We all love to indulge in comfort food, but may not always love the calories that come with it. In this Healthy Living report, NY1's Kristen Shaughnessy talks to a master of the kitchen on how to keep the comfort without the calories.
If you are trying to lose or maintain weight, but you're craving some of those comfort foods, personal chef Mark Bailey says you can have them - just make a healthier, lighter version.
"We love comfort foods, but they're almost synonymous with fattening unfortunately. So I think we have to just do a healthy makeover," he says.
That means you can still indulge on mac and cheese.
"I say go low fat on everything, low fat cheese, maybe skip the milk, but what you want to add is a little spice - pepper spice, tobasco. Its bold flavor works well and you won't even miss some of the calories," says Bailey.
You can even do a smothered chop.
"Don't fry it, bake it. Bake it first in the oven and then make light gravy, keep it on the side, add it to it so you don't feel like you're eating that much," Bailey says.
If light gravy sounds like an oxymoron, Bailey says, "You don't have to add flour, you can actually use yogurt to substitute some of the oil."
Even fried chicken is no longer an absolute no, with some tweaks, like skinless thighs.
"To create that crust, I always use cornflakes and crackers, put them in a food processor and grind them up. Dip the chicken in egg whites versus the whole egg and, you know bread it with the cornflakes and crackers and you're good to go. Bake it in the oven 35 to 40 minutes," says Bailey.
Lastly, a trick for mashed potatoes:
"Substitute half of the potatoes you would normally use with cauliflower - you won't even miss the taste. Mashed cauliflower is actually delicious. But if you mix it with potatoes, your kids won't even know the difference."
When you buy these comfort foods, they are usually loaded in calories, but if you make them at home, with substitutions, it is not that hard or time consuming.