How to Be "Good" Dining Out

So I'm going to go ahead and give myself a pat on the back.  Good job.  I joined my sister and her family and one of my best friends for dinner out tonight.  And we went to the local Mexican place here in town, Cancun.  Delicious, by the way and probably my favorite of the choices in Eau Claire.  If I could eat anything I wanted without gaining weight my choice would be easy.  A scrumptious, cheese-covered, deep fried beef chimichanga.  Yummy!

Example of the cheese-covered goodness - Chimichanga

But with less than a week of healthier eating under my belt, I knew I needed to choose wisely.  Any logical person will tell you that Mexican food tends to be bad for you.  Lots of cheese, sour cream, beans on everything and with everything.  Margaritas (sweet, alcoholic goodness) and all-you-can-eat chips.  Glorious for those not watching their waistline.  But a major hurdle for those like me.  I did some research before leaving the house and took note of some excellent advice.  Beware the endless chips and salsa - pace yourself and set aside your allotment.  It's WAY too easy to go overboard before your meal even gets to the table.  Eat chips or drink a margarita (small, BTW).  Not both.  And the most popular "healthy" choice? Fajitas, no tortillas.  Hungry Girl has some great advice here too!

We got there.  Oooh.  Temptation.  Water, please.  (Good choice #1)  Chips came with salsa and an irresistible creamy and zesty ranch sauce.  No, I will not be swayed!  I set aside 15 chips, eating about 10 before the meal and using the remaining ones to dunk in my refried beans.  (Good choice #2)  Order time!  Single order chicken fajitas.  (Good choice #3)  My sides plate came and I choose not to eat the mexican rice or sour cream.  I did, however, opt to devour the refried beans.  Those things are delicious and sprinkled with cheese.  A small defeat, but honestly I couldn't resist.  I ate a little more than HALF the fajita mix (chicken, tomatoes, peppers, and onions); with a fork too, no tortillas for this girl! (Good choice #4)  I was full (satisfied) and now have lunch for tomorrow.  Score!  Since the local restaurant isn't on Weight Watchers (WW), I used another restaurant chain to estimate my points value.  I like to err on the high side of points, so I chose one of the higher items.  All in all, I estimated my dinner of chips, beans, and a good portion of fajitas at 23 PP.  Pretty good, I think.

And after eating a reasonably healthy lunch and a nutritious breakfast, I still have a few points leftover!  A single serve carton of ice cream is calling my name....and I can answer because I can "afford" it point-wise!  An excellent Friday night all around.