Disclosure: This post is sponsored by FoodLion as part of the #FrugalCookOff. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure policy here.
The Food Lion Frugal Cookoff is all about teaching busy families how to prepare healthy and cheap easy meals, like these healthy fish tacos, using everyday ingredients.
A few months ago, I had the the honor of participating in the North Carolina Food Lion Frugal Cookoff at the Southern Women’s Show in Charlotte in an Iron Chef-style competition with other bloggers from the region. My teammates were Jen from Peanut Butter Runner and K. Elizabeth from YUMMommy.
Talk about intense. The two teams had 15 minutes to shop for ingredients, $15 to spend and just 30 minutes to prepare cheap easy meals for a family of four, including a main dish and two sides.
Kinda sounds like a typical weeknight, huh?
But we had to do it in front of an audience, while being interviewed by an emcee and with the knowledge that a panel of judges, including Food Lion executives and the Charlotte Observer’s food editor, would be critiquing our cheap easy meals for flavor, frugality presentation and adherence to the challenge rules.
(I was just hoping we wouldn’t give them food poisoning!)
Spoiler alert: my team won with our healthy, Tex-Mex inspired fish tacos, spicy Mexican potatoes and black bean and corn salad.
I’ll be sharing the winning recipes today — and frankly I should have done it sooner. Chalk it up to being one of those busy, tired, overwhelmed working moms!
But I think you’ll forgive my procrastination when you hear that I have an awesome giveaway sponsored by Food Lion. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect, as most of us are in an eat-healthy, save-money mindset after the holiday binge!
Be sure to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a $250 Food Lion Gift Card. That will buy a lot of groceries!
Before the Frugal CookOff began, my teammates and I did a little menu planning and brainstorming.
We knew that we’d be cooking with one of four different proteins — chicken breasts, tilapia fillets, ground turkey or boneless pork chops — but we didn’t know which one until the day of the event.
And we had no clue what we’d find in the Food Lion pantry.
K. Elizabeth made the selection for us, and we lucked into the tilapia filets. (The other team chose the boneless pork shops in the blind drawing.)
Then it was off to the pantry, calculators in hand, to select the rest of the ingredients for our cheap easy meals. We had just 15 minutes to shop and formulate our plan before we headed into the kitchen.
We decided to divide and conquer, with each team member in charge of a different dish.
I made the Mexican potatoes, while K. Elizabeth mixed up the black bean and corn salad and Jen cooked the fish tacos.
Can I just say how hard it is to dice potatoes using unfamiliar knives in front of an audience with a clock ticking down?
And I really felt the heat in the kitchen as I was waiting for those potatoes to get tender!
Food Lion had a chef on hand to provide both teams some coaching, and she proved invaluable.
Not only did she give us insights into the quirks of our kitchen arena, but she also helped us think through menu choices to save time. She talked us out of serving rice with our fish tacos, knowing that 30 minutes wasn’t enough time to boil the water and cook the rice completely.
She saved us, for sure!
Because we were racing the clock to get everything cooked, plated and garnished in 30 minutes.
But we did it, deliciously!
And the judges agreed!
We took home the winner’s trophy, but more importantly, it was an amazing experience. I met some great bloggers, including the ladies on the other team: Kate from My Mommy Brain, Jenny from The Melrose Family and Kelly from The Best Crowe’s Nest. (Be sure to check out their recipes.)
And I definitely stepped outside my comfort zone cooking onstage at The Southern Women’s Show and later sharing our award-winning recipe on a Charlotte morning show.
All those times I pretended I had a cooking show in my own kitchen did not prepare me for the this!
One of us dropped a piece of fish on the host’s high heels. It wasn’t me, and it all happened off camera, so viewers didn’t see it. But I got a little flummoxed because I was talking at the exact moment it happened!
That’s live TV for you.
And here’s the funny thing about being a “celebrity chef,” if only for a few days.
Except for a few sample bites to test the seasoning, we didn’t get to eat these pretty plated meals! That joy went to the judges and the TV station hosts and crew.
But that’s OK, because these recipes are easy to make at home!
- 3 large russet potatoes, diced
- 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil, enough to coat the pan
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
- 2-3 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- salt
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes, covered.
- Remove lid and season potatoes generously with salt.
- Add paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes and continue sautéing until potatoes are tender and slightly crisp., about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent potatoes from burning.
- During the last minute of cooking, add garlic and sauté. Season with salt, as needed. Remove from heat and stir in fresh parsley.
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1 can yellow corn, drained
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup green onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Juice of one lemon
- Dash of cumin
- Salt to taste
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- FOR THE SPICE MIX
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- FOR THE TACOS
- 4 Food Lion frozen tilapia fillets, thawed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- sour cream
- salsa
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Combine all seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Pat fish dry and sprinkle with a generous coat of spice mixture, rubbing it in to distribute evenly on each side.
- Pre-heat a large non-stick skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat and add tilapia.
- Saute fish for 3-4 minute per side, or until firm and flaky.
- Remove from heat and gently flake fish.
- To assemble tacos, place tilapia inside a large washed romaine lettuce leaf and top with salsa, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.
