Sesame Shrimp Soba Noodles

A few weeks ago, we took a trip to the Asian Supermarket near our house to look for bento lunch supplies. I didn't find anything I wanted, but I have trouble walking out of a store with nothing. I always feel like the owners are staring me down, calling me names in their heads. 

So we walked around for a while, checking out all of the bright packages we couldn't read and looking at bulk bins of things like tiny dried fish. I finally settled on a pack of wonton skins, 2 different sizes of wooden skewers, some cute plates and bowls, and a package of soba noodles. Shortly thereafter, we went to Trader Joe's, where I picked up a bottle of toasted sesame oil. There was a sale on shrimp at the regular grocery store, and suddenly I knew what we were having for dinner on Seafood Friday.

BBQ Shrimp over Spinach Rice

When I was 13, I went to a barbecue at one of my mom's friend's houses. I'm not really into crowds of people, so I usually pick a spot in the corner and stick to it. This time I hung out with the kid that was manning the grill. Well, he wasn't really a kid at the time; he was 23. I say "kid" now because I am almost 10 years beyond that, but I was 10 years his junior back then - perspective is everything!

Anyway, in addition to the standard burgers, dogs, and chicken, he made barbecue shrimp. I thought this was quite an odd pairing, but he insisted I try it as he taught me how to make them. We ate them straight off the grill and they were so, so good. The sweetness of the shrimp and the smokiness of the barbecue sauce are a surprisingly amazing combination. To this day, it is still one of my favorite shrimp recipes.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta with Broccoli

It's seafood night here at the Foodie Mama house and K has been craving garlic shrimp, so I decided to make it a meal. He's content to just eat a dozen or so shrimp and be done with it, but the mom in me insists that there be some veggies and whole grains involved. This is so easy and comes together so fast; perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Crispy Italian Tilapia

If you've never had tilapia, you're really missing out. Next to salmon, it is my favorite fish to prepare. It is one of those awesome ingredients that you can do anything you want to it, and it tastes good. Tilapia has a nice mild flavor that pairs well with everything. Whether you serve it up with raspberry sauce, in a packet with lemon and veggies, or pan-fried, you're going to love it. This is one of my easy weeknight favorites. It's so simple, it's almost embarrassing to share!