Ten Mexican Meals for One for About $20

If you've lived alone for any length of time, you know that it's hard to get excited about cooking. It seems that the effort expended, the dishes dirtied and the time spent, just doesn't have the same pay off when you are the only one to enjoy the results. It's even worse when you find yourself on a tight budget that doesn't allow you to take out or dine out often.

Welcome to the first in a series of articles aimed at people too busy, lazy, or depressed to put a lot of effort into cooking for themselves. Each meal can be prepared two ways. Freelance Writer style, which can easily be substituted with Long Term Unemployment style, College Student style or Recent Parolee style, is the most basic, no-frills approach to feeding yourself. CEO Style is a little more posh, with options for a more gourmet culinary experience.

Each meal can either be made twice or will provide enough leftovers for a second meal, hence the 10 meals. Here's your basic shopping list and the target prices that I found online at a local grocery store:

Shredded Cheese, 8 oz $2.50

Sour Cream, 8 oz $1.00

Fat Free Refried Beans, 16 oz $1.00

(2) Enchilada Sauce, 10 oz $2.00

Flour Tortillas, 24 oz $2.33

Ground Beef, 3 lbs $7.99

Taco Seasoning Packet $0.95

Tortilla Chips, 16 oz $2.00

Salsa, 24 oz $2.50

Total: $23.27

Meal 1: Quesadillas

Freelance Style: Melted cheese and tortillas, you can't get more basic than that. All you need is a non-stick fry pan, two tortillas, a small handful of shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa and there's dinner.

CEO Style: Add some grilled chicken, sautéed veggies or fresh avocado. Have a side of Spanish rice or refried beans.

Meal 2: Nachos

Freelance Style: Oh, the good old college stand-by, the nacho plate. This is a little more complicated, but by preparing the ground beef now, you are saving yourself from doing it later. Cook about a pound of the ground beef with the seasoning packet. Place tortilla chips, ground beef, and several spoons of refried beans on a plate. Cover with shredded cheese. Microwave. Top with sour cream and salsa.

CEO Style: Sorry, CEO's don't eat nachos.

Meal 3: Tacos

Freelance Style: Heat up some leftover ground beef and three flour tortillas in the microwave. Add the beef to the tortillas, top with shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream.

CEO Style: Add fresh avocado, fresh tomatoes and shredded lettuce. You can also substitute chicken or steak for the ground beef.

Meal 4: Chilaquiles

Freelance Style: Fill a baking dish with tortilla chips and add one can of enchilada sauce. Bake until the sauce has soaked into the chips. Top with cheese and add a side of refried beans.

CEO Style: Chilaquiles is a traditional breakfast dish, so you can add scrambled eggs or chicken for more protein. Top with Cotija cheese.

Meal 5: Enchiladas

Freelance Style: Use a small baking pan and fill the remaining tortillas with shredded cheese. Be sure to leave some cheese for the topping. Cover with enchilada sauce and top with more cheese. You can also use some of the ground beef for filling in addition to the cheese. Bake until bubbly and the edges of the tortillas start to crisp. Top with sour cream.

CEO Style: Use chicken and cheese for your filling. Black olives and jalapeños can be added as well.