Healthier Potato Salad

Happy New Year! I am so excited to begin a new year full of new possibilities! We had a great 2017. I got married, transitioned my career from software sales into food and wine (it's so much more fun!), we made countless updates to our home, and we travelled to see several of our old friends tie the knot. 

Over the holiday, I ended up catching a stomach bug that put me out for a few days. I went to the doctor to get some medicine and discovered that I have high blood pressure! I couldn't understand why at my young age, I would have high blood pressure. It was a huge reality check. I went home and started researching what causes high blood pressure and discovered a diet high in salt can contribute. Bingo....I have been eating salty food like it's going out of style over the last few months. After our wedding, I said, to heck with my diet! I'm going to eat what I want! Well, that was a terrible idea and has led me to needing a stricter diet to lower my blood pressure. I started writing down foods that I love to eat and tried to come up with healthier versions of them, which led me to creating this recipe. While it still has mayonnaise like the original recipe, I've traded a large portion of mayo for greek yogurt for added protein and less fat. 

I'm going to be working on lowering my fat and salt intake, and share those recipes with you! No matter what your goals are for 2018, I'm sure getting healthier and being more active is on everyone's list. This potato salad has been our go-to side for lunch and makes the transition to eating ultra healthy feel a little more indulgent. I used mustard, dill, onion, and lemon juice to add lots of flavor to this recipe so that salt wouldn't be as needed. Once we made this recipe, I decided to add some boiled eggs to add texture, and really loved how it tasted! 

Let me know what other recipes you'd like to see a healthier version of in the comments!

Healthier Potato Salad

Preparation:  15 min Cook Time: 20 min Total Time: 35 min

Ingredients

        

          5 medium/large red potatoes

          1/2-1 cup chopped red onion (based on your personal onion preference)

          3 tbsp chopped fresh dill, no stems

          1/4 cup yellow mustard

          1 tsp onion powder
          1 tsp garlic powder
          (2) 5.3 oz plain greek yogurt containers
          1 tbsp vinegar
          1 tsp lemon juice
          1/2-1 cup olive oil mayonnaise (based on how creamy you like it)
          Salt & pepper to taste
          (Optional: boil 6 eggs and add chopped whites into the potato salad)

Instructions

          1) Begin by adding your potatoes to a large stock pot full of water. Bring the water to a boil, and then 

               lower to medium heat.

          

          2) Allow the potatoes to soften, cooking for about 20-25 minutes. You want to be able to 

               put a fork through them, but for them to still be somewhat firm. (firmer than you would 

               prepare for mashed potatoes)

          3) Once you've reached the desired softness, drain the water and allow the potatoes to cool.

          4) Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, begin cutting them into small chunks and add them to 

                a large bowl.

          5) Add in all of the other ingredients and blend well. Refrigerate and serve.

Enjoy!