Out for Dinner: Mexican Style

This is my first post on venturing out for meals.  I hope to eventually share with you how to navigate any kind of restaurant or special occasion, so I am starting with one of my most frequent dining-out experiences - Mexican.  It was also my first out-to-dinner challenge in the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle, so it makes sense for me to start south of the border, culinarily speaking.

It doesn't hurt that my little town has a great Mexican restaurant.  Hola to mi amigo, Don Ramon!

It does not take long for the first challenge to show up.  The server delivers chips and salsa to your table.  If I had better self control, I would allow myself one or two of the salt-glistening triangles, but alas, I have a hard time stopping at two, so I need other options.  Here are some tips:

1.  Ask your server if you could possibly get some cucumber, pepper, or other veggie slices instead.  If they will accommodate you, then dip and eat to your heart's content.

2.  Alas, the last time I asked, my hometown restaurant did not do this.  (I need to ask again.)  So with permission from my table mates to double-dip, I take my fork and eat salsa right from the bowl.  If my table mates are opposed to that (or it wouldn't be appropriate to ask, depending on who is at your table), ask your server for your own bowl of salsa.  Enjoy!

3.  Before leaving home, sneak some of your favorite sliced veggies into a zip bag and tuck it into your purse.  Dip away when that salsa comes.

Ok, now that we have not allowed the chips to sabotage us, let's move to the main meal.  When doing Mexican, I nearly always stick with S, even though most meals seem to come with rice, beans, and tortillas.  Last night, I ordered a steak salad off their menu (with Caesar dressing), which was delicious, filling, and had NO starchy accompaniments.  Sometimes salads come in a fried tortilla bowl, which you can decline.

This was my marvelous S meal last night.

Another of my Mexican restaurant standards is fajitas.  I tell them to skip the rice and tortillas, and then I request a few extra grilled veggies instead.   I do accept the refried beans, but I only eat a small amount of them.  And don't forget the guacamole, which is probably my main reason for going S.

Lastly, beverages.

I usually stick to ice water with lemon slices (as seen in the photo above), and then I add liquid stevia drops from the bottle that is always in my purse.  Refreshing and calorie-free lemonade!  You can also order unsweetened iced tea and doctor it up the same way.

Skip the margarita, which is a blood sugar travesty.  BUT, if you are really craving one, then make this in your blender and enjoy before you go or when you come home:

THM Strawberry "Margarita"

1 cup frozen strawberries

Juice of one lime

1-2 doonks stevia to taste

About a cup of water

Let 'er rip until blended and enjoy.  This drink is even more delicious if you use kombucha instead of water, but that is best enjoyed in an E setting.  You could use 1/2 cup kombucha if you plan to go S.

Strawberry Kombucharita

So how to do an E, Mexican style?  I find it a little harder, but it is not impossible.  I could order that same salad, only with chicken, and no dressing.  Ask for more salsa to use as your dressing, or squeeze some lemon or lime slices over it.  You could then also have some rice and beans in moderation.  But be careful - refried beans are a great hiding spot for fat.  You could ask for whole black beans instead.

See, that was totally doable!  

I have a very large challenge coming up in several weeks - an Alaskan cruise. So stay tuned to see if I can rise to the occasion!