Big bag of egg noodles (any type and store brand are the same as most name brands) = about $2
Big log of velveta cheese - $3
Mac n' cheese whenever and a portion size you decide. Some milk may be necessary to thin out the cheese sauce and make more servings.
Next item:
ground beef - the gateway to Texmex.
Skillet lovin' beefy bake
You need a cast iron skillet or a dish that can be put on the stove and in the oven.
1 pound ground beef
1 can of black beens (or buy the dry bag of beens and soak them for two days - cheaper but not quick)
1 can of tomatoes. yeah, fresh is better but the ones they sell at the store are back to being the hot house ones and are not tasty at all.
Spices like pepper (black and red), chili powder. Anything you like in a tex-mex way. about a teaspoon per spice.
Some of that good old velveta cheese
One onion or a 1/4 cup of dried onions.
One can of biscuit dough.
0) Preheat the oven to 350 or 375 (read the heat level on the can of biscuits)
1) Brown the beef and drain the fat.
2) Dice the onions and sweat them (two minutes in the skillet on medium heat.)
3) Put the beef back in the skillet with the onions, tomatoes, beans, and spices. Let it all cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. (If it begins to boil, turn it down low enough to simmer - very few bubbles.)
4) Slice or shread some of that good old velveta (or any cheese) and sprinkle it on top of the mixture.
5) Open the can of biscuits. Take each biscuit and slice it in half, through the middle so you have two smaller biscuit circles. Place each small biscuit on top of the mixture in the skillet. You may not have the entire skillet covered with biscuits, so just try to cover as much space as you can.
6) Put the skillet in the oven and bake for as long as the can of biscuits says + 5-7 minutes
This is good by itself or forget the biscuits and throw the mixture into a taco, burrito, or with some sauce, an encilada. Can be frozen for two months or in the fridge for two weeks.