Target Clinic

When I come across something that I really like, I love to tell people about it and I recently discovered something I REALLY like.

Have you ever been to a Target Clinic?

I had not.  But I am totally fed up with how much we have to pay to go to the Urgent Care are our family clinic so last week when Heidi was sick I needed to find something new.

First, let me tell you that an office visit at my clinic costs about $140.  Labs are about $40.  My insurance only covers Urgent Care once you have hit your deductible but for a healthy family, this probably will never happen.  My insurance does give me a discount but it amounts to less than $15 off the total bill.  Meaning that I will end up paying almost $200 to see urgent care for a cold.

It was Sunday night and Heidi was pretty sick.  Not so sick that she needed to go to the ER but sick enough that we knew she was going to have to see a doctor in the morning.

Shawn was online preparing to take Monday off work so I had him see where our closet Target Clinic was located.

I had heard of Target Clinic and knew it was like the old Minute Clinics that don't seem to be around any more.  I love Target and it had to be cheaper so what the heck, let's give it a try!

Turns out there is one in our local Super Target just 5 miles away.  It opened at 9 am and a strep test would cost an estimated $60.  SOLD!

Shawn and Heidi headed for Super Target at 8:30 the next morning.  They had no trouble at all.  They gave our insurance card to the receptionist and saw the doctor very quickly.

They were pleased with how nice the doctor was.  She even let Shawn look in Heidi's mouth so he could see what strep looked like.

She was diagnosed with Strep, a Scarlet Fever Rash, and an ear infection.  They did not pay anything and headed over to the pharmacy to pick up her antibiotics.

I received the explanation of benefits within 4 days.  My clinic typically takes 3 to 5 weeks to submit to the insurance company.

The cost of the office visit was $59.  The lab was $10.  I did not get a discount or any coverage from my insurance but my total bill will be $69.  Not $214 like I paid last time she had a cold.

So, what I am saying here is, insurance or not, you can't beat $69 for great customer service, good health care, and convenience. 

We will be back.  No more urgent care for us.

What's for Dinner? Beef and Mushroom Gravy with Rice

When Shawn and I were first dating, a meal his mom would often make was Hamburger with Gravy over Mashed Potatoes. 

While it is still one of Shawn's favorites, I never think to make it.  The other night I had some hamburger that needed to be cooked and I was racking my brain for something to make.  I didn't have the time or the energy to make a meatloaf, we didn't have buns for hamburgers, I was not in the mood for Hamburger Helper...

But I did have a jar of beef gravy that I pick up on sale that week.  And we did have some instant rice in the pantry.  And those mushrooms would need to be used in the next few days...  This is what I came up with.

This is a quick and easy dinner that can be expanded to feed as many as necessary.  That's what I love about it!

What you need:
Hamburger - 1 to 2 pounds, depending on how many people you are feeding.  1 pound will probably make about 4 adult sized portions.
1 medium yellow onion, diced - I used half a large onion because that's what I had on hand.
8 oz package baby bella mushrooms (optional)
1 large bell pepper, diced - I did not add this because I didn't have it in the house but it would have been a great addition.
Beef gravy - 1 jar.  Homemade works too!
White Rice or Mashed Potatoes - 1 serving per adult to feed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown the hamburger and onions together.  Drain most of the grease.  Push the hamburger to the side and brown the mushrooms.

Stir mushrooms into the hamburger.  Add gravy.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

Add the cooked rice to the mixture or serve the hamburger gravy over the rice or potatoes on a plate.

I like to stir the rice in to the gravy. If I use mashed potatoes then I spoon it over the top of the potatoes.

Serve with a side salad and some nice crusty bread.  Enjoy!!

Happy Halloween!

Shawn and Heidi spent the entire month of October planning how to decorate the yard for Halloween. 

The Saturday before Halloween, they spent the afternoon setting everything up.  Grandma and Grandpa gifted the large headstone.  Shawn and Heidi made the two smaller one.

Johannah came over to help too!  She even swept my sidewalk!

Daisy enjoyed some driveway time.  But that was short lived because even though she is down a leg, she is still very fast.  I worried she would hop away.

Pig, on the other hand, knows he would simply die 4 minutes after being lost from his daddy and his couch, so we trust him a bit more.  He played in the planter box under the bird feeder for a while then spent the next 30 minutes marking every inch of the lawn.

The girls stuffed this shirt to make Frankenstein's Monster

who turned out to be pretty cool.  I wonder where his legs ran off too... (haha, ran off too...)

Before Old Hopscotch was banished to the house, she checked out the Spider and Heidi's gravestone.  We talked about painting one to say "Here Lies Daisy's Fourth Leg" but I thought that was too sad. So, we went with Heidi and Jo instead.

The yard looked great! They put strobe lights out to light up the little grave yard which we hope to add to each year.  We also had our Pumpkins lining the steps, little ghosts along the sidewalk, a skeleton and Frankenstein hanging from the eves by the door, and a spider and bat that dropped on fish line when kids approached the door. 

