Easy, Cheapish and Not So Bad - Food for Forty or less

Zyphun

Unexpected medical and dental bills along with bad debt management have left me with a very tight budget for the foreseeable future. I figured out a way to live on about forty dollars a week and it be enough calories and not terrible for me. 

I've been looking and searching for suggestions, but all of them seem to be geared for families and are woefully out of date on the prices of food. I loath to admit it, but I am rubbish in the kitchen lately and it shows in my lack of cookware, most things call for many pots and pans which I do not own. I would love to own a crockpot.

So, I have created the below list for myself.  Dollar amount after items are  local prices for enough that item for a week.

Breakfast: 
Casadian Farm Organic - Hearty Morning Fiber Cereal, 3/4 Cup - $3.00
Kroger - Carbmaster Lowfat Dairy Blend Yogurt, 6 oz - $2.80

Lunch:
Arnold Select Sandwich Thins - Whole Grain White, 1 Roll - $3.00
Simply Jif Creamy- 33% Less Sugar, Low Sodium - Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp - $0.75
Arnold Select Sandwich Thins - Whole Grain White, 1 Roll - $3.00
Simply Jif Creamy- 33% Less Sugar, Low Sodium - Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp - $0.75

Dinner:
Lean Cuisine - Varied - $14.00
Michelina's Lean Gourmet - Varied - $7.00
V-8 Low Sodium Original Vegetable Juice, 8 oz. - $3.00

I can lower the amount of some of it by lowering the quality of some of it, but doing so is at the expense of nutrition or lack there of.  What I am looking for is other options others might have thought of that are equally easy to prepare, about the same price and semi nutritional similar. Of course, cheaper and healthier are better. Oh and space is an issue, I have a very small amount of fridge space. 

Random Thoughts. Beans are an excellent idea, but will they keep for a week? Frozen entries are horrible I know, but it is the only easy variety I could think for a single person. What? If this were easy I wouldn't be posting. ;-)

FireBrand80

I would buy meat in bulk, and divide into smaller portions. Carbs like rice, pasta and potatoes are dirt cheap. You can make meals like chili in the crock pot and eat it for a week.

questiontheanswers

Beans keep for a while, and are dirt cheap if you buy the dry variety. They take a little more prep time, but they're worth it. If you have a crockpot, these - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/refried-beans-without-the-refry/detail.aspx - are amazing and make a ton. They freeze really well, so portion them out and pop them in the freezer. I have a pretty steady supply of these in my house.

questiontheanswers

Also, cheap homemade "pizzas" - I use tortillas as the crust, throw a couple tablespoons of pasta sauce or pesto on top and then load it up with veggies and a little cheese - pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Quick and tasty, plus you can get multiple meals out of one pack of tortillas.