I did the same thing. My mother is a good cook....my Grandmother living in the house was not so great.
Both my grandmothers were great cooks. My mom was OK too but not like them.
Both grandmothers were here and raising THEIR families during the depression.
They KNEW how to get nutrition out of a minimal budget. Both of them came here from Europe where there was never an abundance of anything either. I think that is how they weathered the depression, because they had done without before. Both kept gardens and could (I think sometimes had to) live off vegetables. NOBODY starved and everyone was healthy.
Actually, every back yard in that neighborhood was a garden.
There is a lot of very wholesome and nutritious food you can serve for a minimum of expense. I think it is better than fast food and processed stuff.