What Health Care Reform Means to Your Family

Original Article from Daveramsey.com

Health Care Changes for 2013

OK, admitedly, this is not one of the most exciting topics in the world, but unfortunately it is an important one.  No matter where you stand on the issue or even if you don't know what the issues are, your healthcare will be effected in some way over the coming year.  It's best to take a little look at it and at least know whats coming.

The Affordable Care Act has been and still is a hot button issue.  Some of the Healthcare changes from the Affordable Care act are now in place.  Click the link above to read some of the details.

It seems that our country is split on this one.  The last election made it clear that a slight majority of the country would like to see more government intervention in our healthcare system by means of the Health Care Reform Act and we are all about to get what they asked for.  The above link  will give you a little more information on the three major effects that will be felt right away.  There are many more to come that we will all be effected by.  But now that it is taking effect, what do you do?

1. Get educated:  Do a little research and reading, and not just about the bashing or support of the bill but rather get acquainted with what it actually does an how it effects you.  You can't very well plan for it or really even have an opinion until you know what it actually does.
2. Make adjustments:  Many of us will have to adjust our lifestyles down a little more to compensate for tax increases resulting from the changes while others will be charged a little less for their healthcare.  Figure out where you stand and adjust your spending and saving accordingly.
3. Make directional changes:  Don't just make changes within your current situation but explore all your options.  You may be able to get a less expensive policy with another company or with different terms.  As things get tighter, you may find that a small monthly change in your payments allows you a little more flexibility somewhere else.
4. Get Personal:  Don't expect that every one of your medical and physical needs is going to be met by the government.  All of the good intentions in the world could never keep all of us healthy.  Make diet and exercise a normal part of your life so that you don't have to spend as much of it in the hospital.  Look into home remedies.  I've said it before, "sometimes those crazy hippies are right".  There are a number of very good natural cures and treatments for common ailments, most of which can be easily found with a quick search of the internet.

The bottom line is that you need to be in control of your life.  That includes doing a budget, planning your spending, knowing what policies you have in place and what they cover and knowing what changes are coming your way.  Spend a few less minutes on posting what you ate for breakfast on facebook or watching to see who will be the future Earl of Granthom and take a look at your life.  Your far less likely to be caught off guard if you do.  And yes, if you feel strongly about it, let your voice be heard and vote accordingly.

"Instant" Baking Mix

Pancakes made with my "Instant" Mix.
We swirled in come home made cinnamon roll filling to make these ridiculously good.  

Way back when we only had 1 daughter, I would often make pancakes for breakfast using Bisquick or some other "Instant" baking mix.  Then somewhere along the way, someone made the claim that these mixes were terrible for you and that I had to change to natural alternative.  Being the ultra-conservative and typical male that I am, I quickly dismissed the claim as "Hippy Malarkey".  It wasn't until a year of so later that I actually started caring about things like hydrogenated oils and trans-fats.  Come to find out, that crazy hippy was right!  Fooducate does a pretty simple breakdown of what is in Bisquick and why it is bad.

I then started playing with recipes for made at home "baking mixes" that used only standard baking supplies. After much trial and error, here is what I arrived at.  The recipe uses a 5 pound bag of flour as the base.  I suggest using a gallons size Tupperware container so that you can dump all of the ingredients in, shake and store in the same container.  The mix takes a little more work than Bisquick to actually use since there are no oils in it, but it really is only a few seconds to add the oil when you cook and the outcome is great.

"Instant" Baking Mix.

PRINT RECIPE

• One 5 lb. Bag of Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
• 4 Tablespoons Baking Powder
• 3 1/2 Tablespoons Table Salt
• 6 Tablespoons Sugar

Simply mix all of the ingredients together and keep sealed in a container or bag.

Here are my 3 common recipes made with this mix

Pancakes

• 2 Cups "Instant Mix"
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 2 Cups milk
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients and mix until just combined.  Lumps are OK.  Thin out with more milk if you like a thinner pancake or go light on the milk if you like them thick.

Notes:  You can use butter-milk for a richer cake, or add 2 T. of lemon juice to the milk and allow to set for 5 minutes before adding to the other ingredients.  I've also made this with olive oil and the results are still pretty good.  But nothing beats real butter.

Waffles

• 2 Cups "Instant Mix"
• 3 Eggs, beaten
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil or Melted Butter
• 1 3/4 Cups Milk

Combine all ingredients and cook in a lightly oiled waffle maker according to the appliances directions.

Note:  If you want to get fancy, separate your egg whites and whip them until soft peaks form. Mix all other ingredients including the egg yolks together first.  Then fold in the whites just before cooking.  This will make a very light and fluffy waffle.

Biscuits

• 2 Cups "Instant Mix"
• 1/4 Cup butter, lard or shortening slightly cooled.
• 1 Cup Milk

Cut the butter into the dry mix until only small pea sized lumps remain.

Add milk and combine until the dough comes together.

Roll out to 1/2" thickness, cut square or use a round cutter.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Two great things about this recipe.  First of all it's cheap.  At under $5.00 for a full batch, you will be spending hardly anything on breakfast.  Secondly, it can be completely customized.   You can go as healthy and organic or as cheap and simple as you want.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

The Power Of Protein

Have you ever read the book Peter Pan?  There is a scene where Tinkerbell gets incredibly angry about her situation, make some rash decisions.  The author explains it this way.  "Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because, being so small they unfortunately have room for only one feeling at a time".  This is exactly the case with our 4 year old Gennisee.  By today's standards she would probably be labeled A.D.D. or something even more dramatic if we were to have her evaluated.  The fact is, she is sometimes very happy and sometimes very angry.  There doesn't seem to be any in between.  Bi-polar?  Maybe.  Stubborn?  Yes.  Un-treatable?  Absolutely not.

You see, every morning Gennisee wakes up grumpy.  OK, she actually wakes up very happy, bun in the 3 1/2 minutes that pass between her getting out of bed and making it down-stairs, she becomes grumpy.  Not just grumpy, but down right angry about anything that happens to not be exactly what she wants.  Here you see is where the power of protein comes in.  I know there are a lot of views on the different types of protein and if you have an opinion, we can discuss it . . later.  For now you just need to know that protein works and why it works.  You see, we start most every day by breaking the case of the grumpies with a chocolate protein shake.  It's part routine, which is very important for kids like Gennisee but it's also energy that lasts.  Protein is a very level form of energy.  Your system metabolizes it slowly and burns it at an even rate.  The highly technical graph explains.  Sugar and sugar produced by starch (i.e. most cereals) give you an immediate energy boost.  Unfortunately, this energy rush ends as fast as it started, meaning a crash.  Proteins take a little longer for your body to process but stick with you much longer.  The result is a more stable body and a more stable personality.

We chose to go with a shake because it works for us, but don't feel like this is the only source of good protein.  Dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese are great sources of protein.  Eggs are fabulous and cheap.  There are also a few cereals like Kashi that have pretty decent amounts of protein if you can get your kids to eat them.  Bottom line that attitude many times means "I need energy"  We have had great results by giving our daughter a big hit with a shake in the morning and by keeping her nibbling on cheese sticks and yogurt throughout the day.  She may only have room for one feeling at a time, but that doesn't mean we can't help choose the feeling.