Off the top of my head I can think of a few menus under $20 that are simple to make and easy on the budget. I live in Germany so trying to compare costs of food here to cost of food there.
Focaccia (purchase the dough at your local pizza shop), roll it out like pizza then top with olive oil, chopped garlic/oregano/coarse salt and fresh ground pepper.
Chunky Pizza Soup (Canadian Living recipe)
Dessert: Cab Poached Pears – peel pears, halve, scoop out seeds; poach in 1:1 red wine & water with brown sugar. When cooked remove from pan and reduce the liquid to 1/2. Serve on a little of the cooking liquid and a drizzle of the store bought chocolate sauce that’s in your frig.
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Roasted Lemon Chicken (recipe below)
Roast Potatoes or Sauteed Spinach w/olive oil, garlic or roasted carrots and celery – what’s in your frig? Use it.
Dessert: Sicilian Onions and Oranges (peel and segment oranges, julienne red onions and a generous drizzle of good quality olive oil – this is an unbelievable combo and blows everyone away everytime it’s served)
For the chicken – thoroughly wash and drain the chicken, generously salt the cavity then stuff with a washed, softened lemon -roll it on the counter to soften it – then pierce it all over with a fork. Simply stuff it into the chicken, re tie the legs together and roast at 170 for approx 1 hour or til the juices run clear. This chicken does not require any oil in the pan or any other seasoning. Simple with a great presentation because it puffs up and is golden. You can cook the bones and any little bits up for soup after with some veggies making yet another meal.
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Unclassic Caesar using Hellmans mayo
Ratatouille on Polenta topped with a Poached Egg
(for a variation you could also do a trio of sauteed mushrooms on polenta with shaved parm)
Dessert: Lemon Galette (basic pizza dough topped with sugar and lemon zest)
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No-Cook Tonnato Sauce with Arugula (recipe below)
Dessert: Homemade Crepes smeared with a little jam, filled with your fave ice cream, dusted with icing sugar)
Tonnato Sauce
1 6-8 oz can of tuna packed in oil
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup xtra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup drained capers divided
4 flat anchovies
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
5 oz arugula
serve on LINGUINE, cooked and drained reserving 1 cup cooking liquid
Puree tuna with oil from can, mayo, olive oil, 3 tbsp capers, anchovies, lemon juice, and water in blender until smooth. Season with S&P. Coarsely chop remaining capers. Toss hot linguine with sauce, arugula and capers. Thin with some of the cooking water. (Gourmet Magazine Aug 2009)
Since these are ingredients I have in my frig my hope is that it is under the $20 budget for you too.
Bon Appetit!!