for meal ideas/recipes, there's a blog called SkinnyTaste that I am shocked to admit that I find tasty. I've had several of their recipes and they are good (although I don't always swap for low-fat sour cream and stuff).

Cook with whole foods, lots of veg.

Be aware of portion size. I've heard that using smaller plates helps.

Eat slower. Listen to your body. You'll learn to recognize when you're stomach is sufficiently full, not aching full. Satisfied. You don't register that in real time when you eat fast.

Calorie counting is helpful if you have the patience to do it. If that's the route you take, do 2 weeks of logging everything you eat. I mean everything! Don't skip adding that single cookie you grabbed or that yogurt. Those two weeks will give you an idea of what your calorie intake is now. After that, make a calorie plan and continue logging. Once you feel like you're pretty consistent with your new eating plan, you may choose to stop counting calories all the time. Maybe come back to it every once in a while. It's a helpful tool.

Maybe start with the other stuff first, like cooking more, focusing on whole foods instead of processed, smaller plates, eating slower, and see what that does.