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Comfort food need not be synonymous with bland and tasteless. People who know me are often surprised when I share what I had for dinner last night, and even more surprised that I managed to make it both tasty and healthy!

Virtually any recipe/entree can be taken and made healthier. Creativity, plus a basic understanding of ingredients and nutrients that make a dish healthy vs. unhealthy are all you need.

Meats are usually the foundation of any comfort-food dish. You can choose skin-on fried chicken, or you can try skinless baked chicken-brushed with olive oil and seasoned with herbs, spices, or a savory meat rub. There's 73% lean hamburger and then there's 92% lean. Or if you really want to try something different, try 93% lean or even 100% lean ground turkey in place of beef.

Dairy ingredients often are ubiquitous additions to any comfort food. Fat-free cheeses and skim milk are great, if you don't find them too bland. Reduced fat variations, such as part-skim cheese or 2% milk are all better than the full-fat counterparts. Butter, used in moderation, is not entirely bad. And we've all heard how margarines can be worse than the real deal, with some being likened to plastic! However, non-hydrogenated (trans-fat free) margarines such as Smart Balance and Promise are healthier alternatives. Consumer Report's taste testers could hardly differentiate Smart Balance's olive-oil based margarine from real butter! If you haven't considered margarine in a long time, now may be the opportunity to try it. Just be sure you opt for a non-hydrogenated variety.

Eggs with their rich texture and taste are often used in classic baked goods, quiches, and even meatloafs! Recent studies demonstrate that a moderate amount (approximately seven or less per week) of eggs don't raise cholesterol in people with healthy levels and can in fact have some health benefits! Look for lower-cholesterol, omega-3 rich brands such as Eggland's Best for a healthier egg. And using a few less yolks and a few more whites in a recipe often has no noticeable impact on taste or texture-just on cholesterol, fat, and calories!

While animal-based ingredients are among the worst offenders in giving comfort foods their bad rap, there are a few other ingredients to watch.

Honey, molasses, maple syrup, raw cane sugar-these sweeteners, used moderately, are better than white table sugar. Mrs. Dash and other low-salt seasoning blends can add tons of savory flavor without sending sodium numbers (and blood pressure!) soaring.

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