If you’ve ever been in the situation where you are desperate for that next paycheck, and who hasn’t been, these menus may help pull you through to the next paycheck.

Eat Beans – Okay, everyone knows that this is one of the cheapest meals to eat but it really is good and goes well with cornbread. One of the ways my mom made it really good for us when we were growing up was to fry potatoes to go along with the beans and cornbread, it made the meal seem not so cheap.

Make a pizza – Making a pizza can be really inexpensive. If you don’t have the pre-made dough on hand it is really inexpensive to make homemade and tastes great as well. The sauce can be as simple as a simmered can of diced tomatoes with some basil and garlic thrown in and then run them through the food processor before applying the sauce on the dough. You will need cheese of course, but rummage through your refrigerator, freezer, or pantry for additional ingredients to add. Be creative and have fun.

Make spaghetti – Super easy, and who doesn’t like spaghetti. We always have pasta in our pantry, and once again if you don’t have a jar of pasta sauce in the pantry, this is easy to remedy if you have a can of diced tomatoes. The key to a good spaghetti sauce is to allow it to simmer with the other ingredients  and really allow the flavors to blend.

Chicken Salad – This sounds expensive, but really isn’t. All it requires is a bag of salad, a couple of chicken breasts either cooked on the grill or in the oven and you’re set. To make the meal really gourmet without breaking your budget, try homemade croutons. We make our croutons using a couple of pieces of bread cut into crouton size then toss the croutons in an olive oil garlic salt mixture.

Make breakfast – This is actually one of our favorite things to eat for dinner. I love making homemade biscuits and gravy and the great thing about both is that they are not only inexpensive, but filling as well. We normally have a package of bacon in the freezer so add that to your meal with a few eggs and your set. My sons favorite thing to eat for breakfast is pancakes, which are also made from scratch, which would make a great breakfast for dinner as well.

Eggs are pretty much a staple at our house. They are cheap and versatile. What makes eggs such an amazing ingredient is their stealth ability to transform from simple scrambled eggs for breakfast to a delicate quiche that can be served any time of day. We use an egg just about every day in our house whether it be for french toast, cookies, or breakfast for dinner. Eggs are essential in some dishes for the texture that the egg gives, like the Quiche Lorraine. Eggs are also great as a binding agent in many baking recipes.

Even if I wasn’t an avid baker I would still pick up a dozen of eggs every time I went grocery shopping since they serve as an incredibly economical meal paired with a few inexpensive ingredients. One egg provides around 6 grams of protein, and the amount of protein we require depends on a number of factors but for an adult ranges between 44 and 63 grams. Eggs get a bad rap because of the cholesterol found in them; however, they are beginning to gain respect as research shows that the levels aren’t as harmful as once thought.

I can pick up a dozen eggs for around $1.50 and sometimes even less at Aldi where I normally shop. The price of eggs varies throughout the year, but they are still an affordable way to prepare a gourmet meal with some additional ingredients. The Quiche Lorraine recipe I posted under my Meals For Less Than $10.00 is a prime example of what some eggs and a few other simple ingredients can do to make an impressive meal for guests or as a family dinner.

Next time your in the kitchen thinking of some new innovative dish to feed your family, flip to the egg section of your cookbook for something new or do a search for egg recipes on the internet. Allrecipes has a good collection of recipes listed under breakfast and brunch but I try not to pigeon hole any food into a specific meal time so that it can be used to its full potential; like eggs.

In years past our family would get in a rut eating the same meals over and over. We did this because we were familiar with the meal preparation. It is so easy to cook a meal that I’ve cooked a dozen times. We kept the same ingredients on hand. I have found that when grocery shopping, I tend to buy the same ingredients over and over each week. This is absolutely fine, since the ingredients can be changed up and cooked in a different manner simply by adding a new or different ingredient to the recipe. One of the main reasons we cook the same meals over and over is because it was a meal that everyone enjoyed.

I like cooking foods in different ways and I like to experiment with new foods or recipes. Some of our recipes are created using the items that we have on hand, and don’t come from a cook book. I have a difficult time remembering what I cook from year to year especially if it is something that me or my husband has thought up to cook. I remedy this by keeping a list of meals we’ve cooked with a general list of what was in the meal. Most of the time we have to come up with some creative name because it is something that we literally created while cooking.

In some of my readers’ emails and conversations with friends, I’ve heard a common thread: “My family just doesn’t like _______ or _________.” This is the easy way out and this is the cop out that sends most people back to eating at restaurants or cooking the same thing over and over. You have to be able to adapt new ingredients to your family’s tastes or identify things they like in restaurants that are possible at home.

Up until a few years ago, I was at a loss as to how to make gravy. I grew up watching my mom make delicious gravies whether it be for biscuits and gravy or gravy for our mashed potatoes. Try as I might I could not figure out how to get the consistency I needed to make a good gravy. Gravies are a frugal way to add some flavor to an otherwise bland meal. They are inexpensive and can vary based on the type of gravy desired for your meal. Once you’ve cooked the roux, the liquids you add to the gravy will determine the color and flavor of the gravy. I have used milk, evaporated milk, beef or chicken broth, and heavy whipping cream to create our gravies.

A recipe book which I refer to often, because of its simplicity, led me in the right direction on achieving a good gravy. It did take a few times of trial and error before arriving at success, but I have finally mastered the art of making gravy; most of the time.

One of the keys in making gravy is to start with a good roux. A roux requires two key elements, flour and fat,  in equal portions to create the base of the gravy. I use standard all-purpose flour and for the fat I use whatever I have on hand which is usually butter or bacon grease.

Bacon grease is actually my favorite to use, both because of its flavor and it is a by-product of a product that I’ve already purchased so I get double duty out of one grocery purchase.  A 12oz package of bacon renders approximately 4oz of fat. Because it is a fat and can go rancid, I store mine in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life. My daughters actually look at my collection of bacon grease in disgust each time they open the refrigerator door, but they have yet to complain about the flavor it adds to their meal.

I start by completely melting 2 tablespoons of butter or bacon grease in a deep skillet on medium heat. I use the deep skillet because it is easier to use a whisk while stirring the gravy to prevent lumps. To the 2 tablespoons of melted fat, I add 2 tablespoons of flour and combine the two with the whisk for about 1 minute. Depending on the type of gravy I need determines the type of liquid I will use for the gravy. If I have cooked a roast and have the drippings from the roast, I can make a brown gravy. Whatever amount of liquid you put into the gravy is normally the amount of gravy that you will end up with.

Once you have determined the type of gravy, add the liquid and whisk until combined with the roux. Seasonings, salt, and pepper will also need to be added at this point to combine all of the flavors. Whisk and stir the gravy the entire time it is cooking. The gravy cooks is ready in approximately 7-10 minutes but may vary depending on the liquid, heat of the skillet, and amount of roux.

I don’t measure my fat or flour anymore because I have made gravy enough times to figure out how to fix my mess-ups. If the gravy is too runny I add more flour and whisk like a mad woman to incorporate it into the gravy. If it is too thick I add more liquid to the gravy and whisk until all liquid is incorporated. The thing about gravy is that it is not a perfect science. I had to practice, practice, and then practice some more before I was confident about making gravy. I still mess up on rare occasions, but am usually able to salvage the gravy for our meal. Don’t give up and keep trying, I promise you can do it.