my Nachos are not junk food

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So yesterday I was talking to another mum, was saying what we were having for dinner and explained all the ingredients in my nachos and she replied "wow, you hit the junk food hard on a saturday night, I couldn't do that"

I thought my nachos were relatively healthy.

They contain:

Corn tortillas (just made of corn, salt and sunflower oil - no nasties and the corn counts as 1 of 5 a day) a great source of carbs
Fresh guacamole (avacadoes , lemon juice, coriander, garlic) 3 of your 5
Fresh salsa (tomatoes, onion and vinegar) 2 of 5 a day
Full fat sour creme and cheese, only a small amount but a great source of vitamin d, calcium and protein.

That's not junk right?

That isnt nachos
Nachos are chips in cheese

Cheesy chips (crisps) with a bit of fresh guacamole and tomato? Yeah that's not exactly health food!

Which that CatLady?

What about adding a side portion of sweet potato wedges? Cut, light coat of oil, add pepper or spices and oven bake. That'll be a tick on the veg side.

But I'd call that a meal. Not one I'd serve everyday of course but some times 'meals' need to be redefined to not include meat, spuds & veg on one side of the British scale, and carefully nutritionally balanced stuff on a plate. including limiting the 'enemy' (be it carbs, fats, sugar or whatever fad you follow).

Food: looking good, tasting good and with some attention paid to nutrition. It's also foreign themed allowing for a Geography lesson for additional angelic parenting points.

It's healthier than the staple of Fish and Chips (with the token vegetable be it a gherkin, pickled onion and mushy peas). And where would we as a nation be without the iconic F&C shop

Nachos, as loaded as you like them

Side dishes: crispy lettuce, lots of chopped up tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, a couple of different raw and cooked salsas and some sour cream.

A dish of raw cabbage, radishes, onion, carrot, coriander, jalapenos in a dressing of lime and olive oil

There are loads of lovely fresh salads you can have alongside your nachos, burritos, tacos, chimichangas etc etc

Hound wasn't meaning you were competitive, your recipes sound great. I meant OP's healthy frenemy.

hound you only sound competitive in so far as you are bothered by her comment. So for example I've been known to buy pizzas from the supermarket for Saturday night (junk food, ok) if someone came up to me and said what you mate did I would be . 'hitting the junk food hard' rofl....

and I thought hound was the op whoops confused, mindless posts

Cheesy chips (crisps) with a bit of fresh guacamole and tomato? Yeah that's not exactly health food!

What is health food?
When we have nachos for dinner there's loads of homemade guacamole and salsa plus refried beans, cheese, sometimes veggie chilli. It's a very well balanced meal with 2-3 portions of veg.
It wouldn't be healthy to eat that every day, but that's true of any meal.

I think it's the tortilla chips that make it junky -- no nutritional value really, which is the definition of junk.

But everything else is good, salsa and guac are healthy, you could add some lettuce and black beans too, and cheese/sour cream fine in moderation.

Why not do the same thing on proper tortillas? Those would be a bit healthier I think.

Just to clarify -- I don't think there's anything wrong with junk food sometimes! But arguing that tortilla chips are not junk food is a stretch.

Only the cheese is an issue still i wouldnt say junk food

Ohhh I need nachos now

Nachos would be my pre execution dinner, they really would. Huge pile of them, loaded with melted cheese, loads of fresh salsa and guacamole and heaps of sour cream.

Fully loaded nachos - my veggie Boxing Day meal.

I think it's the tortilla chips that make it junky -- no nutritional value really, which is the definition of junk.
Why not do the same thing on proper tortillas? Those would be a bit healthier I think.

Tortilla chips and tortillas are very similar nutritionally. Why is one junk and the other fine?

That's what I don't get on mumsnet. Loads of perfectly normal foods is dismissed as junk and there doesn't seem to be any reasoning behind it.

There is massive confusion and ignorance over nutritional values amongst 'experts'. They then don't communicate their advice clearly, change update it regularly, and tada! A million threads on mumsnet and an obesity crisis.

What's wrong with cheese?

I'm guessing cheese is the 'enemy' on some posters diet sheets. Cheese in my house is a handy source of protein and calcium (and essential when DD1 went through an annoying mildy-lactose intolerant phase throughout toddlerhood).

well quite

chips are junk food, roast potatoes aren't

burgers are junk food, meat balls are fine

ice cream is junk food, sweetened fromage frais isn't

As an adult I avoid eating too much cheese as it really does make me fat (I like it too much) but it certainly isn't junk food.

mintyy it was the one about beans and tomato soup from tins being bad for children and too high in salt and not very good for kids. I think the start of it was where a child had gone to a friends after school and eaten beans on toast and tomato soup for dinner.

Tortilla chips and tortillas are very similar nutritionally. Why is one junk and the other fine?

Are they similar, though? Deep frying destroys some nutrients, and adds a lot of fat which for some people would be undesirable.

We've had whole meals made of nachos & I would have again, btw.

MN didn't used to be this het up about food, it's weird. Where i work (public health planners) there are a few food purists, but I think they're weird, too.

*I'm weird, too, but not pretending weird is the only good way to be.

I am all for a bit of junk food every now and again and see nothing wrong with your Friday night food other than the fact that you try to kid yourself that it contains six of your five a day. It clearly doesn't. Corn doesn't count and ground corn certainly doesn't, its a cereal. And a portion of your five a day is a whole handful.

Having said that I am now craving nachos.

But it's also one meal in the day and I assume other food is consumed over the day. If I'm having a total junk evening (it happens) then snacks will be fruit and veg based. I can get to lunchtime and the DDs have had 5 portions. I can do 10 portion days easily (I got lucky in the lottery of children and eating) in a normal day.

This really is a snapshot meal. And it's a good'un.

And I too am now craving Nachos. That's tea tomorrow sorted.

Why is corn not counted? I like corn its tasty and looks like sunshine on a plate.