2 Tips for a Tote-ally Wonderful Evening

Okay, so this post will be a slight contrast to my previous (really old) posts, but nonetheless, it'll help you get a feel for the vibe I'm hoping to achieve with a bit of a "blog redesign." Let me know what you think!

So, focusing on living, leading, and sharing a Tote-ally Wonderful life, I'd have to say this evening was beyond a success! Now, you may be slightly different than me, but I think we can all appreciate a tasty, easy, healthy meal. Let me tell you, this meal qualifies as all three plus some.

In keeping with my two tips...

1. Make really (really, really) great food! Like I said, maybe you're a bit different than me here, but personally, my husband and I love cooking (and eating). However, what I really love is cooking easily and successfully. One of the ways I achieve this is by meal planning (but more on that in another post), and on the plan for tonight was Crockpot Pork Tenderloin. Super easy, extremely delicious, and simply healthy! I tweak the recipe a bit using more seasoning, our favorite apples (Granny Smith), and local honey, but I must say, this is simply the best tenderloin recipe we've tried and all I did was toss it in the crock. Step #1=successful!

2. Stay on budget. Yep, I said it, the dreaded "b" word...While most people don't really enjoy budgeting, I enjoy making a bit of a game of it, particularly with grocery shopping--I like to see how low I can get our costs. With a renewed fervor for budgeting as I am not working full-time this year, I've been looking into different options for cutting costs. This week's new tactic was a definite success. To score this delectable meal, I collected my weekly ads from various stores--namely Kroger, Target, and Aldi--and perused them prior to planning our meals for the week. On opening the Kroger ad, I saw the sale on pork tenderloin. Score and Double-Score! (It's one of the mister's favorite meals.) On shopping day, we made our way to Kroger, picked our prize tenderloin (and other groceries) and checked out, using our Kroger card. (It definitely pays to take the time to get store loyalty cards and use them.) That being said, we got our beautiful meal for under $7.00, normally over $12!!

Add some fresh veggies, and you have one fabulous plate of food. Check it out!

So what are my 2 best tips for a wonderful evening together? You've got it. Make deliciously simple food and do so budget-consciously. We didn't have to sacrifice anything here, and it was Tote-ally Wonderful! Enjoy!
--Leesha