Sometimes we forget that we don't really have to do something extravagant for dinner each night - we just need to do something healthy. And feeling that "there's nothing good to cook for dinner" can be the one driving factor that ends up driving us out the door - to the nearest fast-food joint.

Can you relate? I do, so when I found these suggestions in Melanie Douglas' book, Tip-a-Day Guide for Healthy Living, I rejoiced. She suggests we get rid of the guilt by letting go of this "gotta have a perfect dinner" idea. Her advice is to adjust our standards to make our priorities be 1) nutrition, 2) ease, and 3) taste. Now THAT'S my kind of modus operandi!

Here are her 3 great guilt-free dinner options - downright easy dinners that will nourish our body and keep our sanity intact:

Dinner Option 1
Fresh fruit; steamed veggies (or fresh veggies with a healthy, low-fat dressing dip); whole-wheat toast with *raw cheese or *natural peanut or almond butter; low-fat milk or *"legal" soda pop.

Dinner Option 2
Boiled eggs over fresh baby spinach (or greens) topped with diced tomatoes, green peas (*steam lightly to soften), carrots, corn, or any vegetables of choice; low-fat salad dressing or *blended avocado with a little lime juice to prevent browning; low-fat milk or *"legal" soda pop.

Dinner Option 3
Canned beans wrapped in whole wheat tortillas with a sprinkle of *raw cheese and salsa; apple slices or fresh berries (or other *in-season fresh fruit); low-fat milk or *"legal" soda pop.

Simple enough. We can do this. But I'd like to suggest a few ideas that I think improve on an already good idea, and I've highlighted these changes with asterisks. Let's look at them one-by-one:

* Raw cheese. Here's the scoop from author Nina Planck, in her book Real Food: What to Eat and Why," says that raw cheese is made from raw milk, and raw milk is important to cheese. The enzymes and beneficial bacteria in raw milk aid fermentation.

Pasteurized milk limits the action of rennet and retards ripening. Though many good cheeses are made from pasteurized milk, cheeses made from raw milk often contain more complex, subtle flavors - sometimes richer, sometimes mellower. People also swear by raw milk cheese for its beneficial enzymes and bacteria, which are tonics for digestion and immunity. Bottom line? Raw cheese is nutrient-dense food and worth our consideration. It's expensive, but a little goes a long ways, so the cost averages out.

* Natural peanut or almond butter. Natural simply means grinding our own. I prefer almond over peanut butter because peanuts come with aflatoxin - a substance shown to contribute to cancers. But I do eat peanut butter from time to time. Natural anything comes with more nutrition - our goal overall. Commercial peanut butters, by the way, come with sugar and are hydrogenated (shortening is added so the nut oil doesn't rise to the top).

* "Legal" soda pop. Instead of hard-to-digest and casein-laden milk, take another route. I've talked about this before, but it's so worth repeating. Instead, make your own nutrition-, fiber-, and taste-loaded drink - "legal" soda pop.

Puree fresh fruit (frozen will work as well) and freeze in ice cube trays. When solid (after 2 or 3 hours) pop the cubes into zippered plastic freezer bags. When you want a delicious drink with all the whizzy, fizzy bang bang of traditional soda, just put 5 or 6 fruit cubes in a tall glass, let sit a bit to soften, then pour Arrowhead or Perrier mineral water (also called sparkling water) over the cubes. Arrowhead and Perrier are suggested because they have no added sodium. This drink is just scrumptious.

* Steam your veggies (under Dinner Option 2). Author, Douglas, originally says to quickly microwave the peas to soften them. I prefer light steaming because I believe more nutrition stays intact.

* Blended avocado. Author, Douglas, originally suggests a low-fat salad dressing. OK, but preferable would be real food and real nutrition that's found in avocadoes. And when pureed, maybe with a little olive oil added, they make a superb salad dressing, and you get all the healthy fat the body needs as well.

* In-season fruit. I added this suggestion because of all the evidence that eating seasonally is a superior approach to getting our vitamins and minerals. Frozen is always a great back-up plan, but if we can find in-season (and organic if possible) fruit, we've done our bodies a huge favor, nutrition-wise.

So with Douglas' suggestion to keep it simple but go for healthy, and with these few alterations, we're on the road to wonderful dinners, EVERY night - and guilt-free as well!