Cutting the fat and calories from your diet isn't always easy.

But replacing a couple of ingredients can make all the difference.

A batch of brownies doesn't have to be fattening, especially if you substitute healthier ingredients.

"I'm going to cut the fat and calories by just using egg whites." Registered Dietitian Colleen Doyle, co-author of "the Great American Eat-Right" cookbook says you'll save more than 60 calories, and that's not all. "Instead of using that oil which is all fat, it's 100% fat, I'm going to substitute an equal amount of applesauce that's going to save overall close to 900 calories and 100 grams of fat."

Applesauce, baby food prunes, and pumpkin pie mix add moisture and nutrition to baked goods. 
Doyle has tips on another family favorite. "These store-bought chicken nuggets have on average about 320 calories per serving and about 21 grams of fat. If you make the homemade instead of the store-bought, you're going to save about 90 calories and about 13 grams of fat."

She dips chicken in an egg and herb mixture and coats them with crushed melba toast. 
But will kids eat them? "They don't even know that it's healthier."

Doyle recommends...  if you've never done any kind of substitutions like oil and applesauce... you should try to do it half and half.... meaning do half the amount of oil and half the amount of applesauce.