GlamourByLBD Note:  GlamourByLBD Note: Julie’s Back with great ideas to get your school year afternoons off to a winning start.  Check in with Julie Broczkowski and learn more about the Magic Fridge at www.themagicfridge.com  Julie is very positive, stylish, creative and just a joy to be around!  And we both believe that food should taste great and make you well, not sick! 

When the kids come scrambling through the door, loudly declaring that they are “starving” and can absolutely not wait until supper, here are a few quick ideas to have on hand…

 Berry smoothies - buy frozen fruit or freeze your own in single-serving packets, and whiz it up with some milk and yogurt.  Add some flax seed oil and protein powder to make a breakfast or occasional meal replacement.

 Cream cheese roll-ups - Cream cheese spread on tortillas or thin pitas make a quick snack.  Make your own flavoured cream cheese using cinnamon and sugar or a dip mix

 Vegetables and fruit - a little dip can go a long way to getting some vegetation into your kids.  Use yogurt or low-fat sour cream and low-salt, preservative-free mixes to ease your health-conscience.  Make tiny fruit kebabs with toothpicks for a fun change.

 Hot pizza dip - on a cool autumn afternoon, make this easy dip.  A package of cream cheese spread on a glass pan, top with pizza sauce, your favourite toppings and mozzarella cheese.  Bake at  400° for 20 min, and dip with chips or pita bread. 

 GlamourByLBD Note:  Meet my wonderful new friend, Julie Broczkowski and learn more about the Magic Fridge at www.themagicfridge.com  Julie is very positive, stylish, creative and just a joy to be around!  And we both believe that food should taste great and make you well, not sick! 

Out of thousands of women at the eWomen Network conference in Dallas in August, it is truly a miracle that I connected with Laura Beth.  On Wednesday night, we were two of only three (out of 3000+) women who were relaxing in the hotel’s hot tub.  Of course, none of us had our business cards in the back pocket of our swimsuits, so what were the odds we’d stay in touch? 

But we met again on Thursday morning, and Laura Beth mentioned that she was admiring some sculptures on the hotel grounds.  I decided that was a sign, and asked her to join me that morning on my trip to the Nasher Sculpture Center, my only planned sightseeing in Dallas.  We headed out a few hours later, and in the three hours we spent at the museum and lunch, the commonalities surfaced.  Her sons live with the same medical condition as my husband, and she and I also have a lot of medical history in common.  We hold like-minded views on health, nutrition, life-work balance, business and fashion….

We saw each other numerous times during the conference, and sat together during the moving final speaker, Lisa Nichols.  Laura Beth patted my back as tears streamed down my face when Lisa’s words hit very close to my emotional bone a few times - I knew we were parting as friends that day, and that we would keep in touch.  Out of all those thousands of women, we found each other.

One of the things we agreed most vehemently about was wellness.  As LBD says, “Wellness is my signature style!”  Good health radiates beyond clothes and accessories, and gives you a glow that no makeup can match.  I am hurtling towards 40, but am often mistaken for someone who is years younger, and I chalk it up to three things: daily sunscreen, getting enough sleep and eating essential fatty acids (also known as EFAs).

EFAs are the healthy fats found in oily fish, flax seeds, nuts and avocados.  They are called “essential” because our bodies can’t make them; we have to get them from foods.  They calm inflammation in the body, which can show up as arthritis, colitis, skin conditions or heart disease.  They support our immune systems and keep our brain function sharp.  I use flax seed oil in my daily morning fruit-and-yogurt smoothie and eat at least two avocados a week.  I snack on almonds and eat salmon whenever I cook my husband a burger or a chop (I don’t eat beef or pork anymore due to food allergies). 

 Here’s an EFA-packed recipe I invented recently.  I poached the salmon in some chicken broth flavoured with Thai seasonings, then put it in the fridge overnight.  This recipe would work well with any fish or seafood in place of the salmon.

Thai Avocado Salmon Salad

6-8 oz. poached salmon (2 medium fillets)

1 avocado, sliced

Chopped cilantro

2 tbsp. olive oil mayo

1 tbsp. sweet and spicy sauce of your choice (I used So!Go’s Tomato Lemongrass Jam)

Stir together the mayo and jam in bowl large enough to hold the whole salad, then drain the salmon and cut up the avocado and cilantro.  Stir together and serve on a bed of lettuce or with grilled asparagus. 

When I grew up as a belle in the South, no woman in her right mind would be caught DEAD in white before Easter or after Labor Day.  While I am sad that some traditions have changed, this is one that I really don’t miss!  White is a perfectly acceptable color all year round.  The weight of the material and the style change slightly.  And the white is not quite as bright on Winter clothes.  We have also put away the Labor Day clock so enjoy your white sandals as long as the weather is warm. 

This white reptile retro pump called the Hill Street from Joseph Griffin is actually a winter shoe.  Look at the white shoe with the bow and peep toe.  The Hill Street pump from Joseph Griffin is chic and sweet with a touch of retro charm. Its reptile-textured leather creates a luxe look, while details like the off-center knotted bow and asymmetrical collar make this a decidedly modern style.  Times have changed! 

Click here to learn more about the Hill Street from Joseph Griffin at Endless.com. 

GlamourByLBD note:  What’s a vacation without photos?  I asked our family photographers, Jerry and Kathi Venz to share a few of the secrets to their success with us. .  As much as they love studio portraiture, Jerry and Kathi have a real passion for art photography and would much rather be outdoors!   

Here is what Jerry had to say….

When you’re outside at a major tourist hot spot like the Roman Coliseum, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Arches National Monument or even a more modest local spot like the Japanese Hakone Gardens-the most important contributing factor to great photos is time of day.   Click here to see images. 

When is the best time of day you ask? Well, sometimes it depends on which direction your subject is facing relative to the sun, but even with the diverse locations of the major and minor sites I mentioned above it’s hard to go wrong with starting two hours before sunset.  Sometimes, sunrise, and the hour following is the best light (example: my all time favorite of lower Yosemite falls was captured at sunrise because the falls faced the light and it was in December and I wanted to get the ice cone on the rock face of the falls before it melted away.) but post-sunrise sweet light fades away very quickly whereas sunset light lasts longer and gets better as the sun goes down.