Cinco De Mayo Healthy Recipes

Happy Cinco De Mayo

I'll be honest that Mexican food is one of my favorite types of food! Queso, chips, salsa, tacos, fajitas and of course we can't forget Margaritas!!!  But, let's be totally honest.  Every one of those is far from clean eating and living a healthy lifestyle.  Sodium galore and way more servings and grams of carbs that anyone should eat in an entire day! Then you add on even 1 drink and you are over in your sugar and an additional carb for the day!  So there truly isn't a way to have a festive Mexican meal without setting yourself back.  BUT, when it comes to balance and the 80-20 rule here is what I say!

You should allow yourself at least 1 meal per week that you enjoy!  You exercise proper portion size and you are mindful of what you want to spend your calories on but you ENJOY it without guilt.  Because you know that the other 6 days out of the week you are going to be on track!  

So here is what I typically do!  I skip the chips and queso.  Unless you want chips then a good option is the "food should taste good" tortilla chips. 

Make your own guacamole because it's super easy to make and tastes great.
Just mash up some avocados, red onion, garlic, cilantro, add in some chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and enjoy!!!  

For the main dish.  I pick and choose between the taco shell, the black beans or rice.  But all 3 of those are carb overload.  I usually go with 2 corn tortillas so it's only 1 yellow! Then, if I do 1 drink which is another yellow, I'm still on track for that day!  I also have zero other carbs during the day, I sorta save it up for that meal.  If you want more than 2 tacos or fajitas then just do it without the shell/tortilla.

Those are my tips to surviving cinco de mayo without crushing your goals.  Oh and lastly, don't get on the scale the next morning!  No matter how hard you try, Mexican food has sodium.  You will retain water, feel a little puffy so keep guzzling water and get back on track the next day!  When you decide to have a cheat meal always do your workout that day.  I never schedule a cheat meal and rest day together.  It's just a mindset thing and I like to break even!  

So Kelly and I love Mexican food and we put together a menu and/or options for you! We have found some really really tasty recipes that do the trick for us.

Check them out and you can even stop and pick up a few things today for your own cinco de mayo party at home with your family!

This is right from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Nutrition Guide.  If you want to even skip the taco shell you can do lettuce wraps which actually are pretty darn tasty!
Here are 21 day fix Chicken Fajitas

 

Another great 21 day fix approved recipe is the pork Carnitas!  They are just melt in your mouth awesomeness!

Here is a great appetizer.  The bean salsa is festive and it's perfect for vegans that want to still participate in the festivities.  

Black Bean and Quinoa Bake:  Oh here's a vegan option too!  The best part is that when I make these recipes people don't even know they are healthy!  

Shrimp Tacos are another great one! You could literally have a buffet of different taco and fajita styles that are all clean eating!

Let's not forget drinks!!!  We love margaritas and we have found a great recipe that everyone loves!

Check out our skinny Margarita!!

So now that we have your party menu or your Mexican night menu covered you have to share with us which one is your favorite!!!  Enjoy your Cinco De Mayo and have a great time!!!  CHEERS!!!!  

 

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

Skinny Margarita Recipe

The secret to the skinny margarita is actually the orange juice.  You want to use orange juice that is just natural oranges and no added sugar.  Or you can use fresh squeezed oranges.  

So to make your drink more tart add more lime juice.  If you want it sweeter add more orange juice and simple syrup.  You can play with the recipe to get it to your liking.  The tip to keeping your calories in check is to drink 1 full glass of water in between your drinks and limit yourself to 2.  Even though it's LOWER calorie its still high in sugar and if you are really focusing on results then you are going to have to be very careful.  

Makes 2 drinks.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Lime juice
• 1 cup Fresh Squeezed Oranges
• Splash of simple syrup (organic)
• 1/4 cup Tequila Milagro
• Splash of LaCroix Sparkling Water in Lime Flavor

 Mix it in a shaker cup and pour of ice!  ENJOY!!!

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach

4th of July Accountability Check and TIPS

There is nothing like starting of your 4th of July with a great sweat inducing workout and a Chocolate Shakeology Milkshake!  I'm absolutely soaking this one up!  I was up at 8 am this morning to squeeze in my workout before my family wakes up! Dripping sweat by the end of the workout but loving it!  After my workout I felt that I earned that big 4th of July Shakeology Milkshake and then start my day.

Today is a holiday and of course there will be snacks, cake, cookies, hot dogs and hamburgers.  Your typical barbeque foods.  So I always like to plan out my strategy ahead of time.  Since I felt the need to indulge in some desserts earlier this week I have chosen to keep today clean.  So I am having grilled chicken and some veggies to munch on for the rest of the day.  1 glass of water for every alcoholic drink that I consume and I usually choose drinks that are lower in calories.  I typically stay away from pre-mixed margarita's or beer.  Margarita mix has the dreaded high fructose corn syrup that is the WORST for your body!

