July Expenses

We are starting off July with an expensive meal out. My bf's college roommate, his wife, and their new baby are coming into town today. We are planning on meeting them out for dinner. With food and drinks, we are probably talking about $100.00. Which I am sure will be well worth it. The bf rarely gets to see his college roommate because he lives 6 hours away and they just had a baby. We went and bought a baby gift last night, but the bf paid so I will probably try to split dinner with him.

Besides tonight, this weekend is also going to be pretty expensive. We are leaving tomorrow after work to head to the beach until Sunday for the 4th of July. It is a tradition for the bf and I to go to the beach, spend all day out in the boat, and then watch the fireworks. I am pretty excited! However, we tend to eat out every meal except for breakfast. So, I am budgeting $100.00 for food and $50 for my share of the gas.

Other expenses for the month include:
a $200 registration fee for a convention which I am attending July 15-20.
gas and food while at the convention.
two birthday gifts.
several happy hours to celebrate friends birthdays.

The good news. . . I have two free weekends when I will be in town and don't have any plans. Hopefully during those two weekends I will be able to recoup the money that I am spending.

Easy Shrimp Skillet

Last night's easy shrimp skillet was excellent. Not only was it easy to make, but it tasted delicious. I got the recipe off of www.kraftfoods.com. Here it is:

1 Tbsp. oil
2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small)
1/2 lb. frozen large shrimp, thawed
1 cup (about 1/2 of 14-1/2-oz. can) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
1/2 cup ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 cup uncooked instant white rice, prepared as directed on package
HEAT oil in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add zucchini; cook 1 min. Add shrimp; cook until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally.
STIR in tomatoes with their liquid and the dressing. Cook on low heat until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese.
SPOON over cooked rice. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

I left out the parsley and used Gorgonzola cheese instead of feta cheese because that it what I had at the house. I will definitely cook this recipe again!