Mexican or spicy?!?!?!

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Slw2688
Slw2688 Posts: 51
in Recipes
Ok so I LOVE LOVE LOVE spicy food!!!!

I Love tacos, enchilada's spanish rice etc.....

A lot of that stuff has so many calories.......I want to still be able to eat stuff like that but I'm not really sure how to put things together???

ANY IDEAS MFP FAMILY?
If you do have some can you please include the nutritional info as well :-)
I'm excited to see what you guys come up with!!!!!
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Replies

  • ausped
    ausped Posts: 58 Member
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    I always like fajitas with lots of peppers, onions and meat. I limit the tortillas and cheese.
  • jecka31
    jecka31 Posts: 284
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    I make chicken fajitas instead of beef. I also made tacos with ground turkey and they came out pretty good. You can also use extra lean ground beef (99%) too. Make a taco salad instead of tacos (cuts out the tortillas).
  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
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    Ceviche -- Google up some recipes. You can make it with raw fish or canned/bagged tuna. Great stuff! You can spice it up with Cholula or Valentina salsa -- or diced jalapenos.
  • NA_Willie
    NA_Willie Posts: 340 Member
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    The thing to watch out with Mexican and spicy food is the sodium.

    Mexcan food is what imagine God provided as manna for the Isrealites in the desert.

    It is the best thing ever.

    Moderation.
  • fitplease
    fitplease Posts: 647 Member
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    Make your own. Load up on the veggies. Light on everything else -- taste not quantity.
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
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    My tricks: Substitute plain greek yogurt for sour cream, either none or really light on the cheese, always white meat over red, and double the veggies in everything. We love spicy food, it isn't good unless it hurts ;) My fav is to make burritos, just go to your local farmers market and grab a handful of assorted peppers. I usually have no clue what kind I buy, but I taste them as I slice them up. Use kitchen shears to cut up a couple of chicken breasts into bitty pieces, and throw a 3:1 ratio of peppers:chicken into a pan. As long as you don't use much olive oil (normally .5 tbsp does it) and you are picky about your tortilla, it makes a delicious spicy burrito. Splurge with some spicy green chili on top. Just stay away from those tortilla chips, they are addictive and bad news!
    Or make a salad and pour some chalula on it ;)
  • ixiHemlock
    ixiHemlock Posts: 83 Member
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    many spicy Indian foods are vegetarian and you can control the extent of carb involvement (rice or flat bread optional)

    I also like thai and asian dishes which can be manipulated in the same way.
  • midwifekelley2350
    midwifekelley2350 Posts: 337 Member
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    i make chicken enchildas at home with corn tortillas and serve with fat free refried bean and brown rice and lettuce with salsa and it looks like a restaurant plate...but better!
  • Slw2688
    Slw2688 Posts: 51
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    Midwifekelley ---do u buy the refried beans in a can??????
    You know taci bell has a mexican pizza that is my fav! and I think its has refried beans in it
  • Mark63
    Mark63 Posts: 16 Member
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    We use corn tortillas and only 2 of them. Load up on veggies and some refried beans. Add some egg product and it bumps up your protein. It doesn't sound filling but it really is.
  • Slw2688
    Slw2688 Posts: 51
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    THX TO EVERONE FOR THE IDEAS!
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
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    definitely try some indian food!
  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
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    Cook your own pinto or black beans, easy on the salt. Then, just smash them with a potato masher. Tastier and lower in fat and sodium than canned.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Eat delicious enchiladas. Exercise a lot later. :happy:

    This is my plan for the day, anyway.
  • Figuringoutme
    Figuringoutme Posts: 330
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    bump
  • wanderlust3
    wanderlust3 Posts: 26
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    So with you on the loving Mexican food! If you like seafood, try fish tacos with some kind of flaky white fish like tilapia, mahi mahi, or snapper. Because it has a milder flavor than beef, a lot of high-calorie stuff like cheese and sour cream overpowers the fish, so it's completely satisfying to have it with just some salsa, avocado, and a bit of lettuce or cabbage for crunch. I make my own salsa with mangos, corn, jalapeno, some powdered chipotle pepper, a bit of red onion, cilantro, and lime juice; it adds some great spicy flavor, goes really well with the fish, and even with the corn and fruit it's only 10 calories per Tbsp!
  • BFit4U
    BFit4U Posts: 7
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    Not sure if anyone already mentioned this but using corn tortillas instead of flour saves on calories and is healthier for you. Typically you can have 3 corn to your 1 flour :-) This is what I do when I make tacos, fajitas, etc. I also use fat free sour cream, limit the cheese, increase vegetebles and swap out ground turkey (99% lean) for ground beef or I use shrimp, chicken or lean steak. As far as sides, I agree with another poster...make your own "refried" beans with black bean that have been drained, rinsed and mashed.
  • midwifekelley2350
    midwifekelley2350 Posts: 337 Member
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    Midwifekelley ---do u buy the refried beans in a can??????
    You know taci bell has a mexican pizza that is my fav! and I think its has refried beans in it
    \

    yep!
  • SouLThinking
    SouLThinking Posts: 308 Member
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    96/4 Lean ground beef 4oz is 130 cal
    using cumin and your own seasonings is lower calories and sodium then taco seasoning but even if you use taco seasoning it's pretty low
    3 Ortego whole grain corn taco shells are 150 cal (50 each)
    lettuce (minimal)
    chopped tomatoes (low cal)
    2% mexican cheese 80 1/4 cup
    light sour cream 2 tbls 40 cal
    hot & spicy chunky salsa 10 cal per 2 tbll

    When I made these tacos I didn't even get to stuff all 4 oz of beef in them because of all the lettuce/tomatoes

    I was very full and happy afterwards.

    A huge meal for less than 500 cal.

    You can also do exactly as above but take 2 taco shells and break them up in a bowl and make a taco salad ..save 50 calories there and half the cheese and add more hot salsa for a spicier lower cal meal too. But I think it is just fine as mentioned.
    You can also add fat free refried beans too and cut down on the meat.
  • RAQUELINATOVAR
    RAQUELINATOVAR Posts: 221 Member
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    pork tenderloin (clean and take off fat) cut in big chunks and put in crockpot, add one can of tomatoes, two cans of mexican tomato sauce, two cans of green chilis. i cook mine on high for several hours till it falls apart pretty good. very tasty. good for tacos, over rice, with veggies, etc.

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