Posts: 24
    Easy - order chicken fajitas and just eat the chicken & grilled veggies. Very low in calories for how delicious it is. If you want to add a small amount of guacamole, the calories are pretty reasonable on that too. I usually allow myself 10 tortilla chips, and salsa is very low-cal. I lost 2 lbs one week that I had mexican food three times!
  • ygrad2001
    ygrad2001 Posts: 230
    Ask for your chips with out salt and try the fajitas. Or if you have been working hard enjoy it as a free day! One day will not ruin your progress.
  • MelanieWo
    MelanieWo Posts: 22
    Try eating something off of the appetizer portion of the menu. That way you don't get the rice and beans on the side. I went out for Mexican last night and had mini chimis. I had them leave off the sour cream and quacamole. I used salsa instead. The appetizer came with 6, but I could only eat 3. That was 440 calories. It was delicious too.
  • AudgePaudge
    AudgePaudge Posts: 537 Member
    Try to stay away from the flour tortillas, go with corn. Maybe a chicken or carne soft taco with whole pinto beans. Oh I getting hungry...
  • randa_behnam
    randa_behnam Posts: 488 Member
    chilli bowl no cheese, or chicken fajitas....
  • raiderette74
    raiderette74 Posts: 4
    I'd go with Chicken (or Prawn) fajitas, no tortillas, no rice, extra beans. And skip the chips or limit yourself to just a few.
  • FAKECED
    FAKECED Posts: 61
    NOTHING!!!
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
    Fajitas! I don't usually eat the tortillas .. but I do keep the Guacamole (good fats right?) .... and I keep the cheese and sour cream also because you are going out to have some fun and enjoy yourself! I don't touch any chips or salsa and I drink a ton of water. Have a blast tonight! Ole!
  • missxlaur
    missxlaur Posts: 286
    veggie fajitas with no tortillas! that's what i always do. or chicken fajitas. yum!
  • KateHubb
    KateHubb Posts: 366 Member
    Last time I went to a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant I had no clue about nutrition values I tried to play it as safe as I could. I had a grilled chicken taco salad, minus cheese and sour cream (the two best parts in my opinion, ugh) and didn't eat the shell. It was tasty and I was left feeling ok about my decision and not regretting it later. Usually grilled chicken is always a good bet, just high in sodium but I wouldn't stress about it!
  • Rikki444
    Rikki444 Posts: 326 Member
    Being Mexican myself, this is how I keep my cuisine low cal.....

    Avoid the chips & salsa. I suggest the fajitas but avoid the sour cream. OK to add a little guac for taste. If you have tortillas, as for corn NOT flour. If you have side dishes, stay away from the fried (or refried!) beans. OR... you could just not eat and have the Margarita! =)
  • marjen002
    marjen002 Posts: 112
    I always do taco salads without the shell. Add up the basic ingredients in your food diary to see what you can have. I usually order it with shredded chicken, pico, salsa, cheese and sour cream. But if you need to have less fat just omit either the cheese or sour cream, or both. I sometimes also add guacamole in lieu of cheese. Yum!!
  • ShoeGal81
    ShoeGal81 Posts: 29 Member
    i'll see if they can make me a skinny girl Margarita!!!
  • hyde1977
    hyde1977 Posts: 476 Member
    I would say- b/c we are all going to say something different. Look in the database and pull up some of the items that you see on the menu- many restaurants are comparable!

    As if they have corn tortias and if not you can have a flour one! just don't eat the 4-6 they bring- limit it to 1-2

    You are going out to celebrate! You don't do this every day!

    well I get the losing weight (I have lost 48 since March)- but I never limited myself- its one night- one night is not going to make you gain weight- Have a drink and celebrate! just don't have 5-6 of them! enjoy yourself!

    Remember it took time to gain the weight, it takes time to lose it, and one night is not going to bring it all back on !!!!!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I'd go with fajitas.
  • Sj20fame
    Sj20fame Posts: 205 Member
    Stay away from Flour tortillas in general! Always go with corn, don't eat the rice! eat beans instead! Eat chicken, stay away from steack, or alpastor(pork meat). eating a few chips is okay, salsa's are not bad for you, they are from veggies, but they do have some salt...get a Pico de gallo instead.....don't eat fried foods like Flautas, or Chille Rellenos(egg batter is fried), but other then that, tacos are not that horrible, if you eat them the right way, like maybe don't get cheese on it, but enjoy the chicken, lettuce, and tomato...stay light on the sour cream....I eat these kinds of foods everyday, so don't worry enjoy yourself, and you'll be okay ;)
  • ShoeGal81
    ShoeGal81 Posts: 29 Member
    I will definitly try to modify the meal to make a bit healthier - you guys definitly gave me some great ideas. THANKS :-)))
  • sfeld1
    sfeld1 Posts: 8
    Hey there!