Your best drink options are:

Soda water/vodka (boring but add a squeeze of lemon, lime or oranges to the mix and give it some flavor) 

Rum & Diet Coke
Serving size: 6 oz..Calories: 65
Ingredients: 1 oz.. rum, 5 oz.. Diet Coke 
This may seem too good to be true, and to some degree, it is. Even the stingiest bartender will probably give you more than one fluid oz.. of alcohol, since just one shot is 1.5 oz... But if you feel like taking it easy and enjoying the springtime weather without going in too hard, this mix should work for you.  As much as I DO NOT endorse diet soda's this is a better option than most!  

Anheuser Busch, Natural Light
Serving size: 12 oz..
Calories: 95 
We bet you had no idea that all the time you spent practicing your Beirut technique, you were actually being health-conscious—good for you! One 12 oz.. serving of Natty Light contains just 95 calories, while the same serving of Bud Light contains 112 calories. The difference is pretty negligible so feel free to go for whichever beer you like more.   

Gin & Diet Tonic
Serving size: 7.5 oz..
Calories: 115 calories
Ingredients: 1.5 oz.. gin, 6 oz.. Diet Tonic 
Like any beverage containing extra sugars, this simple and straightforward drink can be brought down a notch by picking a diet option, rather than the standard one. Gin and tonics have a slightly bitter taste, but it’s nothing a wedge of lime can’t cure.

Cosmopolitan
Serving size: 3 oz..
Calories: 150
Ingredients: 1.5 oz.. vodka, ½ oz.. triple sec, ½ oz.. lime juice, ½ oz.. cranberry juice
Cosmos are excellent low-calorie cocktail options. While they vary in size and alcohol content (a 4 oz.. Cosmo might go up to 200 calories, while another with 5 fluid oz.. could go up to 320), these drinks generally stay in the range of drinks that aren’t too bad for you. (And might even make you look pretty classy.)

Mojito
Serving size: 6 oz..
Content: 160 calories
Ingredients: 2.5 oz.. light rum, club soda, 1 tsp. limejuice, 2 tsp. sugar, fresh mint sprigs

 

Also for a special 4th of July treat I found some amazing recipes that are clean and full of flavor for you to try!  You have to check it out!!!

 

Tequilla Spiked Marinade

Pair this marinade with anything from steak to fish to chicken to veggies. It's incredibly versatile and full of fresh summer flavor. We used our marinade on a couple of skirt steaks we bought for $10 - it fed 4 comfortably. The rest of the ingredients ran us $8 as we had olive oil, salt and pepper on hand!

Ingredients

1 cup of chopped cilantro
1/4 cup white tequila
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions
Combine all your ingredients together in a large bowl. Add in your meat and cover. Marinate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.

Clean Eating Corn Salad
(Makes 14 servings)  Salad Ingredients
2 lbs. sweet corn
1 red bell pepper
1 package cherry or other small tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 package edamame beans (shelled)
1 package tofu

Dressing Ingredients
4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. garlic powder
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 small bunch fresh basil (about 1-2 cups depending on your tastes)
Directions



Step 1 – Start your corn on the stove, and gather all your ingredients.
Step 2 – Chop everything except the edamame beans and tomatoes (and corn, obviously) into bite size pieces. The smaller you chop the pieces, the better texture your salad will have.
Step 4 – When the corn is done cooking, add that and all the veggies (do not add the basil) to a large mixing bowl. Toss well.



Step 5 – Make your dressing by adding all dressing ingredients to a bowl and mixing well.
It’s best to add the dressing once you have served the salad. If you add the dressing to the entire salad, the leftovers won’t keep as long in the fridge. That said, eat up. Corn can sour quickly in the fridge.
If you are a meat eater, add some baked chicken to this salad for protein.
Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1 cup
Calories: 146
Total Fat: 6 gm
Saturated Fats: 1 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 0 gm
Sodium: 177 mg
Carbohydrates: 20 gm
Dietary fiber: 3 gm
Sugars: 6 gm
Protein: 6 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 8
Nutritional Information estimated at Nutritiondata.com. Data may not be accurate.

 (from the gracious pantry site)

 

So I hope you all have a festive 4th of July and keep it clean and lean!!!  

 

Remember that your entire efforts can be lost in one day of poor choices!  It's your life so you choose your destiny!

 

 

Renee Smith

Independent Diamond BeachBody Coach