My trick to stay away from convenience/processed foods is that I don't buy them. It sounds silly, but if it's not in the home, then I need to use a workaround.

I also re-create some of the basic processed foods I use and freeze them. For instance, I make my own stock. I make tomato sauce and freeze it. I also use one day of the weekend to make a few different meals and freeze them in individual portions so that I have wholesome meals to fall back on when I'm pressed for time.

Good luck!

If you cut up fresh veggies and keep them in plastic in the fridge, that has helped me a lot. I used to just cut up a portion of a cabbage at a time (there's only 2 of us - and who can eat a whole cabbage anyway?) but the rest would always go bad before I got back to it. Now I cut/shred/chop the whole thing and can pull out handfuls of cabbage for soups, stir fries, stews, salads, whatever. Ditto broccoli, carrots, lettuce (spin-dry first), etc.

I've also been making big batches and freezing things that help make a meal easy: pie crust, more chopped vegetables (like the rutabaga I got the other day), concentrated homemade chicken stock, bread, etc. I made a double batch of scones and pasties the other day, wrapped both individually in foil and stuck them in a freezer bag. Now I can pull out however many I want and just pop them in the oven when I'm pressed for time.

Also filled the crockpot this morning (yay being productive in the mornings!) before work. One-pot crockpot meals can be really easy and can help you eat more whole foods because it's just so darn convenient. Who doesn't want hot pot roast with veggies or barbecued pork or chicken stew waiting for them when they get home?

Check out Paleo blogs for inspiration - no processed food there and lots of great hints! Nomnompaleo.com is a great one.

I also don't buy them - shopping the outer corners of the supermarket only! It takes a little bit more time and effort to make things like your own marinara sauce or hummus but not really that much time and effort. Meal planning (and planning time to make your own stuff) is also key. I take advantage of my weekends and make things like bread, scones, giant pots of chili for lunch and tomato sauce. I always feel a little self-satisfied when I look down at my shopping cart and see nothing in packaging!

I echo the freezer comments. I might make a meal for us and freeze in individual portions so my husband can grab them for his lunch at work. I also love warm muffins and such in the mornings but do not have time every morning to bake and so I always bake a double batch and wrap and freeze the extras

@Christirei reminded me of another tip - for cheap, hot lunches at work, when you make a big batch of soup or stew or pasta, put the leftovers into pint sized mason jars (I use wide-mouth jars or reused Smucker's Natural peanut butter jars, which are the same size) and stick them in the fridge. Then for lunch you can just grab a jar and go. The glass can be microwaved (sans metal lid) and mason jars are leak-proof. So you get a tasty, dirt cheap meal for lunch and don't end up throwing away leftovers either.

If you hate to eat leftovers right away, freeze most of the leftovers and just jar up two or three jars. As long as you eat the jars of leftovers within a week, you'll be fine. So you can take a break for a day or two and then the meal will be tasty again.

@lili09 - I grocery cart gloat a little, too, but mostly I am appalled to see what is in other people's carts! I can't claim making my own sauce (except when my gardening friend gifts me with a glut of tomatoes), but there isn't much truly processed stuff in my cart except the occasional box of honey nut shredded wheat cereal and store-bought english muffins for my fiance's breakfast.

I do have a goal of making my own jam this year. We go through a LOT because my betrothed has peanut butter and jam english muffins each morning for breakfast. And there are pick-your-own berry farms in our area. If only I can get up the willpower to sterilize my jars so I'll actually can.... Lol.

I would be wary of setting goals that are too high. Like churning your own butter and making your on pasta sauce, the intentions are good, but the amount of blood, sweat and tears will have you running back to that box of Hamburger Helper. Also, a good, natural pasta sauce or jam will have the same ingredients you can use at home, as canning is a great way to conserve fresh ingredients.
I suggest you take a "semi homemade approach", buying only at natural food stores. Frozen veggies are as good and sometimes better than fresh, or you can plan a vegetable rich meal around a rotisserie chicken. Buy pre-made mixes of organic veggies. Trader Joe's has frozen organic brown rice and natural turkey meatballs. The key is balance. A favorite soup at my home is made with fresh vegetables (buy MANY, dice, and use part in the soup. Store the rest on the freezer in ziploc bags for easy future soups), a few frozen natural meatballs, and stock.
Another stand-by is a faux risotto with TJ's frozen brown rice and whatever vegetable is in season. Make brown rice in microwave, and toss with seasonal veggies in the pan with a tiny bit of olive oil and parmesan. Let stand for a half hour to absorb tastes. you can also use this recipe with pasta or quinoa.
They key is knowing where to cut corners, where not to.
Lastly, the photo is a bad choice. Nothing but the beans are very healthy.

One more thing - because it is easier to stick to this resolution if your recipes are quick and simple, find a good recipe book to inspire you. Weeknight Cookbook from Williams Sonoma, or 5 Ingredient Meals are good ones.

Crockpot + freezer. Dump a load of things into the crockpot in the morning, then in the evening throw together a salad to go with it (and/or a quick grain dish or bread), and there's dinner.

Figure out what dishes work for you, and can be thrown together quickly. I find that getting out and measuring as many of the ingredients as I can before cooking helps speed me along.

We stopped buying processed foods, too. The only downfall is the time it takes to prepare vegetables. Washing, peeling and chopping onions, carrots and potatoes takes a long time! But I'll take that any day. I used a cup of frozen veg (in anticipation of returning back to full-time work) in a root veg pot pie the other night and they were totally tasteless. Thank goodness for the time I spent peeling and chopping the sweet potatoes that also went into it. Time is a luxury and the more of it I use to prepare meals the better we eat.

I don't even walk down the frozen food section of the grocery. No temptation, no buying.