"Fixified" Broccoli Salad

  This version of broccoli salad gives you all of the things you love about the original, crisp broccoli, cheddar cheese and smoky bacon all wrapped up in a tangy sauce. Perfect for your Memorial Day picnic and 21 Day Fix approved!

So... summer is almost here! Aside from the distinct sense of dread at the thought of my two (adorable and perfect, obviously) daughters being in the same vicinity ALL. DAY. LONG., I for one am pretty freaking excited. I just got a new bicycle for Mother's Day and I really can't wait for me and the fam to take our bikes to all of the beautiful parks in Louisville and explore. We only have one more year here, so I'm pretty much planning on spending this summer trying to see everything we can. And going to festivals. And grilling. And making s'mores. And watching my kids play. And swimming. I mean, I know there are great things about winter, too, but it's kind of hard to remember what they are as the weather starts to turn. Forget you winter, you're dead to me.

There is one caveat to all of this summertime fantastic-ness... we tend to think of it as a season of lighter foods, and I think it can make us drop our guard when it comes to eating healthy. For example, Memorial Day is upon us. Many of us will go to family picnics or grill on our own. Grilling is SUCH a great way to make a healthy meal! But think about it, even if you avoid burgers and hotdogs and have grilled chicken instead, it's those sides that'll get you, right?! Potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans. Heck, even fruit salads are sometimes made with oily dressings (side-note: fruit is delicious all on it's own people, leave off the dressing and let yourself taste it!) Between all of the mayo, oil, cheese and sugar, it can be hard to find a reasonable side dish, especially at a potluck.

Enter my "fixified" version of broccoli salad. Boom.

Look no further for the perfect picnic side to go with your grilled anything. I switched out regular bacon for turkey bacon - and for those who are new to turkey bacon, it tastes SO good! Seriously, I love it, and I'm not just saying that. However, there is one thing that you should know -  when cooking turkey bacon, it's not going to get super-crispy the way pork bacon does, just an fyi so you don't think you've screwed anything up if you've never made it before (like I did the first time I made it!) It's still DELICIOUS and absolutely perfect for this recipe.

You know what else I love about making this dish? You throw all of the dressing ingredients into a blender and buzz it up for a minute or two and it's ready to go! And since it's Fix-approved, we're talking NO mayo here!! Instead, I make use of my very favorite (not so) secret ingredient, low-fat cottage cheese. Now, don't you feel lighter already?

Another thing I'm really looking forward to this summer? Evenings with the sun still in the sky, sitting on my deck with the hubs, a bottle glass of wine and a deck of cards after the kids have been put to bed... yep, pretty much heaven.  What are you excited about doing (or eating!!) this summer? Let me know in the comments!

Continue to Content

📖 Recipe

“Fixified” Broccoli Salad

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Print

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1 cup 2% or low-fat cottage cheese
• ¼ cup 1% or fat free greek yogurt
• 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs raw sugar

For the salad:

• 5 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup red onion, chopped small
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 8 slices reduced-fat turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
• black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Add all dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour dressing into a large bowl.
2. To the bowl, add your remaining ingredients and mix everything together. Does it get easier than that?! Enjoy!

Notes

Container Equivalents: 1 Green, ½ Red, ½ Blue, ½ sweetener teaspoon

Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 5

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 160Total Fat: 8g