Frugal can flavor your meals in lots of different ways

A streamlined menu plan saves you money. But preparing and serving the same meals can get dull quickly. A few ingredients stored in your pantry will add flair to your dinner rotation. As a bonus, they don't cost much when you consider how many uses you can get from each item and the difference they make.

One reader, Karen from Kansas, shares: "For a new 'taste' for French toast, use liquid flavored coffee creamer and eggs. We like Hazel Nut! I use three of the individual creamers to one egg. A friend gave me a box of the individual creamers because she didn't like them. She knows I'm frugal and will find a use for nearly anything."

If you have a secret ingredient that you like to add, share it with me.

Here are a few suggestions.

Soy sauce: Add a few shakes of soy sauce to grilled, steamed, stir-fried or roasted vegetables, such as broccoli, asparagus, garlic, peppers or zucchini, or use on rice. Add a splash of vinegar, some brown sugar, garlic and pineapple juice to add savory-sweet teriyaki-like flavor to beef, pork and chicken, too.

Fruit: Add fresh citrus juice or marmalade, dried fruit, preserves, apples, pineapple, apricots, peaches, chutney, raisins, etc., to your meat or poultry.

Not a fan of fruit on your meat? Serve them on the side as spreads for bread or rolls, mix into cottage cheese or salad, or simply serve cut fruit, fruit dip and cheese.

Pepper and salt: Get a manual or electric pepper mill and grind peppercorns. You'll never go back to regular powdered pepper. I recommend the Unicorn Magnum. It's built to last and affordable, and you won't break a sweat trying to grind pepper.

Use salt sparingly. Aim for under a teaspoon per day. Try kosher or sea salt such as Fleur de sel.

Fresh parmesan cheese: Set aside the shaker container of Parmesan cheese once in a while. Use a Microplane or box grater and enjoy freshly grated cheese, instead. You won't regret it.

Brown sugar: Add to ground beef when making meatloaf, meatballs, chili, soup, cabbage rolls or spaghetti sauce.

Fresh herbs: Opt for fresh herbs when possible. Many are easy to grow right in your kitchen. You don't have to use as much when using fresh. You can make your own blends with your favorite herbs, too.

For example, hang fresh herbs to dry and combine basil, oregano, thyme and marjoram. Place it in a plastic zipper baggie or a shaker container to store. They make great gifts, too.

Rice: Swap out typical plain-boiled white rice with wild rice, brown, Basmati or jasmine for a change. Try making your own rice stir-ins, too.

Rice can be a side-dish, breakfast, dessert or main dish. It's one of the easiest and most low-cost ways to add new flavors to your meals.

For rice, stir in ideas visit my kitchen basics forum (frugalvillage.com/forums). You'll find numerous rice ideas, such as making mock apple cobbler by adding sliced apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, chopped nuts and vanilla yogurt to hot, cooked rice, or making lemon butter rice by adding butter, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to hot, cooked rice.

Salad green: Set iceberg aside once in a while and choose from a variety of greens, such as Romaine, spinach, frisee, arugula, mesclun, Butterhead, sprouts, garden cress, red leaf, etc.

• Sara Noel is the owner of Frugal Village (frugalvillage.com). Send tips, comments or questions to Sara Noel, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or sara@frugalvillage.com.