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I

have a confession to make. Up until recently the Glaz Café served chicken nuggets or pasta with melted cheese five days a week. Some afternoons I quickly put together another meal but it rarely turned out edible let alone a success. In other words I didn’t have a clue how to “make dinner.”

With picky eaters in the family our two-meal system seemed to work. But I also had a serious case of mother’s guilt which was only heightened when I listened to friends list their weekday dinner plans: lime-and-honey-glazed salmon Asian meatballs and spinach lasagna with béchamel sauce.

The Glaz Café was in desperate need of a serious menu revamp. I had to master the art of making dinner and fast. But it wasn’t simple. Since I’m a working mother it took extra effort to make sure that dinner was served on time. I also wanted to make it tasty and nutritious. So with a cup of determination and a side of willpower I enrolled in my first course of Dinner 101.

Lesson One: Going Green

My first step in conquering my dinner crisis is getting a handle on basic nutritional guidelines. In the age of gluten-free meatless organic sugar-free and paleo I’m thoroughly confused about which trend I should follow if any. Should I submit to family members who claim processed foods are dangerous? “You know those hot dogs are filled with nitrates ” they warn me ominously. I’m torn: Should I chuck all hot dogs and deli meats even though my kids like them or embrace those overly processed things and include them in my cooking repertoire?

I turn to Miriam Leibowitz a registered dietitian and nutritionist fromTorontoCanada for nutritional guidance. She gives me the advice she gives to her own child clients — for a balanced nutritious meal pick something from at least three of the four food groups: grains/starches fruits and vegetables milk and alternatives (cheese milk and yogurt) and meat and alternatives (meat fish eggs nuts and beans).

I suppose I nodded off during high school nutrition class one too many times so I refresh my memory on the importance of the food groups. Each food group benefits our bodies in different ways. For example grains can be a good source of dietary fiber several B vitamins (thiamin riboflavin niacin and folate) and minerals (iron magnesium and selenium). Proteins (found in milks and meats) function as building blocks for bones muscles cartilage skin and blood. They’re also building blocks for enzymes hormones and vitamins. And fruits and vegetables contain a plethora of vitamins.

Now that I know what types of food to include in my dinners (and what to answer when my kids ask why they can’t get chicken nuggets every day) I move on to the next stage — what to make for dinner.