Every year starts out the same. “This year, I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to work out and eat right.” And for the first few weeks of the year this is easy. You discover a “diet that works” (for me it’s Paleo). You get a workout regimen (yep, peloton and weights). You figure out a schedule. You make your own meals and as everything is right with the world. You’re sleeping better, eating right and losing weight.
And then there comes a point in the year where it happens. You need to eat from a restaurant. Maybe it was a busy day at the office, or with the kids. Maybe it’s just a rough day and you want some comfort food. I’m there too. Things get stressful and I just want someone to take care of me. Someone to cook for me. But I don’t want to sacrifice my diet.
And what I really want is FIESTA!!! And not a little, I want it a lot. I want it everyday of the week. So what can we do about it? Well, I have some of my favorite dishes that I rotate so that I can eat my Fiesta favorites and not hurt my diet. Now this is specific to my diet which is a modified Paleo diet which is similar to keto and you should consult a dietician for specifically what you are allowed. So be sure to take a minute and if there are specific things you avoid ask a waiter to check with the chef regarding ingredients. For example, I’m avoiding anything soy (meh) which includes soy sauce which is present in both chaufa and lomo saltado. So yeah, two of my favorites are off the table.
But let’s get to it. Here’s my favorite Fiesta foods for my diet;
Ceviche is a great dish on just about any diet and is an awesome source of protein and vitamin C.
On a warm sunny day, where I’m craving something fresh, I reach for ceviche! Paired with a tall glass of water with a slice of lime. The ceviche doesn’t typically fill me up but it’s a great source of protein and vitamin C. The lime flavor is perfect if I’m tired of having a salad for the 100th time. I love it a little spicy and the nice thing is that there’s enough variety in the protein options that I can choose from that it mixes up well enough to try different things. My favorite is the shrimp but I can also enjoy it with mixed seafood or fish.
On a cold day, or if I’m feeling a little under the weather I have to have a warm bowl of sancochado! Sancochado is a make your own soup, but it lasts me two big meals. Steak, carrots, cabbage, potatoes and choclo (a large corn) in a great beef broth. I add two things that complete the flavor, the juice of a lime and the rocoto hot sauce. The spicy lime flavor is the perfect final flavor to add to the amazing soup.
When the soup arrives it’s a bit overwhelming because it’s all the pieces and you have to cut it up and make the soup. But it’s great for someone on a diet because you can omit the things that aren’t good for your diet. For me that’s potatoes and I only use a little bit of the corn. But once it’s cut up and ready to go it’s awesome!! Sancochado isn’t served everyday so be sure to ask your server when it’s available!
On a day I’m craving protein, I have to have the chuletas, grilled not fried, with a double side of salad. Simply ask for it “a la Parilla” to get it grilled. The best part of the chuletas is the seasoning and flavor. It can even be great split into two smaller meals if you are looking for portion control. The best part of the meat is right next to the bone, so don’t feel bad if once you’ve finished what you can get with a knife and fork you pick up the bone and chew the meat right off of it!
The rotisserie chicken can be one of the best options on the menu with a ton of health benefits, wonderful flavor and a great full feeling. While the half chicken can be split into two quarter chickens (pictured) to provide two smaller meals, the combination of white and dark meat is the perfect flavor combo. The other big benefit of the rotisserie chicken? The meat can be used to make other great meals, like enchiladas, casseroles and shredded on your favorite salad.
On my stressful days, when I need comfort food and especially if I want to feel full at the end of a meal, or if I need something to hit the table quick, I order the Pollo a la Brasa. Half a rotisserie chicken, with my choice of two sides is plenty of food to make me feel full and it has a ton of protein with very little fat. Especially if I do double salad as my sides, but I typically choose beans instead. There’s a lot of health articles that talk about the benefits of eating rotisserie chicken so be sure to check out a few. If you want to make this especially healthy then you can take the skin off, but I’m not following that strict that the skin is going to affect me that much and plus the flavor of the skin is one my favorite parts. There’s a lot of health articles that talk about the benefits of eating rotisserie chicken so be sure to check out a few.
But that’s not all it’s good for! The rotisserie chicken can also be the perfect protein to have dishes at home. I use the chicken for enchiladas, casseroles and even soups and on top of salads. Oh that reminds me! Need a quick salad? Pickup a house salad with the dressing on the side. I love our dressing and use it all the time even with wedge salads I make at home. It’s just an oil, lime juice, salt and pepper mix (along with some restaurant secrets that fit into my diet).
If I’m tired of all of the dishes above, I order a chicken or a steak that is grilled with Peruvian flavorings. Pollo a la Parilla or Bistek a la Parilla adds just the right amount of protein and I can enjoy two sides with it as well. Whether I go with salad or beans or cheat my diet a little and have rice or fries, I actually feel pretty good about this dish.
There’s more I could add to this list but by the time I add anything else I’m right back at the top of this list enjoying it.
So is it possible to enjoy my favorite Fiesta dishes and stay on (or at least near) my diet. Does it work? I eat at the restaurant regularly and have still managed to lose 15 pounds since the end of November. It’s not a lot but it’s enough for me to feel proud and I don’t feel like I’m denying myself anything. So come by and enjoy your Fiesta favorites without putting your diet at risk.
Did I miss anything? Email us at victor@fiestaexpress.com and let us know what your favorite diet food is, or feel free to email and ask if there is a specific diet you need to know about.