    Mexican is always hard for me too! But, the good news is, you can defanitly enjoy your dinner, celebrate with your freinds, and leave feeling good about your food choice.

    Heres what I do...
    I order veggie fajitas, cooked WITHOUT any added oils( just as the server). I dont usually have them bring the tortillas, sour cream or cheese, I replace the rice with a side salad, and insted of refried beans I order black beans (theses are great soruce of protien to fill you up). If I am really craving the tortillas i just load them up with the veggies, salsa, and lettuce. Of course I do treat myself to a margarita, but light beer is a great option to save calories! One word of advice...stay clear from the tortilla chips because we all know, its impossible to just have a "few".(If you feel left out, ask the server to bring your side salad ASAP so your not sitting watching everyone else devour the chips.) Hope this helps, good luck!
  • roxyjo1
    roxyjo1 Posts: 29
    last week my fiance & I went to a mexican place & we split an order of fajitas. I didn't eat any chips, rice, beans, cheese or sour cream. I just made a "salad" with the lettuce, pico de gallo, a little salsa, guacamole, & the chicken & vegetable fajita mix. It was pretty good! and I left the restaurant knowing I did the best I could.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    I plan lots of exercise when I want Mexican. I will go ALL out, it is a weakness I cannot tame.
  • millionsofpeaches
    millionsofpeaches Posts: 372
    I always get grilled fish tacos at a Mexican restaurant! I find they are healthful and delicious... :) Or fajitas w/ out the cheese, sour cream, and tortillas.
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
    A few tips here:

    Mexican Dining

    Mexican Food is often rich and creamy. But by knowing the basics, you can look for the full-flavoured meals with the lowest possible calories....pass the salsa, extra chillies please!
    Strategies

    Top tips
    • Enjoy the salsa served before your meal but avoid the deep-fried corn tortilla chips, choose a flour tortilla instead
    • Ask for soured cream and guacamole to be served on the side and limit how much you eat of these. Substitute soured cream with natural yoghurt.
    • Ask for only a little cheese in your meal
    • Chilli peppers are addictive! Eating very hot chillies stimulates the production of endorphins, the body's own painkillers, and causes a natural high


    Healthy Choices

    Starters:
    • Black bean soup
    • Gazpacho
    • Chili con carne
    • Tostada

    Salads:
    • Mexican salad without cheese

    Main Courses:
    • Soft or flour tortillas
    • Tostadas, burritos, soft tacos, enchiladas, tamales and fajitas without extra soured cream, cheese or guacamole
    • Shredded spicy chicken, beef or ground beef
    • Steamed tamales or corn tortillas filled with chicken or beans

    Side Orders:
    • Yellow, mexican or plain rice
    • Pico de gallo
    • Salsa
    • Tortillas
    • Black beans

    Desserts:
    • Fruit Flan



    Foods to avoid
    Main Courses:
    • Burgers and fries

    Side Orders:
    • Extra servings of soured cream, guacamole, re-fried beans or cheese
    • Deep-fried corn tortilla chips
    • Fried filled tortillas (chimi-changas)
    • Deep-fried chicken wings or tortilla fillings (flauta)
  • UnderCoverShyGirl
    UnderCoverShyGirl Posts: 254 Member
    mexican is hard for me because what i really want is tons of salted chips and salsa and a couple margaritas! ;-)

    Do you like ceviche? Definately lower on the calorie side. You can ask for regular corn tortillas and tear off chunks instead of eating chips, it actually works and is more filling! Instead of a margarita, get a shot of tequila on the side and splurge by having a diet soda (lemon lime/7up is good with tequila ;-) or iced tea on the side. You can sip on the shot throughout the meal and feel as if you are sharing in the festivity, but your thirst quencher is just about guilt free. I often get a salad - without a shell, and use salsa and limes as the dressing. My splurge would be getting fajitas on top of it or shrimp (i make sure to skip any rice, beans and cheese some places use. And i'm sure a chicken enchilada with no cheese, can't be that bad, can it ;-). Mexican is hard, but i have found it very doable, just remember salsa and fresh things are your friend, then pick the protien to eat it with!
  • sehein7
    sehein7 Posts: 78 Member
    Girl, you are celebrating, enjoy yourself a margarita!! :P

    I agree. As long as this is a special occasion (and you don't have a special occasion every week), go and enjoy yourself!
  • shashaz2002
    shashaz2002 Posts: 42
    There are a lot of great choices you can get, such as Fajitas (Chicken, steak or shrimp), I would eat corn instead of flour tortillas. You can also get any salad w/ your choice of meat and use salsa for the dressing. I have to eat my chips and salsa, and guacamole, I just eat them slowly, and portion them out, because I don't like to deprive myself, otherwise deprivation = failure.
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