"...Like Ten Thousand Spoons When All You Need Is a Knife!"

... and so it is in a cluttered kitchen. (Remember that song from the 90's by Alanis Morissette?)

I think of that often reflecting on the days when I couldn't find my measuring cup ~ or I had three bottles of catsup and no mustard. Or earlier days when I could only locate one set of matched earrings, but could count 15 singles ~ five of which were always at the bottom of my purse.

So when we talk of mindful eating, it's important to have some semblance of organization ~ and the staples to build a few meals.

If your counter tops are covered with bills to pay, kid mail from school back packs, half-full water bottles and an unwashed blender, it pretty much blows your opportunity that day to eat mindfully ~ unless, of course, you can locate a few baby carrots, some raisins and an apple, and then walk outside or into another room to eat it.

If you gaze into the refrigerator and aren't sure what's behind the stuff right in front of you, you probably need to toss some things ~ or not buy so much at one time. Another problem is left-overs. It's painful to throw food out, so it's important to learn how to incorporate them into meals within a day or two.

A few tips:

Except for staples, don't buy groceries for the week ~ rather for a few days at a time.

Have a fresh tossed salad in the fridge (always add tomatoes right before you eat), and some cooked rice in the fridge to partner with an entree.

Use meat as a condiment for a vegetable or pasta dish ~ rather than the main event!

Have one stainless steel water bottle and forego buying bottled water. It's money in the bank to invest in a water filtration unit.

Chop up an onion, some carrots and celery and put them in separate containers in the fridge to get a quick soup started. A can of diced tomatoes, a few potatoes and some seasoning and you have the basics for a nutritious vegetable soup! Or use those first few items in your tossed salad.

Finally, eating should not be the high point of your day ~ especially if the gratification begns and ends in your taste buds!

Don't live to eat ~ Eat to live! So find an interest that energizes you and put your focus on that!
You'll notice a new relationship with food, with the people around you ~ but most importantly, with yourself!