I would probably go for veggie fajitas. granted, I don't eat meat so I am not too familiar with the calories in meat dishes. But I would guess anything grilled such as veggies is going to not be too high in calories, because even if they put oil on it a lot burns off when being grilled. you also get to "build your own" so you can choose what you put onto the fajitas (load up on salsa, limit to maybe 1 -2 tortillas (they are usually about 60-80 cals a piece), light cheese, or just eat all those veggies on their own.
I am not sure if they make the beans with lard, but the beans shouldn't be too high cal - i buy re fried in a can that are 120 cals for 1/2 a cup - which is a lot of beans! You could ask if they are made with lard, although I don't trust people to tell the truth. I'd skip the chips and rice and margaritas (*sad face*, those are my fav)
Also, a lot of mexican place have extensive seafood, and I would imagine grilled fish/shrimp would be low cal?
I like margaritas a lot, too-- but I can do without knowing that I have to be up early. I always make room for them on a regular night out, though
I refuse to not consume some cheese and a little guac, so I think I can balance it out by sticking with a lean protein or veggies and going easy on the cheese/guac/sour cream.
I make a lot of Mexican food at home with fat free beans, cheese, sour cream and whole wheat tortillas. I totally concur on the Fajita suggestion, that's what I would get.
I would get two chicken tacos (no cheese, sour cream but yes to pico, lettuce, cilantro) with a side of whole beans (most places have a healthy no lard option), that would be under 500 calories and a yummy choice! I love good salsa, so if a place has excellent salsa I will have chips but only 12 - that's about a one ounce, 140 calorie serving, not too bad but takes some self control!
I'd go with a water (or diet pop), skip the chips, and go with make your own tacos or something similar that has really fresh ingredients and is light on the sauce and cheese. (Obviously salsa is a GOOD condiment, melted cheese is not!)
Stay with fresher things and you should be fine. Also, watch for things like salads that have fruit in them, I remember an episode of the biggest loser and the one salad had a LOT of calories o.o.
Soup soup soup. Tortilla soup with no toppings is very, very low calorie--it's basically chicken broth and chicken, after all. If they make it with avocado, you need to account for that, but you can have them leave it out. In its most basic form, a bowl of tortilla soup is like 300 calories. If you really want toppings, order them on the side and only put in half. You can keep it under 500 like that.
I can't give a calorie count, sorry, but my local Mexican place has a delish shrimp cocktail that I order almost every time we go there. It is served in a large margarita glass. It has V8, shrimp, tomato, onion, avocado, cilantro, garlic, tabasco. They also have a wonderful shrimp/catfish soup in a veg. broth. They serve it with a plate of rice, onion and cilantro on the side.
OK, I am attaching the nutritional info from a local tex-mex restaurant (part of a chain -- Austin Grill). I found the calorie counts SHOCKING! I always assumed fajitas were not bad b/c they were grilled -- well, it turns out they pour fat over them to get that sizzling effect as they bring them out! And things like chicken tacos are so much more caloric than I thought (at least at this place).
If you're going to a chain, see if they have info online. If it's a local restaurant, it never hurts to ask the manager what's healthy on the menu. Things like ceviche are usually safe, as Schmead suggested tortilla soup. Beware cheese, sauces, beans, rice, giant tortillas...
I have a mexican restauraunt that makes the best Ceviche. I order it with grilled corn tortillas definitely under 500 if you are careful with the avocado.
My go to choices at our fav local Mexican place. Tacos with soft corn tortillas and the Veggie salad without the shell. They cook their beans without lard.
Best Choice @ Mexican Restaurant: 500 cals
I'm gettin' the hang of this.... plan, stop when you're full, and ENJOY!
