Use these cuisine essentials to keep you on the path to eating right and staying slim.
1. Cast iron frying pan This is the original nonstick pan. It's a bit tricky to "season" it, in other words, to build up a natural nonstick surface by rubbing it with oil or grease and heating it.
2. Measuring cups If you're really serious about portion control, you'll want to measure what you're eating with proper measuring cups, at least in the beginning until you can better judge what's on your plate.
3. Blender Whip up healthy smoothies, blend a light vegetable soup -- if you have an attractive blender in your kitchen in plain view, you'll be more tempted to use it and skip junky pops and sugary fruit blend juices.
4. Small plates Studies show that you'll eat less if you eat from a smaller plate. So use those oversize dishes as chargers underneath your place setting, and switch to smaller side or salad plates for your meals.
5. Reusable lunch containers Sandwiches get boring fast. Use reusable storage containers to bring your lunch to work -- every day. Bring salads in them or fresh cut-up fruit so you won't be tempted by the vending machine.
Freeze leftovers and pull them out of the freezer at a later date so you're not eating the same thing two days in a row. Say sayonara to greasy lunches and calorie-laden snacks and hello to a healthier, slimmer you!