She loves them so much, in fact, that she created a digital cooking show called Katie Lee Eats Meat, in Sweats for Food Network, in which she wears comfy clothes and prepares amazing carnivorous feasts. “I even considered wearing sweatpants today,” she says with a chuckle when we sit down at Fig in Los Angeles. “I think it’sodd when people say jeans are comfortable, because to me they feel like sausage casings. The only pair that is at all acceptable for me is this pair of Frame jeans that are high-waisted with super stretch. So they’re essentially stretch pants with a button and azipper.”

This is what makes Katie Lee so likable: The 37-year-old takes her food seriously, but never takes herself too seriously. Tune in to one of her two TV shows (Food Network’s daytime talk show, The Kitchen, or Cooking Channel’s Beach Bites with Katie Lee), and you’ll catch her cracking jokes while expertly showing you brilliant cooking techniques and recipes.

Take a look at her three cookbooks, and you’ll get that same laid-back vibe. The titles alone— The Comfort Table, Endless Summer, and Everyday Occasions—are a nod to the fact that Katie believes food should be delicious yet uncomplicated. “I love comfort food—it’s the basis of everything,” Katie explains. “My cooking style is really simple. Not a lot of ingredients, but all good quality, so you don’t have to do that much to them.”

Read on as Katie shares more of her go-to food tips, plus opens up about her dedication to fitness and her brand new marriage to TV producer Ryan Biegel.

You literally eat for a living, yet are so fit. What’s your secret?