(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Wednesday, Jan. 10 on FOX21 Morning News, Personal Chef Janon Bourgeois joined Morning News Anchor Abbie Burke to share some healthy cooking habits to learn for the new year. January can be a hard time for people looking to lose a few pounds for their New Year’s resolution, so Chef Janon shared some tips to keep your dieting healthy.

One snack she recommended was making trail mix to subside your sweet and salty cravings! Chef Janon recommends not denying yourself the simple pleasures of trail mix like chocolates and salted nuts, but not going overboard with the sweetened nuts.

All of the recipes Chef Janon shared with us will be below!

Terrific Trail Mix recipe:

1 part Dry, Roasted Almonds (Chef Janon prefers salted)

1 part Mixed Nuts (Chef Janon likes a variety of 3)

1/2 part Dried Fruit

1/2 part Other (like candy-coated chocolate or baked garbanzo beans, dried coconut, etc.)

Power Punched Mac & Cheese recipe:

1 head of Cauliflower

1.5 lbs (675g) Elbow Macaroni Noodles

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 Tbsp Salted Butter

1 cup (130 g) Flour

2 tsp Cajun Seasoning (I like Tony’s)

2 tsp Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

1 tsp Mustard Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1 can (425 g) Pumpkin Puree

1/2 Gallon Whole Milk

Pinch of Nutmeg

1 lb (454 g) Shredded Sharp Cheddar

1 lb (454 g) Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions for Mac and Cheese:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the core from the cauliflower and divide into small florets (approx. 1/2 inch pieces).

Boil pasta AND cauliflower together in salted water for 1 minute less than the packaged instructions (approx. 7-10 minutes). 

Drain pasta and cauliflower and place in a large baking dish. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and stir to loosen the pasta as it cools.

In the same pot, add butter over medium heat. Once melted, add flour, cajun seasoning, black pepper, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and turmeric. Stir continuously for 2 minutes to create a blond roux.

Stir in pumpkin puree.

Add milk (all at once) and nutmeg and keep stirring until there are no lumps. Raise heat to medium-high while continuing to stir just until it reaches a boil (don’t stop stirring or it will burn).

Fold in the cheddar and Monterey Jack and remove from the heat.

Slowly pour half of the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and noodles and stir well. Leave for 5 minutes to allow the air to escape the noodles and the sauce to sneak in. Then, pour half of the remaining sauce over the noodles and stir again (this coats each noodle). Then, pour the remaining cheese sauce in a layer over the noodles and bake for 25 minutes until golden and bubbly!

To catch more segments with Chef Janon, be sure to tune in to FOX21 Morning News!