This unique breakfast recipe is a great source of protein, fruit, dairy and whole grains.

• ½ cup egg substitute
• ¼ cup evaporated skim milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 slices whole wheat bread
• Vegetable oil spray
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• ¼ cup orange juice concentrate

Stir the blueberries and orange juice together in a saucepan and heat gently. Combine the egg substitute, milk and vanilla. Heat a large skillet and coat with vegetable cooking spray. Dip bread into egg mixture and cook until brown on each side, turning once. Once all French toast is done, divide among four plates and top with sauce. Source: www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov.

Yield: 4 servings. Per serving: 215 calories, 3g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 40g carbohydrates, 273mg sodium.

This year, turn your financial focus to improving your saving. In addition to your retirement account, experts recommend having three to six months of expenses saved in case of emergency. Not quite there? Use these tips to start saving more:

• Put together a monthly budget, with income, bills and other expenses. Set a monthly savings goal and trim expenses as needed to hit that goal.
• Once your budget is set, pay yourself first. Have money automatically withdrawn from your checking account and put into your savings or an investment each month.
• Using coupons, choosing regular instead of premium gas, drinking tap water instead of bottled and comparison shopping are simple ways to spend less each month.
• When you get “free” money such as gifts, tax returns and bonuses, put it into your savings.
• If you’re struggling to hit your spending and savings goals, revisit your budget to find other areas to cut expenses.

Have additional questions? Let us answer them! Call us at 361.855.2500 to talk to one of financial experts or e-mail your questions to us.

You may have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but do you eat breakfast every morning? If not, you are missing out on serious benefits. Eating a healthy breakfast helps your strength, endurance, concentration, mood and problem-solving abilities during the day. Plus, eating breakfast can actually help you maintain weight, because it helps control snacking and binge eating during the day.

Even when pressed for time, something good in the morning is better than nothing. Here are some ideas:

• A smoothie with low-fat yogurt and fruit
• A hard-boiled egg and fresh fruit
• A whole wheat bagel, toast or English muffin with peanut butter
• Oatmeal with fruit mixed in
• High-fiber cereal with milk and an apple or orange
• Leftovers from dinner

To save time, prepare breakfast the night before when you make your lunch for the work day, or bring your breakfast to work and prepare it there.

Though you can’t see, smell or taste radon, it may be present at dangerous levels in your home. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, and causes over 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.

Is your home safe from the dangers of radon? Luckily, there’s an easy and inexpensive way to find out. Simply buy a do-it-yourself radon test kit, available online or in many hardware stores. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that all homes and buildings be tested for radon. If you have a radon level of 4 pCi/L or more, your home may contain dangerous levels of radon.

For more information and resources, contact your state radon office at www.epa.gov/radon/whereyoulive.html.

Is getting more active your New Year’s resolution or are you trying to shed those pesky holiday pounds? Winter is ripe with outdoor activities that offer a good workout. Plus, you can burn more calories exercising in winter because your body has to work hard to keep itself warm.

Flex your muscles. Snow creates plenty of opportunity for burning calories. When the fluffy stuff falls, ditch the snow blower, and shovel your driveway and sidewalk by hand. Offer to help a neighbor or family member to maximize the workout.

Go out and play. There are many fun activities to do outside in the winter.

• Ice skating
• Snowboarding
• Downhill or cross-country skiing
• Snowshoeing
• Playing in the snow with family or friends

Walk or run. Just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean you can’t continue your walking or running routine. Dressed and warmed up properly, this workout can be even more effective in the cold. And

if you’re looking for a different challenge, try snow hiking. Wearing boots and snow gear, walking through heavy or deep snow is a great workout, particularly on hilly terrain.

To stay safe when exercising outdoors:

• Dress for the weather. Wear several layers to stay warm, and so you can remove items if needed during your workout. Remember to especially protect your hands, feet and ears.
• Thoroughly stretch and warm up before venturing outside, as the cold makes your muscles less flexible and more prone to injury.
• Wear proper safety gear and equipment for your activity to avoid injury.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) established the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP). The ERRP is a temporary program that provides reimbursement to eligible employers (and employment-based plans) for part of the cost of providing health care coverage to early retirees and their families. Early retirees are those who are age 55 and older, but not yet eligible for Medicare.

The ERRP was created to encourage health plan sponsors to make coverage available for early retirees and their families, who often face difficulties finding affordable health coverage in the individual market. Under the program, plan sponsors can receive reimbursements of 80 percent of high cost claims between $15,000 and $90,000.

The ERRP became effective in June 2010. It received $5 billion in funding. The ERRP was designed to expire on Jan. 1, 2014, or earlier if the program’s funds were depleted. On Dec. 9, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the ERRP will end early because its funding is almost exhausted.

