Are you the person everyone looks to when the question, "What's for dinner?" arises? When my family was younger and I was working full time, I used to dread that nightly question.

I worked as an elementary teacher and spent my days being in charge and making decisions. When I got home from work, I wasn't physically tired but mentally exhausted and in the mood to coast for a while before tackling my homework responsibilities. So I would ask them, "What do you want?" Inevitably the reply would be, "Whatever, anything or I don't care."

As a result, more often than we should have, we were eating pizza or hamburgers from the nearest take-out restaurant. I felt guilty that I wasn't taking better care of my family's health. On the nights that I did drag myself down to the grocery store so I could feed my family the home-cooked meal they deserved, I observed something interesting - the same look of indecision and frustration was on the faces of many of the other shoppers as they gazed into the frozen food cases, or passed back and forth in front of the deli.

• So the idea of "What's For Dinner?" was born.
  
• Offer busy families a suggestion as to what to fix for dinner.
  
• Put all the ingredients they will need to fix the meal onto an organized shopping list.
  
• Equip the list with additional features such as the ability to delete the items already on hand and the option to add other grocery items needed.
  
• Share my teaching skills by including educational topics to discuss during the meal and fun activities engage in together after dinner.

When you visit What's For Dinner? here's what you will find:

We suggest one simple meal for every day of the week. The internet is filled with cooking sites that have thousands of recipes falling into many different categories. But don't you already own several cookbooks? We offer a solution, not another decision.

If you are not already using the internet to make shopping easier, you should take it under consideration. Many grocery stores give you the ability to e-mail them your shopping list, and many will also deliver your groceries to your home. Use our customizable shopping list to make your life easier. Even if you do the shopping yourself, you will love the way everything is categorized so that you can breeze in one door and out the other.

You will also love the way the recipe instructions are organized at "What's For Dinner?" Using a parallel layout the ingredient list is located right next to the directions for preparation. Carefully choreographed, the instructions guide you from start to finish and are so simple that your older children can surprise you by having dinner ready when you come home!

Do you hate leftovers? Use our serving size feature to prepare just the right amount of food to feed your family. Add an extra portion and have a lunchbox meal for the next day. Choose your favorites and make double to put in your freezer for an instant anytime meal. At "What's For Dinner?" you are in charge. We expect you to adapt the meal suggestions and recipes to suit your family's personal tastes.

When everyone is gathered together around your delicious home-cooked meal, it is time to enjoy the special closeness that comes from being part of a family. Take advantage of this time by participating in the interactive discussions we suggest in our Table Topics section. The most valuable lesson a parent can teach a child is that learning is a wonderful thing.

Becoming actively involved in your child's education means much more than policing their homework. Enrich your evenings by spending 15 to 30 minutes with your child enjoying the fun and educational activities we provide in our Quality Time section. Many of the activities feature the computer as a source of learning. Technology is part of our lives, teach your children how to use it to their advantage.

Let "What's For Dinner?" make your life simpler and more fulfilling. It's free and there is no sign-up required. You are invited to subscribe to our newsletter to preview the upcoming meals and educational topics. We love hearing from our visitors and, with permission, include their questions and comments in our newsletters. See you there!

Our editor, Jean Fisher, is a former elementary teacher. She offers "What's For Dinner?" as a free service for busy families.  One delicious meal is suggested for each day of the week, plus an organized grocery shopping list that can be customized to include all your shopping needs.  You will also find two stimulating table topics and one educational after-dinner activity for each day.

Browse the Recipe Directories

Chicken

Beef

Pork

Meatless

Fish

Dessert

Complete Meal Recipes

30-Minute Meals

Convenience-Foods recipes

Lunch Idea Recipes

Low-Carb Meals

Low -Sodium Meals

Low-Fat Meals