Weight Watcher's Mexican Recipes - Food Fun & Faraway Places10 Best Weight watchers Mexican recipes

You can make smart choices to get a healthier and more satisfying meal by dining at an upscale Mexican restaurant or grabbing lunch at the taco truck.The tips will help.

Fried tortilla chips are the most popular snack at the Mexican table.You can count on 4 SmartPoints for a dozen chips.One strategy is to take the amount of chips you are comfortable with and put them on your plate.You could ask for some sliced vegetables so you can make your own salsa and guacamole.

When you have your portion of chips, make them last.If you put salsa on your plate, take two scoops of salsa with the chip, but only eat the third scoop.You will cut your chip intake by two-thirds.

The salsa and pico de gallo are great condiments and are usually free of SmartPoints values.salsa is a great addition to your main course if you are skipping cheese or sour cream.

Go fish Ceviche is a great snack.A half-cup of fish gives you 2 SmartPoints, which is more than enough to satisfy your hunger.

If you know your tortillas, choose a corn tortilla over flour.Corn is a whole grain, while a flour tortilla is not.Both corn and flour soft tortillas have about 2 to 3 SmartPoints value, but the corn will be a more healthy choice.

An ounce of cheese from your entree can eliminate up to 4 SmartPoints value.Ditto for sour cream.What can we do to make up for the loss of flavor?There is a green wedge on your plate.A squeeze of lime is great for Mexican dishes.If you want a side of lime wedges, ask for it.

There are other side-dishes at Mexican restaurants.Get adventurous.Cut the jicama root.It's refreshing and has no SmartPoints value.Another great choice is nopalitos.These cactus paddles are high in fiber and vitamins, and have only the fat they're cooked with, so a serving might contain just 1 SmartPoints value.If you must have bean, go for pinto beans or black beans.The SmartPoints values will be reduced by half.

Need a drink?The flagship cocktail of Mexico is a refreshing blend of lime juice, sweet triple sec and tequila.Assuming your glass isn't large enough to hold several goldfish, this cocktail will cost you at least 17 SmartPoints value.You can order a Paloma as an alternative.This authentic cocktail is topped with Squirt and has only 9 SmartPoints value.

When trying to beat the heat of Mexican cuisine, beer can add a lot of baggage.If you want to add water, grab one and put it on the side.You will most likely be satisfied after drinking one or two, and less tempted to keep ordering.

Mexican food is usually healthier than chain-restaurant offerings.Mexican food has bright, bold flavors of chilies and herbs.Diane Henderiks says it's not just heavy food.

There are many authentic Mexican restaurants where you can find some of the typical dishes.The Tex-Mex version is more familiar to you than the real dish that inspired it.

Keep the portion in check by sharing this as an aperitif.Chicken or whole beans are better than cheese.That can reduce the value of SmartPoints.

If you order chicken breast and 1/3 cup of sauce on the side, you can get a very tasty dish for 7 SmartPoints.

Chicken or steak are the best filling choices.The figure shows the SmartPoints value for beef and chicken.The tortillas should be cooked in the pan, not the fryer.Two SmartPoints values can be shaved off three tortillas.

If you want to lighten it up, consider a regular steak.You should ask for black beans or whole pinto beans.It will save you 1 SmartPoints value per cup.

If you want to lighten it up, try a chicken fajita.If you want to enjoy all the veggies on the platter, you can have one on a corn tortilla.

Plan for flan if you want to enjoy it.For just 3 SmartPoints, you can order strawberries with a few dollops of crema, a sort of Mexican crme frache.

Don't drink hot chocolate and drink black coffee.Unless you really want that shot of Kahla and fresh whipped cream, avoid Mexican coffee.

All SmartPoints values for restaurant dishes are estimates.

Carnitas refers to pulled pork, which is often used in traditional tortillas as a filling.

Chayote is a green Mexican fruit that can be cooked as a side, diced on salads or even as dessert.

A dried, smoked jalapeo chili, this distinctive smoky pepper retains some of its famous heat.

A hard cow's-milk cheese, cotija draws comparisons to Parmesan.

In the U.S., horcahata is a chilled drink made with rice and spices.It has a flavor similar to rice pudding.

The Mexican truffle is a mushroom that grows on corn plants and has an onion-like flavor that makes it a delicacy.

Jicama is often sliced and eaten raw.It makes salads, salsas and other dishes taste better.

Mexican mole includes a family of sauces in colors of black, red and green, and is synonymous with mole poblano, the red-brown sauce of chili peppers and chocolate.

Pumpkin seeds can be used as a flavor enhancer on salads and other dishes.

This delicate white cheese is a great choice, with only 3 SmartPoints values per ounce, compared to 4 for common north-of-the-border replacements like Monterey Jack or cheddar.