I have no idea where this consume animal muscle for nutrition came from--outside of maybe commercials, magazines, et al. Tuna is not very high in protein and the omega 3's in it are the least healthful. It also has mercury and aluminum, whereas mushrooms likely have neither. You see EPA and DHA are things the human body synthesizes on an as-needed basis from ALA (tuna is usually high in Epa/Dha). Long chain omega 3's are highly prone to oxidation in the bloodstream, so, "less is more" makes sense here. With sufficient essential fatty acid consumption the body does a great job of knowing what to convert and when. I have learned that for diet, people that talk about "protein" and talk about "nutrition" without actually discussing a specific nutrient tend to have no clue what they are talking about. They usually get info from TV/advertising and hearsay, which rarely produces prudent advice.
Fried rice would be my pick. Not only is it very cheap to get at restaurants since you could get a serving here for just around a dollar, but also it's very easy to make at home if you don't feel like buying. I think it's great for extending your ingredients since you only need a bit of meat and a few other ingredients and you could even incorporate vegetables into it to make it a complete meal that's maybe a little healthier than other cheap food items.
When I'm on a tight budget and want to cook on the cheap side I'll do home made turnovers (you can stuff them with cheese, or meats, ham and cheese, or eggs and cheese, anything works), sandwiches, hot dogs, plain cereal, pancakes, chicken or beef stew (you make stew once, and it will last you for days, plus it has lot's of nutritional value). Now, if I want to buy food out, I'll buy from the dollar menu from McDonald's, a KFC bucket, or 2 large pizzas from domino's (in my household both the KFC bucket and Domino's will last us at least 2 days).
I don't know their specific name if there's any, but I really like those Chinese noodles. I used to order them, but now I found out that I'd be better off preparing them myself since it's not that hard at all. I just have to boil some water first and drop the noodles thereafter and just leave 'em here to soak water in. No-brainer food y'all, lol! I will also try what you guys have suggested above since it all seems as yummy.
Personally I don't care about calories or nutrition, I care about I like to eat, and ramen is something I like to eat too because if we would only depend on eating ramen, we all would be lost. Even though most of us eat a variety of foods that bring in the nutrients our body needs, or we can always include dietary supplements with the missing vitamins and nutrients. But I also like rice and beans as @Denis Hard points at, when it comes to nutritive and yet cheap meals. And when it comes to fast food, my favorite cheap meal is the all-inclusive whooper deal at Burger King.
My favorite cheap meal is stir fried cabbage because a head of cabbage is stupid cheap and you only need half a head of cabbage to make a whole wok of stir fried cabbage. You throw in some chopped onion and shredded carrots and a tiny bit of chopped up ham or bacon and whatever Asian sauce you have. You don't need much meat. The star is the sweet caramelized cabbage, the meat is just flavoring.
Soups are generally very cheap to make, especially if you can use up some leftovers to make it. I also think soup is good comfort food, especially on cold days. You can make a huge variety too, so as not to get tired of it too quickly. Instead of preparing one chicken breast as a single plate meal, make it into a pot of soup and eat it several times. The same with a handful of shredded or ground beef or ground turkey or ground pork. If you don't have meat, potatoes work too.
BURRITOS for sure!!! In areas where Mexican migration is strong, there are several cheap Mexican restaurants where you can get a huge burrito for 4 or 5 bucks. That is an entire meal, sometimes even 2! I am obsessed, those are so delicious. Not to mention they are surprisingly nutritious.
Chicken noodle soup made with lots of leftover veggies and chicken. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Corned beef hash & eggs with biscuits or toast and so many others........
Breakfast is a good idea. My favorite cheap meal, hamburger pie is pretty cheap, it's just beef, cheese and pie crust. It's pretty good and doesn't take that much effort. Hamburger Helper is also another favorite of mine.
I would say pancakes. I mean it doesn't get much cheaper than that, and they sure are delicious. I had some for supper a few nights ago. They have to be my favorite all time cheap meal. Those who are worried about the protein or fiber aspect could always put some peanut butter in the mix, oatmeal, or add an egg as a side dish.
I make a lot of our meals from scratch, so many of our meals are inexpensive. So, I'll just list some of our most recent meals that we've eaten. Spaghetti with a little ground turkey, a lot of eggplant,lentils and mushrooms, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Fried Rice, Black Bean Quesadilla. There are a lot of inexpensive meals out there besides Ramen Noodles that are actually very nutritious....the problem is many people don't cook or want to learn how to cook.
The cheapest meal you can ever get would have to be the good ol ramen noodles. Though, I'm a big fan of the cream cheese on toast with jam. All you need is some cheap bread and some not so cheap jam. Though, on those days where you just don't care then you should just eat some ramen.
Polenta is cheap too, and incredibly filling. You can pair it with some inexpensive hot Italian bulk sausage that's been browned and added to a cheap jar of pasta sauce as a topping, and finish it off with some Parmesan or Romano for a cheap and filling meal. Rice a Roni - I just recently started eating this stuff again. That small box actually makes quite a large pan of pasta/rice once it's cooked up, especially if you get a box that has an extra 30% more as a promotion. You can easily bulk it up further, by adding some cheap meats and frozen veggies. Some diced chicken or canned tuna, or some frozen broccoli work well. Omelettes - they're not only cheap and filling because of all the protein, but they are a great way to use up scraps and leftovers as a filling. Often times I will have a little bit of frozen or fresh veggies left behind which are not enough to make a complete side dish, but are perfect for filling an omelette. Home made pizza - if you keep some active dry yeast and some flour on hand, with a little time and patience to let the dough rise properly, you can make some pretty decent pizza's at home from scratch. These are a good way to use up some leftover sauce you may have sitting in a jar in your fridge, or some soon to expire vegetables.
Pancakes, yes! I like doing breakfast for dinner, and pancakes are quite filling, cheap, and easy. Polenta is a good idea, and it can be used in many ways. As for Rice-a-Roni, I do use it sometimes when I catch it on sale. I also try all the store brand versions, which tend to be even cheaper. Some of them are just as good. There's a Cajun brand too, but I can't remember the name right now. I like the dirty rice. Usually though, I make my own plain old white rice or brown rice and then flavor it myself. Plain rice is super cheap to make, and you can add flavor to it with stuff you already have on hand.