Be sure to enter for your chance to win a $250 gift certificate to Food Lion. The more steps you complete below, the more entries you will receive. Good luck!
Yay for you!!! I remember you posting about this! My favorite go-to busy night dish is a Tuscan pasta. Kids love it, always have the ingredients on hand and it is DONE in under 20 minutes!
That sounds really tasty, Kristen. And 20 minutes? I need to get the recipe.
My favorite quick and easy meal is tacos! So quick to throw together and my family can top them to their own tastes.
We have tacos at least once a week. And bonus, my husband always volunteers to cook them.
Probably my favorite and easiest throw together meal is slow cooker taco soup. I served it for 15 over the holidays and it was devoured!
Great job on the competition, Amy!
Thanks Marty. And I think I’ve made your taco soup. It was yummy. I could use a bowl tonight!
Easiest quick meal would be pulled pork! Just throw it in the slow cooker and buy some buns! Dont forget your bbq sauce!
You’re speaking my language. We love our barbecue here in North Carolina.
We love white chicken chili. So simple and so yummy on winter evenings!
That reminds me; I have a great recipe for white chicken chili.
Good job, Amy! Any time you want to help on my $20 Challenge show, you let me know!
That would be a blast!
Spaghetti is cheap and a kid favorite at my house!
I like to take inexpensive chicken breasts and try out different toppings to give it a fresh flavor. I like my Baked Pecorino Chicken, Chicken Curry, my Chicken Chili that I can make in a hurry. I also like sausages with all the toppings to make a cheap meal.
I want to come to dinner at your house. All these dishes sound amazing.
My quick and easy meal is a sausage and egg casserole.
Quesadillas are my favorite cheap and easy meal!
I like to put veggies & cheese in a pie plate and pour Bisquick on it and bake it for 30 minutes.
cheesy hot dogs, bun, weiner, ketchup,mustard and chili and cheese in a bun and bake
Congratulations Amy! I will try all three recipes!
I love breakfast for supper anytime!
Congratulations!!! All 3 recipes look great-can’t wait to try them myself!!!
My favorite quick, easy and cheap meal idea is pasta salad loaded with veggies and grilled chicken. I use all leftovers so nothing goes to waste then just add pasta and dressing. Yummy, healthy and quick!!!
my favorite is fixing spaghetti. its so yummy and so easy
I like to make spaghetti dishes with a protein like chicken and vegetables. It’s easy to throw cooked spaghetti, sauce, cut up chicken and cut up veggies like peppers in a pot, cover it and let it cook and it’s delicious.
Grilled cheese and soup is an easy quick meal!
I like to make homemade pizza. It’s so easy and I like to experiment with different toppings and combinations.
I like breakfast for dinner. French toast, eggs, fruit. Quick, easy, and cheep to make.
Best quick easy DELICIOUS meal is basic tacos! Ground beef soft tacos with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Always easy on the pocket but delicious.
One of my favorite, quick, easy and cheap meal is Tuna Noodle Casserole. 🙂
My favorite quick and easy meal and macaroni and cheese casserole. I add tuna and peas to it and it is done in 20 minutes. My family loves it.
Salmon Patties using canned salmon, with salad and a steamable frozen vegetable.
Grilled cheese is a favorite in our household
My favorite quick and easy meal idea is pork chops with cream of chicken and dry ranch in the crock pot, it’s so easy and delicious!
B’s is a quick and easy dinner idea. I make them all the time.
When we are stretched for time, we enjoy making thigns that are fast. Our go to is usually spaghetti but we will also make tacos too.
I like making tacos.
Dijion chicken and mushrooms, I can whip it up like nothing!
Thank recipe sounds delicious. I’d love to try it!
Love making tacos!
I love making a stir fry with rice (can use leftover rice), a small amount of leftover meat, and a bag of frozen mixed veggies. Really quick, easy, and delicious. It is a great way to use up things in your fridge.
My favorite is chicken and veggie stir fry.
Ground beef with veggies is our favorite easy meal.
We had a version of this last night, but it was a Thai style meal. So delicious served over rice or noodles.
I love the healthy fish tacos in lettuce wraps recipe!
Our favorite quick & easy meal is tacos. We have them several times a month.
Rice and Bean Tostadas. Super easy and loaded in protein.
I like pasta!
Tacos seems to be one of our quick meals or just chicken salad sandwiches
We love tacos. And chicken salad is always great. So easy to make.
We love hairy grilled cheese on sourdough bread!!! Tomato soup to go with it is the best!!
Tacos or fajitas are quick and easy dinners.
Congratulations – looks like you deserved it! These recipes look awesome!
My fav cheap meal is using Campbells Cream of Chicken soup, White rice , Peas and Chicken Breast.. Put a can of soup with a can of water into your crock pot, add a can of rice , can of peas ( drained) and chicken breast. Put it on low all day and its soo yummy.. Feeds our family of 5 for well under 10 dollars! Mix it up with different rice ( white, brown, rice pilaf etc) and veggies!
Sounds yummy and quick. Great idea!
MIne is always spaghetti when in a pinch for time
I love to do spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread.
Spaghetti with marinara sauce is a quick and easy favorite.
A cheap easy meal I make is spaghetti or quesadillas. Quick and the family loves both.