This Arvak Group Legislative Brief summarizes the end of the ERRP for claims incurred after Dec. 31, 2011.

End OF THE ERRP

Due to the ERRP’s popularity and the rate at which reimbursements were being distributed, it became apparent early on that the ERRP would close well before Jan. 1, 2014.

HHS has taken the following actions to end the program:

• To receive ERRP reimbursements, a plan sponsor must have first submitted an application to participate in the program and been approved by HHS. In April 2011, HHS announced that the program would no longer accept new applications as of May 5, 2011. However, employers and plans that were approved to participate in the ERRP before the application deadline could continue to submit claims for reimbursement.
• On Dec. 9, 2011, HHS announced that because the ERRP has already provided more than $4.5 billion in reimbursements, it will not accept reimbursement requests for claims incurred after Dec. 31, 2011.

If the ERRP’s funding circumstances change, HHS may announce that it will accept reimbursement requests for claims incurred after 2011.

submitting claims

Plan sponsors may continue to submit reimbursement requests after 2011, so long as all the claims submitted for reimbursement were incurred before Jan. 1, 2012.

Plan sponsors that intend to submit reimbursement claims to the ERRP should take into account the following:

• The ERRP is a “first come, first served” program, where plans are reimbursed in the order in which they submit claims for reimbursement. Given that the program’s funding is dwindling, it is critical that plan sponsors move quickly to submit their reimbursement requests.
• Additionally, it is imperative that plan sponsors carefully review the claims lists that they submit with reimbursement requests to make sure the incurred dates are all before Jan. 1, 2012. Any claims list that includes one or more claims with an incurred date of Jan. 1, 2012 or after will be rejected by HHS in its entirety.
• Also, as a reminder, a claim may be submitted for reimbursement only after it has been incurred and paid. If a claim is incurred on or before Dec. 31, 2011, but paid after Dec. 31, 2011, the plan sponsor may submit it for reimbursement, but only after it has been paid.

MORE INFORMATION

More information on the ERRP is available at: www.errp.gov.

With proper budgeting and a few smart shopping ideas, it is possible to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list and stay within your budget. These tips will help you stick to your spending plan and minimize your holiday financial stress:

• Make a list and check it twice: Does everyone on your list need to be there this year? A simple phone call, holiday card or homemade treat can feel just as special as a store-bought gift.
• Set limits: Write down a maximum dollar amount for each person on your list and stick to this limit.
• Be creative: Do you enjoy baking or crafts? Giving homemade gifts can add a personal touch and creating them can be a fun holiday activity for the whole family. Be realistic:
• A good rule of thumb is to leave your credit cards at home. If you don’t have the cash for the gift, don’t buy it.

• Shop online: With high gas prices and many stores offering online-specific sales, shopping online can be a very cost-effective option. Find sites that offer free shipping.
• Consider a holiday job: Many places look for part-time, seasonal help during the holidays and can help you pick up a little extra cash.

Yes, it’s only December, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get an early start on your New Year’s resolution. If you start implementing some good habits now, it will be much easier for you to maintain them when January rolls around. Here are some good starting points for resolutions:

• Remove one bad item from your diet entirely. For example, if you drink a lot of soda, try to give it up for one month. Eliminating two, 12-ounce cans of soda per day from your diet cuts about 300 calories from your diet each day.
• Get more active. Start by trying to exercise for 30 minutes, at least three times a week. Crunched for time? Even walking or cleaning your house for 30 minutes can have a positive impact on your health.
• Get more sleep. Most people do not get the recommended amount of sleep. Shoot for at least seven, preferably nine, hours of sleep a night.

Do you love eggnog, but not the added calories? This recipe offers a low-fat alternative to this holiday favorite.

• 6 cups skim milk
• 1 cup egg substitute
• 1 tablespoon sugar substitute
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons rum extract
• 2 pinches of ground nutmeg
• 2 pinches of ground cinnamon

In a medium sauce pan, heat milk, egg substitute and sugar substitute. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens slightly and reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and rum extract, and one pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and refrigerate until cooled. When serving, garnish with remaining pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon. Serves 6.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a recurring depression that affects individuals during the colder winter months and then recedes during spring and summer.

Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, low energy and fatigue, a decreased interest in daily activities, moodiness, irritability and need for increased sleep. The exact cause of SAD is unknown, but it’s suspected that an increased level of melatonin in the blood could be a factor. Melatonin enhances the need and desire for sleep, and because SAD affects people during the colder, darker months, the body produces more of it.

To combat SAD:

• Increase the amount of light in your home by keeping blinds or drapes open.
• Get outside. Walk outdoors on sunny days even during winter months.
• Exercise regularly to help relieve stress and anxiety.
• If possible, take a winter vacation.