We bought milk again. Just throwing it out there for the sake of honesty!
~ Day 6 ~
Today was Shrimp & Lobster Bisque day!
Yum yum! I had a craving for something Red Lobster-esque and thus the bisque was born.
Luckily for our budget we do not have a Red Lobster in our new city!
~ On a side note for our budget, due to our recent extra tightening we are back on track to be almost one payday ahead. We of course have savings from when we were both working full time, but we had been tapping into them when we first moved here, which was definitely not something we wanted to do! Thanks in part to this last month of cheap eats we are back to super-saver mode, and shouldn't have a deficit every month. Budgeting and saving have become a passion of mine. I used to be a spender, but having realized that my husband (also a spender) was less likely to change, I have managed to transform my hobby into saving! ~
What I used:
Celery
Onion
Red Pepper
Butter
Tomato sauce
Milk
Pre-cooked Shrimp
Lobster (ahem... actually Lobster flavoured Pollock in chunks)
Red Pepper flakes
Paprika
S&P
Step 1.) Coarsely chop the celery, onion, and red pepper. (approx. 3 celery stalks, 1 yellow onion, and 1 red pepper.)
Step 2.) Saute in about 1/4 cup butter.
Step 3.) Add 1 small portion of tomato sauce. (I just use my own frozen variety, but if you were to use canned, then about half a can)
Step 4.) Add about 2 cups of milk.
Step 5.) Blend everything in the blender. Add more milk until you get the desired consistency. This is also where I added a few red pepper flakes. When smooth and soupy, pour into a pot.
Step 6.) Return to heat. Add minced shrimp and minced lobster.
Step 7.) Add paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a soft boil and enjoy!
Here are some pics of the process. For some reason the one of the finished product didn't save, so I can't share it with you, but that might be for the best because the colour didn't come out that great in the picture. The soup when done should be a lovely red-orange colour. :)
(below is with the frozen tomato sauce, in case you were wondering)
I didn't include measurements for the seafood because I don't believe it really matters. I used a whole package of lobster chunks and approx. 20 shrimp. However the soup could easily be less meaty. Just use what you have. Alternatively you could add whatever fish you have, just shrimp, etc.
I'd like to take a minute to advocate for seafood. I feel like thrifty people stay away from it because it seems expensive, but the opposite is actually true. $10 may seem expensive for a bag of shrimp, but they go a long way. Most meals only require 5-7 shrimp per person, be it pasta, pizza, soup, etc. Which ends up being less costly than a chicken breast or a whole piece of beef. Its also a lean protein and so is very good for those of you who are being diet conscious. This soup ended up being very affordable because the lobster flakes would have been $1.99 (on sale and I had a coupon) but they scanned wrong and I actually got them for free! My soup also served up 4 large portions, which keeps to the 5 shrimp per serving estimate.
Other seafood like mussels, calamari rings, and cod also go on sale quite regularly and the package goes deceptively far. So don't feel limited to shrimp. (We just love shrimp)
Until next time!
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