FOOD

Epicurious is the home of Bon Appétit and Gourmet on the web.  Search for recipes by main ingredient, course, holiday or season.  Most recipes are reviewed by people who cook from the site – you can learn a lot from reading about others’ past experiences.

Real Simple is a lifestyle magazine with a food section, and most of their recipes can be prepared in 30 minutes or less.  Their recipes use convenience foods like rotisserie chicken and canned beans, but also stress fresh ingredients.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s The Splendid Table website provides information about her radio show (available as a podcast on the site) and tons of recipes.  Her recipes are drawn from her many cookbooks and guests on the radio show.

Rachael Ray has built a resource for cooks looking for quick and easy meals.  Her site has many recipes for 30-minute meals and can be searched by main ingredient, main course, preparation time and more.

Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, blogs from her home on a cattle ranch in the Midwest.  Each of her recipes is illustrated with multiple photographs showing what each step of the process looks like. She shows you what she feeds her family every day and her clear voice and instructions make it easy for you to do the same.

Cooking Light has a huge database of healthy recipes.  Their slideshows are a nice way to get ideas for dinnertime. There are many vegetarian options and they also provide options for those on special diets.

How2Heroes is a site full of cooking videos.  There are a lot of different recipes to be found, but the most valuable part of the site is being able to watch chefs and home cooks show you how to make a dish.

Disney Family is full of tasty, kid-friendly and budget friendly recipes sure to make mealtime more  “magical” for you and your family.

The Recipe for Healthy Kids (R4HK) Competition that began in 2010 challenged students, parents, chefs, nutritionists and many others to come up with delicious and nutritious recipes that kids and parents alike would love. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service compiled the results of the challenge in this cookbook. Check out the fun and kid-friendly options, as well as tips on nutrition, food safety and best-buying practices.

This handy recipe finder, brought to you by the USDA SNAP program, allows you to create your own virtual cookbook with recipes provided by nutrition educators. With this tool you can also search the database by ingredient, recipe name, target audience, cooking equipment, themes, price and more! Not only is it fun and easy to use, but also nutritious!

Leave it to Betty Crocker to come up with super fun and easy recipes that the whole family can enjoy.

FUN

As part of their Let’s Fix Dinner initiative, Stouffer’s offers a variety of fun activities and other “table tools” to help liven up your family dinner.

Get inspired to stage your family’s own edition of Iron Chef by watching clips of the show and brainstorming your own secret ingredient.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is a movement to change America’s school lunches.  Watch a clip from the show with your family and talk about how the changes you’re making at home can go beyond the dinner table.

Parenting Magazine provides a quick list of fun, low-cost activities for the whole family. Don’t underestimate the simplicity of these super fun activities!

Look up a new card game appropriate for all family members. Grab a deck of cards and get playing with the family!

CONVERSATION

The Public Conversations Project (PCP) has been helping people have constructive conversations on hot topics for the past 20 years. For ideas on how to keep having good conversations if the going gets rough, check out the Resources section of PCP’s website.

Choosing to Participate is an initiative created by Facing History and Ourselves to spark conversation about the importance of participation in our community, nation and world. There are many moving stories and other terrific resources on this website. For example, your family can read the following story together and talk about it as a family.

Dr. William J. Doherty is an expert on family time and family rituals. As an advisor on Barilla’s Share the Table initiative, he offers insight into the American family dinner.

The Family Education website has a wealth of articles and advice about starting dinner conversation with kids.

Stouffer’s has some fun conversation starters to get your family talking at the dinner table.

Here’s some advice and ideas for dads who want to have interesting, lively dinner conversations with their kids.