Georgiann Caruso is a CNN Medical Associate Producer

After a long, stress-filled day, you may just crave some comfort - and comfort foods like mac 'n' cheese or spaghetti and meatballs.

"Comfort foods are more about the heart than they are hunger," says Marisa Moore, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition of Dietetics. "They serve to sort of bring up those happy memories from childhood or a time that you've spent with a loved one and they bring you psychological comfort."

Sating these cravings doesn't have to mean you’ve got to eat dishes that are high in fat, sodium or calories. Moore says you can still enjoy your favorite comfort foods while keeping them healthy and delicious.

Chef Jim Gallivan, chair of the Culinary Arts program at The Art Institute of Atlanta, agrees. He oversees the student-run restaurant.

"A lot of the food that we do put out is pretty and fancy but the idea is to make sure it has a good nutritional profile so that it feeds all of the senses as well as the body," Gallivan says.

The Art Institute and Moore offer these recipes and tips to make your own healthy comfort foods.

"Take for example macaroni and cheese. There's several things you can do," Moore says. "You can start with a lower-fat milk; that will help to cut back on the calories."

"You can add vegetables to it," she adds. "Any time you add vegetables to a dish, it helps to lower the total calorie count."

Try this healthier mac 'n cheese recipe

Moore also suggests volumizing chili with vegetables.

"Making a heart-healthy chili is actually very easy," she says. "The best thing to do is add more vegetables, particularly beans, mushrooms. You can even add carrots. That's a great way to increase the fiber content."

Try this heart-healthy chili recipe

And there's help for the old standby, pasta.

"One way to cut the calories in traditional spaghetti and meatballs is instead of using beef, you might use a lean ground turkey," Moore suggests.

"In addition to that, you might switch up your pasta option and use a spaghetti squash, which is a winter squash," she says.

When baked and flaked, the squash resembles spaghetti, but is significantly lower in carbohydrates and calories.

Try this spaghetti squash marinara

Since cravings sometimes occur on a chilly winter morning, Moore suggests trying oatmeal pancakes with fruit syrup.

"If you take traditional pancakes and add some oatmeal or a whole wheat flour to it, that's a great way to increase the fiber and the health profile," she notes.

Try this oatmeal pancakes recipe

In addition, she suggests fruit syrup over regular, bottled syrup for its fiber and antioxidant properties.

Try this healthier fruit syrup recipe

Last, but certainly not least, there's dessert.

"If you have a sweet tooth, using fruit in your dessert can naturally sweeten the dessert so you don't have to," she says. "It allows you to cut back on added sugars."

Try this healthier cranberry crisp recipe

The Center for Disease Control says you can still lose weight or maintain a healthy weight by figuring out how to include almost any food in your eating plan.

Moore suggests keeping a food journal to identify some of the things that you eat when you're not really hungry.

"The best way to conquer emotional eating is by figuring out what your triggers are," she says.

Read more about how to cook healthy foods on CNN Health and get the recipes below.

Healthy Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 4

Ingredients
10 oz whole wheat elbow pasta, cooked
1 1/2 lb winter squash, peeled, cubed, steamed soft and puréed
1 cup 2-percent milk
1 Tbsp butter (or non-hydrogenated margarine)
4 Tbsp plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup sharp low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
To taste sea salt and ground black pepper

Preparation
1. Combine squash purée, milk, margarine and yogurt in a saucepan over medium heat and stir to blend.
2. Once mixture is at a simmer, gradually add the cheeses and stir until melted.
3. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat completely.
4. Bake in an oven-safe casserole dish for 20 minutes at 400˚F.

Per serving: approx. 258 calories, 17g protein, 26g carbohydrates, 10g fat (5g saturated), 3g fiber and 4g sugar

Turkey Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash Marinara

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash (4-5 pounds)

Marinara Sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
24 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp low-sodium tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Meatballs
3/4 lb lean ground turkey
1 egg white
2 Tbsp finely chopped shallots
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2-3 dashes hot pepper sauce

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Wrap the whole squash in foil. Place it on a baking sheet and bake 1 to 1 ½ hours, turning the squash over halfway through cooking until tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool.
3. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and basil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, egg white, shallots, mustard, parsley, oregano, pepper and hot-pepper sauce. Mix gently and shape into eight meatballs.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the meatballs and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turning often, until browned all over. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs in the skillet. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
6. Cut the cooked spaghetti squash in half. Remove and discard the seeds. Scoop out 3 cups of squash from the shell (reserve the remaining squash for future use). Arrange the squash on a serving platter and top with the meatball-marinara sauce mixture.

Per serving: approx. 483 calories, 38g protein, 48g carbohydrates, 18g fat (4g saturated), 11g fiber and 12g sugar

Heart Healthy Chili

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 lb ground bison (or very lean beef)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, stemmed and cut into small florets (about 3 cups)
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15-oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinse
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
To taste salt and pepper

Preparation
1. Heat a large pot over high heat. When the pot is very hot, add bison and brown it, stirring often for 5 minutes.
2. Add onion and carrot, and cook until both begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup water to deglaze the pan, scraping brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the water evaporates.
4. Add cauliflower, bell pepper and garlic and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
5. Add cumin, chili powder, vinegar, tomatoes and beans along with 1 cup water.
6. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fork tender, about 45 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
7. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.

Per serving: 250 calories, 2.5g total fat, (0g saturated), 35mg cholesterol, 180mg sodium, 36g total carbohydrate (13g dietary fiber, 12g sugar), 24g protein

Oatmeal Pancakes

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 cup organic rolled oats
2 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled (or canola oil)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Canola oil for griddle

Preparation
1. Combine oats and buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Add eggs and melted butter to oat mixture.
3. Sift together sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to oat mixture.
4. Preheat griddle. Spread out batter with the back of the ladle. When bubbles appear, gently flip cakes and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Serve hot.

Makes about 18 pancakes.

Fruit Syrup

Serves 12

Ingredients
3 cups raw fruit or berries* (pears, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or other fruit), cored, peeled and chopped if necessary
1 Tbsp fructose (or sugar substitute)
2 cup water

Preparation
1. Simmer all ingredients for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Cool slightly and blend in a food processor or blender.
3. Screen out the coarse solids with a fine sieve.

* The original recipe used ripe prickly pear, either raw, peeled and chopped, or canned purée. Any highly flavorful fruit can be used. The amount of fructose may need to be adjusted if the fruit is very tart.

Per serving: approx. 25 calories, trace protein, 4g carbohydrates, trace fat (0g saturated), trace fiber

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Serves 6

Ingredients

Filling
4 large fresh apples (about 2 lbs), skinned, and sliced
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon zest

Topping
2/3 cup quick oats
1/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp cold butter
2 Tbsp canola oil

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. Arrange apples in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Scatter cranberries on top.
3. Stir sugar and cornstarch together and sprinkle over fruit, followed by lemon zest.
4. In a medium bowl, combine oats, sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cut or rub butter into the oat mixture. Add oil, then stir gently to combine.
5. Sprinkle topping over the fruit. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the top is slightly browned. Serve warm.

Per serving: calories 191, fat 4.8g (saturated 1.5g), cholesterol 5mg, sodium 23mg, carbohydrate 34.8g, fiber 3g, protein 2g