Easy Chicken Waldorf Salad with Greek Yogurt

Have you ever just been stuck? Uninspired? Or simply, unexcited about what your next meal is going to be??  Sad to say, I have been in these shoes for a little over a week now – just kind of blank about what to cook up next.

So what to do?

Whenever I find myself in a culinary rut, I start searching around for inspiration, looking for something to get me excited about food.

Here are my top six tricks to shake a culinary rut:

1.  Cook without a plan.  I know this may sound counter intuitive, but rummaging through your kitchen without a plan is a great way to get the culinary juices flowing.  Try letting the ingredients lead the way, rather than you leading the ingredients.

2.  Watch food TV.  This is especially helpful when you are feeling like a blank slate with low energy.  It’s a no brainer.  All you have to do is turn on the boob tube and wait for something yummy to jump off the screen.  Instant inspiration!

3.  Search food blogs.  I can honestly say that this has become my number one way to get inspired by food these days.  I am forever searching all the yummy food blogs out there.  It’s such an inspirational way to find tons of delicious ideas.

4.  Thumb through food magazines and cookbooks.  An oldie, but a goodie, it works.  Try taking an old classic and giving it a modern twist.

5.  Get inspired by some of your favorite restaurants.  Have a restaurant that you absolutely love?  Borrow some ideas from the menu and try to recreate them at home.

6. Ask your friends what they are making for dinner.  Let’s face it, we are not alone in this whole “we need to get dinner on the table every night thing.”  I have gotten some of my best ideas from some of my best friends.  So remember to ask around!

Many people like their Waldorf Salad with all yogurt and no mayo, BUT I am not one of them.  What can I say, I really love mayo; so whenever I have a recipe that calls for mayo, I usually go one part mayo, three parts Greek yogurt.  I find just a little bit of real mayo can go along way when mixed with yogurt.

I also added some fresh chopped chives to this salad just to give it another layer of flavor and a bit of bright color.

This salad is great over a bed of greens, served on a whole grain roll, or piled into a wrap.