Is this a really unhealthy meal?

ncmc

Ok, so I'm a big fan of chicken fajitas, but I'm just wondering how bad they are for you (using the Old El Paso Pack). If I fry the chicken in some low calorie spray oil, add loads of peppers and onion and then go really, really easy on the sour cream, cheese and salsa, are they still really bad? What if I cut out the tortilla altogether and just have the mix with brown rice or a baked potato? Thanks in advance!

olaola

You could have it with brown rice or a wholemeal pitta/wrap.

Instead of sour cream, use fat free fromage frais. Or mix it with fat free natural yoghurt. You could also dry fry the chicken in a non-stick pan. Or replace the chicken with kidney beans and make it veggie. Or even use turkey mince instead. Salsa in general is low in calories - make it lower by making it yourself.

rubadub

Great advice there, turkey mince is great, I find turkey dry but in sauce dishes it is fine.

Also I use iceberg lettuce leaves in place of wraps. Sometimes I just chop them up and dump the mix ontop into a big bowl, it bulks out the meat nicely, with next to no calories.

BraziliaNZ

These threads are stupid, people asking if such and such is bad etc. I mean if you eat too much of anything it's bad. If you're fat you're eating too much. All the ingredients listed are nutritious in moderation.

ncmc

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

These threads are stupid, people asking if such and such is bad etc. I mean if you eat too much of anything it's bad. If you're fat you're eating too much. All the ingredients listed are nutritious in moderation.

Wow, thank you for that inciteful reply BraziliaNZ. I don't think this thread is stupid, the two people who gave me helpful replies did not think it was stupid.

I am not an expert in Nutrition, I have read the stickies on here which are very helpful, but I am still unsure as to whether tortilla's, sour cream, salsa and chicken and veg fried in spray oil is unhealthy or not. That is the whole point of these forums, so that people can ask questions they are unsure of and get helpful, non-judgemental answers. I really can't see why you took the time to answer this thread when they obviously irritate you so much. If these type of posts bother you, then simple, JUST IGNORE THEM!!!!

BTW, I am not fat, far from it, but like a lot of people on this forum, I am just trying to eat a little healthier.

rubadub

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

These threads are stupid, people asking if such and such is bad etc. I mean if you eat too much of anything it's bad.

Dunno what your problem is, this was a perfectly reasonable question. In this forum people are often offering up alternatives to try, healthier similar versions of popular dishes, more nutritious things to substitute in, change to wholemeal etc.

Of course everybody knows if you eat too much it can be bad, but some people like to eat a big meal, so a lower calorie ingredients can result in a much bigger, healthier meal, which is more satisfying.

Many are not sure what is really good/bad too, it is hard these days with all the marketing ads telling you stuff is healthy just to flog it.

eviltimeban

When I make fajitas I use the tortilla wraps, with chicken, then fry peppers, onion, grate cheese and use guacamole and sour cream and salsa, with some tomato. Maximum I'll have two, washed down with a bottle of Corona, yum! Sometimes you need something filling and as this has lots of vegtables in it, its a good option.

Anyway to make it less fattening you could cut down / out the sour cream (that's probably the worst part - yoghurt defo a good idea), use only a very small amount of grated cheese and make sure its low fat. I also use only a tiny amount of the cooking sauce, just to give it flavour as I'm sure it is full of sugar (I haven't checked). Or use no sauce and just use the spices to sprinkle over as you are cooking.

Replacing the wraps with lettuce leaves is all well and good but then you are kind of defeating the purpose of having fajitas, just make a salad then and add the chicken, peppers, tomato etc.

Once you don't have three or four of them then fajitas are a nice filling meal, especially on a cold snowy day like today!

Serafijn

The spice mix you get in the packs do normally contain a good bit of sugar. You can get the Schwartz fajita mix and that just contains the spices. I actually prefer it as I find the sachets a bit too much.

r3nu4l

My recipe includes, chicken, kidney beans, peppers, onions and mushrooms. I don't bother with cheese and quite often I make the sauce myself (chopped tomatoes, garlic, lime juice and herbs). Wholemeal wrap is a great idea if the lettuce leaf seems to be taking it too far (but I find the lettuce leaf idea to be inspired!).

Sour cream and cheese should go imo.