Chicken is such an inexpensive meat and it can be cooked in so many different ways. I find a lot of recipes on pinterest. I would also check out www.kraftfoods.com They have a whole section called budget meals for cheap yummy dinners.

It sounds weird but it's really good.

Saute cut up chicken breasts (or thighs which are less expensive) in olive oil, season with Italian seasoning, add fresh or frozen spinach, add a jar of marinara sauce.

I serve this over hemp seed (I try to stay away from refined carbs for health reasons) but you can serve it over whole grain pasta instead.

Cheap and easy and filling.

I love my crockpot. Put stuff in and slow cook. YOu can use cheaper cuts, nothing burns, if people are late, no big deal.

I serve leftovers about every fourth day or so. I consider it a free meal even if I have to add a salad or bread to round out the meal. I pull everything out of the fridge and it is first come, first served. They make their own plates for the microwave. I hate to waste when food costs so much.
There are websites with meal ideas for dinners under $10.

Ramen Noodles, shredded cheese and instant mac. you'd be suprised! My BS16 concocts this
whole cheezy ramen dish. Thought he was weird, but its one of my quick favs now.

Rotelle noodles, i can of hormel chili w/ beans, i jar salsa, 1 cup water. 1 cup shredded cheese. (preferably mexican)

Cook noodles. Drain. Throw in chili, salsa, and water, stir until mixed together and warm. Sprinkle in cheese, stir a few more times.

Voila!

edit: ONE can, and ONE jar....NOT i can and i jar. LOL

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/

She breaks down the cost per meal and per serving - most servings are around a dollar.

SD16 used a good number of her recipes this summer, and has managed to feed us very high quality dinners (and lunch, and breakfast) for $80/week.

If you like tuna, Tuna Patties are a favorite around my house. You make them the same way you do salmon patties, but I like the taste a LOT better.

My sister has a recipe she makes that my brother in law calls SOS. It's baked beans with hamburger instead of hot dogs or bacon. I love it!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/no-fuss-meat-loaf/ is a super cheap, super tasty meatloaf.

I am always buying GROUPONS for dinners places. That is how we do it.

Also, google Pampered Chef recipes. They have some neat, cheap, and easy meals in there. My family loves them.

I made corn flake/ dry ranch dressing mix/parmesan crusted ckn tenders tonight and my family tore it up. It is low fat option to fried chicken and it tastes better!

If you have the money up front and the time, try canning some of your own food. It can be pricey to get started, but I can make six jars of mustard that tastes better than anything at the store for the price of one jar of expensive mustard. You might be able to find people to trade with locally. I feed us - DH, SS9, and me for about$20-$40/week. Also, check and see if you have a local CSA. It can be a good way to get your veggies for not too much.

If those aren't really options for you - dried beans and rice. We have one meal a week that is based off of these two ingredients. It might be burritos. It might be black beans and rice. It might be homemade baked beans in the crock pot.

In all honesty, I love to cook. It relaxes me, and we don't have cable, so it is what I do on my nights off when I stay up to four and the boys have gone to bed. It is also what my girlfriend and I do together when we need to drink wine..... But, I've found the more you can make yourself from as close to scratch as possible, the more you can save. Not everyone wants to do it or has the time. But, I'm also a huge fan of making larger batches and freezing or canning the leftovers for a quick meal when we need it.

Chicken and ground turkey are my go tos. You can do just about anything with chicken, and we replace almost all ground beef with ground turkey because of cost and health benefits. I will look for sales, and buy quite a bit, then freeze it for the month. I portion it out so it doesn't get freezer burned as easy.

Also look for coupons from manufacturers online before you go to the store. If you know you need milk, search for the brands in your area and see if you can find a store or brand coupon.

Bountifulbaskets.org

$15 + tax... Debit Card/Credit Cards... NO cash or check

15 pounds of fresh fruits & veggies every week (if you want).
It is a co-op and has very specific times for ordering & picking up the food. Not available everywhere, but it is AWESOME!!!

We had fresh corn on the cob in Dec. I've learned how to cut and enjoy fresh pineapple, restore and use limp lettuce, and sometimes my neighbors enjoy the stuff I know we can't/won't eat. My kids are learning to eat fresher, healthier food.

I really liked Nette5's suggestion but of course nothing is ever available in Vermont.

I am on a tight budget and we eat a lot of beans and rice. I made a 15 bean soup last weekend and we are just finishing up the last bit. I make pretty much everything from scratch. Once you have the basics and are able to set up the time on the weekends you have it made. I made a ton of bread and soup last weekend. We used it for the soup and I will make some garlic bread with it tonight. We eat very little meat, never been a fan of it but my SO LOVES meat I think I used one small ham steak chopped into the soup and he loved it.

I can only guesstimate how much I spend a week it's more now because my SO eats meat but I use to only spend around $20-$30 a week on myself.

Omlettes are a great way to use up the scraps in the fridge too. I saute the veggies, then add the eggs into the same pan to make one giant omlette. They're even good with american cheese! *hint* add a tiny splash of water to your eggs before you beat them and you will get a light, fluffy omlette- don't overbeat! i also do the whole cooking ahead on the weekend thing. Homemade or semi homemade is best- and cheapest.