I can't wait to bring out some of my winter comfort foods now that the cooler weather has set in.

My favorites include chili, mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes with ham, homemade macaroni and cheese,spaghetti and meatballs, stew, potpies and shepard's pies. I'm sure you have your own list.

Traditional comfort foods are usually synonymous with high caloriesand fattening ingredients. But if you learn how to swap a few lower calorie ingredients for the higher calorie ones, you can enjoy your rich, hearty, "feel good" comfort foods without having to settle for a winter weight gain.

For instance, a homemade mac 'n cheese recipe can use reduced fat cheeses and a light margarine to create a smooth cheese sauce,topped off with toasted whole wheat bread crumbs. Meatballs can be made with low fat ground turkey, chicken or beef, and corn starchcan act as a gravy thickener rather than the traditional butter and flour roux.

Here's a list of substitutes that will help to make your favorite comfort foods less fattening:

-- Replace cream with evaporated skim milk or pureed potatoes.

-- Replace butter with canola oil.

-- Replace a whole egg with 2 egg whites or a liquid egg substitute.

-- Replace evaporated milk with skim evaporated milk

-- Replace half and half with fat-free half and half.

-- Replace cheese with reduced fat cheese or skim ricotta.

-- For pie crusts, replace shortening with canola oil.

Make these simple changes to your favorite winter recipes and you'll be able to enjoy them all the more.