Yes, as you can imagine or may have discovered, eating “out” can be challenging when you want to eat healthy. It seems most restaurant menus are designed to thwart our body shaping and health goals!
Fat, butter, cheese and meat are everywhere and packed into everything possible. Of course to make food delicious. Is it any wonder Julia Child’s cookbooks are such big sellers? Put gobs of butter in anything and it will taste good!
Case in point.
Yesterday, we loaded our bikes onto the car rack and drove to the valley to bike through the sunny wetlands. The birds of Northern California are just about gone from this stop on their migratory routes but there was plenty of heron, duck, and spring bird action. And temperatures were in the mid-60s, heaven!
We stopped for lunch at Casa Lupe, THE Mex restaurant in town. Looking at the menu, it was a healthy-choices dietary disaster. But I know I can put together something pretty good at Mex restaurants, as long as they have a pot of beans – without lard! 
No problem! Here’s what I did.
I simply ordered:
- a big bowl of the non-fried beans
- a stack of soft, fresh corn tortillas
- a garden salad without dressing
- extra bowls of salsa (for dressing and for my crafted tacos!)
- lime and lemon wedges
Then I ate to my heart’s content along with a perfectly chilled Dos X cerveza.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Lani,
WOW! I’m impressed! It looks absolutely yummy and VERY creative. I think I want bean tacos for dinner tonight now! :)
Thanks for sharing. All these tips are great and I carry your voice in my head when exercising AND eating out now!
@PhyllisB: Phyllis, I know, beans a corn shells have a lowly rep but I crave them now – they are so satisfying on so many levels! Hope you score your tacos for dinner! And thanks so much for your post and kind comments! I’m proud to be in your shopping cart ;-).
Lani
Lani: Interesting as I had cooked a pot of beans yesterday and tonight I softened some corn shells and filled them with beans. I did use a smidge of grated mixed cheese. I had not read about your idea on Mexican Foods will give that a try next time we eat out. But that’s not very often as we don’t have many good resturants in our town mostly Pizza.
@Janice C: Hey Janice, sounds like you take to this kind of switcheroo easily!
Lani
I don’t have any specific menu tips- but I have been trying new foods over the past year. I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I like different fruits and veggies that I had never tried before. It’s nice to be able to eat healthy and have yummy meals without all the fat and calories :)
@Betty: Betty, this is fantastic! I like your attitude. Thanks for coming in to comment!
Lani