When you’re cooking at home, one essential is proper storage. Forget plastic. Get glass.
Most food stores well for 2-3 days. When cooking, plan your meals out so you don’t have too many leftovers that you can’t possibly consume. If a meal is going to give too many leftovers, freeze immediately the leftovers you don’t think you’ll consume in a timely manner.
Streamline the grocery shopping process. Develop a pattern in the store. This will help you get everything you need. Create a list that has the most common items on there. We’ve created a such a list and we also list the prices so we can see when things cost more or less. Stock up when the price goes down, especially if it can be frozen or is non-perishable.
Get your food shopping and meal cooking habit on auto-pilot, then occasionally inject some consciousness to see how it’s going. Stay aware all the while of how you feel, how things taste, etc.
Experiment with herbs. Turkey burgers can be really bland, but throw some herbs de provence in the mix and add some onions and they can be eaten without any other kind of seasoning.
Question the use of aggressive seasoning. Aggressive seasoning like ketchup and mustard can compel you to eat more than you really should or faster than you really should. Again, awareness.
You’ve heard it before but eat to live, don’t live to eat. I find it very challenging not to overeat or eat poorly when on vacation or traveling for extended periods. It’s all right in front of your face. This leads into the next point.
Don’t look to the culture to define your eating habits. Just because everyone else is doing it does not prevent it from being foolish or even downright stupid!