Went to lunch today with coworkers and had mexican. I am a sucker for mexican food....carne asada....YUM.
Anyway, I'm just curious about what everyone's "go to" or favorite "on plan" (no matter which plan you follow) entree is when you eat out at Mexican restaurants.
Today, I successfully skipped the tortilla chips and ordered arroz con pollo (with tomato, green peppers and onions) with a side of jalapenos and pico de gallo. I only at a couple spoon fulls of the rice.
For WW points plus purposes, I figured that to be about ~7pp (yay for 0PP veggies)
Usually fajitas. I either get corn tortillas or use no tortilla, pile on the veggies, and pick a protein. Sometimes, if they provide lettuce on the platter, I'll use it like a salad bed and just eat it as a giant fajita salad.
I second fajitas. That's pretty much all I get at mexican places now, but we go out for mexican once a week, LOL. Its a problem.. a delicious problem.
I also use only corn tortillas, and sometimes skip them all together. I order no sour cream and always ask for guacamole, because yum, guacamole. And I order a double order of pico. Delish.
Last edited by kateleestar; 05-01-2012 at 01:12 PM.
Ooo, good topic for today, since I have to go out for Mexican tonight. I was thinking too that fajitas would be safest, skipping the tortillas and the dairy fixings. I can't say I'm terribly thrilled I'll be paying $17 or so for what is pretty much my default dinner of grilled chicken and vegetables, but I'm glad to know that others see it as a reasonable option calorie-wise as well!
I'm on a low carb plan. I order what's called Tavo Dip at our local dive. I don't know what the name of it would be at other places. It's basically a cheese and meat soup--shreeded beef, chicken and several large shrimp, covered in a cheese sauce. YUM!
Yeah it was a toss up between fajitas and the arroz con pollo for me. I didn't think I could handle passing up the sour cream with the fajitas though LOL.
I am very lucky that my favorite Mexican restaurant has a couple of meals that I consider light, if probably high in sodium. My very favorite is their Shrimp Cocktail. It is a large margarita bowl filled w/ boiled shrimp, V8 or tomato juice, chopped avocado, chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic. It is just so delicious. My next favorite is their Caldo de Pescado y Camaron...a catfish/shrimp soup. Vegetable broth with the fish and shrimp. They serve it with a plate of rice, onion, cilantro to dump in. Very good on a cold wintery day.
I do allow myself a reasonable amount of chips, queso and salsa and I also like flour tortillas. I try to limit myself and usually feel like I've done well.
I've done veggie enchiladas without cheese or as others have mentioned, fajitas. It really depends on the place. An authentic place might not have fajitas but most places seem to have them.
Fajitas are my healthy choice or that lemon chicken breast they sometimes have, but.........BUT........... If I know I`m going to a Mexican restaurant, I'll probably find a way to give myself enough calories to eat a couple tacos. Damn those tiny things are good
I rarely go out for Mexican food and cannot remember the last time I did. I think at this point (TOM is looming) I would probably just not eat for a day before and after the dinner and gorge myself on chicken and cheese enchiladas and rice and refried beans, haha. Fajitas are great too - and pico de gallo! Lots of colors on one plate makes anything attractive.
The little place around the corner was my regular place for lunch with neighbors. They had a lunch special of shrimp with spicy garlicy sauce. It came with soup or salad. I ordered the salad with no dressing. Then I tore up the tortillas and make mini taco bites of the shrimp, lettuce and a dab of the beans and rice. Lots of the salsa gets eaten. I pile a ton on the rice and beans so eat bite is mostly salsa. I try to leave at least half of the rice and beans on the plate. If my dining partner is someone watching their calories and agrees I tell them not to bring the chips. Eliminated that mindless hand to mouth action. Sadly they were bought out and the menu changed.
Oh- something I learned on Cinco de Mayo was to ask whether the beans are truly re-fried or just cooked and mashed. I was picking up chips and salsa for a function and thought some of the salsa mixed with the beans would be a nice dip. Turns out their beans are just mashed without added fat. I used to work near a place that made a fish soup like the one Annie mentioned. I miss it!
My lowest calorie favorite is shrimp cocktail. Not all mexican restaurants have it, but when they do, it's my absolutel favorite "on plan" treat.
Shrimp, salsa/tomato juice, with onions, cilantro, and avocado. It's usually served with saltines, but I pass on the crackers and eat it with a spoon. If I've overspent on my calories (or want to eat some of the tortillas and salsa), I don't eat all of the avocado bits.
Another favorite is carnitas or fajitas, and I'll avoid or severely limit the starchy sides (the rice, bean, and tortillas).
If I stick to low-carb, I still will see a slight gain the next day, just from the sodium, but as long as I push the fluids for the next day or two, the water weight will be gone.
What do YOU order at Mexican restaurants...