Heidi and Shawn had a blast scaring kids as they came to our house and we look forward to next year because we already have new things to add.

The only bummer was Heidi woke up on Halloween morning not feeling well so we only went to about 10 houses for Trick or Treating.  That's how you know a kid is sick!  She went to the Doctor on Monday morning where we learned she had strep, an ear infection, and a Scarlet fever rash (which is common with strep). 

They still enjoyed their Halloween and we have plenty of candy to show for it!

A Zombie Flower Girl Photoshoot

Because I don't like to fight with Heidi about her clothes, because she is so incredibly picky, and because it's good to let them be their own person, for the last two years, Heidi has picked out her own Halloween costume.

Last year she found one in a catalogue.  I was not happy with the price but I ordered it anyway.  If she picked it, I could be certain she would not change her mind on the night before Halloween.

This year, she wanted to reuse many pieces of last years costume (good job, girl!!) and reuse her flower girl dress from a wedding she was in over the summer (two thumbs up!!) to become a Zombie Flower Girl.

She was the scariest Zombie Flower Girl I have ever seen in my entire life.

Though I applied her makeup, she designed the look.  This costume is all her.  And so is this photo shoot.

I can't wait to see what she comes up with for next year!

What's for Dinner? PW's Apple Dumplings

Oh, my.  These super easy Apple Dumplings are to die for.  They are so yummy and so bad for you, they way all desserts should be!

I found them over on my favorite site, The Pioneer Woman.   She is the best!

It's fall and I am loving all things apple and pumpkin.  I hope we get apples on our tree next year because I am buying apples by the bushel full every week.

I also love cooking with my little helper.  She is the best helper I could ask for, even if she puts her dirty socks on the work surface.  She is so cute, I will forgive her!

Here's what you need:
1 5-year-old helper (optional but this is so simple, she could have done the entire thing herself!)
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans Crescent Rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon, to taste
1 can Mountain Dew or Mellow Yellow

Peel and slice the apples.  I don't like to peel anything so Shawn did this step.  And I used my apple slicer to make the slicing extra easy.

Roll one apple slice in each crescent triangle.

The little helper was the apple roller.  She did a great job!

Place them in a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Melt butter, add sugar and stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples.

Pour Mountain Dew or Mellow Yellow around the edges of the pan.

Cover with Cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve in a bowl with ice cream for that hot/cold contrast.  Make sure to add the sauce over the ice cream (which I did not do until after I took the below picture.)

We had my parents over for dinner a few weeks ago and served this for dessert.  I prepared it all the way up to adding the soda before we went swimming.  When we returned and were just about to sit down for dinner, I finished putting it together and tossed it into the oven.  It was perfect! 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Major shout out to Ree for another winner.

Pumpkin Carving Festivities

Halloween has become a favorite holiday in our house.  We start celebrating in early October with trips to pumpkin patches and apple orchards and continue on to decorating as the big day approaches.  We attended a party at dance, a party at school, a party at the community center, and got dressed up to scare the kids when they came to the house.

To help us celebrate, Grandma came over to help carve pumpkins.

I didn't realize my flash wasn't on so the early pictures are really dark.

I think this was the first year Heidi actually put her hand in the pumpkin without getting completely grossed out.  She still let Grandma and the rest of the adults do most of the gutting.

She was much more into the carving!  This was the first year she was strong enough to wield that little safety knife.

And man, did she enjoy it! 

The finished product.  The one on the left is Shawn's.  Grandma and Heidi made the middle two, Heidi was the designer.  And mine is the one on the far right.  I was please with how it turned out but I didn't know how to make the nose, so Heidi did that part!

I read in some random magazine, probably Rachel Ray, that if you put Cinnamon on the wounds the pumpkin will last longer.  We tried that on a few but I don't think it really worked.  But they did smell good when we lit them!

What's For Dinner? Skillet Corn Bread

I love corn bread but being from Minnesota, I want my corn bread to be sweet.  This is not one of those recipes but is was still pretty good.

I borrowed it from my favorite website, The Pioneer Woman.

Skillet Corn Bread

Here's a picture of what you need but link over to PW to get the exacts!

Does you flour bag fall apart as quickly as mine do?  I have taken to putting it in a gallon zip lock bag as soon as I open it because I am sick of having flour all over my cabinet.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.

Measure the buttermilk and milk in a cup.  Add an egg and stir with a fork.  Add baking soda and stir.

Pour the milk mix into the dry and stir with a fork until combined.  Add the melted shortening to the batter and stir.

PW melts some shortening in a skillet.  I cooked some bacon instead.  I liked the bacon flavor that was added to the corn bread.

Slowly add the batter to the hot skillet.  It will sizzle a bit.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Doesn't it look good?

I cut the bread into slices because that is how Ree did it. But after I cut it I immediately wished I had cut it like a pizza.

Like I said, it was not sweet at all.  Adding a bit of sugar may have worked but I wanted to try this the way Ree wrote it. 

Serve it with some chili on a cool Sunday afternoon.  Enjoy!