How was your weekend?  I hope that for those of you in the North, you got some extra blankets and some extra groceries for that snow storm that is coming!  I do not envy you!  It's going to be 65 degrees here this week...but I won't rub it in.  We were in Houston over the weekend, because in case you missed it, we are moving there and things just got REAL real!  We checked out some areas and potential houses to buy and of course ate things like Mexican food and got ice cream on our drive home yesterday...not the best end to my healthy foodspiration week...but today is a new day.  This week we will be eating things like salad and bowls of my healthy shrimp and corn chowder to get back on track! 

I love shrimp and corn chowder, and it might be Canean's favorite soup to eat!  But usually it is so packed with heavy cream and butter that I rarely indulge because quite frankly I'd rather spend my calories elsewhere than on one bowl of soup!  I figured it can't be that hard to make an at home version a lot healthier, so that is exactly what I did!

It's husband approved and it's super easy to make.  It's really pretty tasty and you won't miss all the heavy cream one bit!  Enjoy this soup guilt free, and eat it all week long!  That's the best part about soup, you make a big pot and get to enjoy leftovers all week!  Cost efficient for sure and for those of you who are about to be covered in snow up to your knees, it will help keep you warm too! 

Ingredients:

• 3 Stalks of Celery, diced and leaves included

• 1 Onion, diced

• 3 Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced

• 5 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

• 2 Cups of Frozen or Fresh Corn Kernels

• 1 Lb of Shrimp, peeled

• 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 Tbsp. Butter

• 4 Cups of Chicken Stock

• 1 Cups of Milk, Fat-Free or 2%

• 1/8 Cup of Clam Juice

• 2 Tbsp. Salt

• 2 Tsp. Pepper

• Green Onions for Topping

Directions:

• In a large pan, saute your celery and onion in the olive oil and butter on medium heat until they start to soften.

• Add in your potatoes, thyme, chicken stock, clam juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook until potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

• Add in your milk and bring the broth back up to a simmer and then add your shrimp and corn and cook until shrimp are pink and corn is warmed through.

• Taste the broth to see if more salt or pepper is needed at this time.

• Serve with crusty bread or saltines and chop some green onions for garnish!

I'm telling you guys that this soup is the bomb.com and you are going to want to give it a try! It's basically fail proof and you can feel good about eating it too!  Take that Monday!