The Slow Food Movement has had people blogging on their website about how they accomplished the $5 meal challenge.

Please check out their page for sharing recipe ideas (and pictures) here:http://5challenge.tumblr.com/ and let your own creativity about meal planning grow and prosper.  When I looked a little further for $5 meals I came across the $5 dinner website that is chock full of ideas about meals to cook on the cheap and easy.  http://www.5dollardinners.com/recipes

Eating cheap, fast, easy and healthy is definitely doable!   To increase your pleasure, invite some friends over and make it fun.