Blog Posts by GALTime.com

From GALTime.com Style Expert Jene Luciani

While most of the time, fashion is looking towards the future, this season, it's glancing backwards towards the past. And we're not talking about the '20s, '60s or '80s as inspiration; we're talking about fall, 2009.

Designers, perhaps realizing that most of us aren't willing to shell out money for entirely new wardrobes every season, showed collections reminiscent of what we've already been wearing for the past year, give or take a few new trends. Sequins, jumpsuits, asymmetrical tops, blazers and leggings are still going strong (although it's safe to say you can crop the length as the temps warm), although this past season's menswear trend has been left for the guys.

For example, Italian fashion house Gucci, uses "iconic elements of Gucci's storied past as well as the most classic of wardrobe essentials-the Little Black Dress-as a launching point, for a coherent vision of modern femininity," says the brand's Creative Director,

By GALTime.com Recipe Guru Camilla Saulsbury
When I have no dinner plans --the day is getting by me and I haven't even thought of it--I turn to one of my favorite tricks. If I'm stuck on whether to go with chicken, beef, pork or fish, I focus on the side dish. Once I figure out the vegetables, beans, pasta, or grains, a sauteed pork chop sounds like perfection. And sometimes, the sides morph into the main.

That's precisely what happened with this zucchini. One look at all the grated zucchini and a food memory was sparked: latkes. I've made latkes with other vegetables besides the basic potato, so why not zucchini?

The end result was closer to a pancake or fritter, less so a latke, but they were absolutely scrumptious, especially partnered with a throw-together "relish" made with some cherry tomatoes from the refrigerator, mint leaves from the garden, and cojita cheese leftover from the tortilla chicken soup we had last week.

Happy eating!


Zucchini Pancakes with Cherry

By GALTime.com Nutritionist Elisa Zied MS, RD, CDN

So you think you know what the most important meal of the day is, right? Drum roll.....

It's actually dinner. No offense to breakfast. I love breakfast as much as the next gal, but dinner is your last chance opportunity to fill those nutrient voids that you didn't fill during the day.

For example, let's say you didn't have enough whole grains at breakfast or lunch. Have some wild rice, brown rice, even some whole wheat pasta for dinner. If you didn't get enough lean protein, have some fish, chicken or turkey at dinner. Try to fill only one plate. Stop when you're full. Brush, floss and rinse with some mouth wash after...to prevent that nighttime nibbling. But make dinner count; make it important. Your body will thank you.

Save Your Diet AND Your Budget. Stop Impulse Buys

by GALTime.com Contributor Amy Reiley, Master of Gastronomy

Spring is avocado season and although you may not have regarded the green fruit as a precursor to an afternoon delight, now is the perfect time to test out its reputed powers.

I remember my first avocado. One summer my parents took us to Lake Tahoe. One day at lunch, the braid and Birkenstock-wearing waitress/prep cook at the chalet-like burger joint smeared my turkey burger with a delicious green mash. No, it did not send my 11-year-old self into a state of lust but it certainly caused me to fall a little bit more in love with food (and with California - we didn't have things like this in Western Pennsylvania). It wasn't until I was an adult and had unlimited access to the soft, green fruit of gentler climates that I learned of avocados' sensual rep.

(Related: Watermelon is sexy!)

We believe it was the Aztecs who first deemed avocados an aphrodisiac. In fact, the Aztecs called avocado trees ahuacuatl, (testicle

By Susan Krivelow, GALTime.com Staff

Whether I'm traveling for one day or 10, I seem to pack my suitcase to the near zipper-ripping point! I have to fight with myself not to pack my entire closet. What if I need that sweater? What if I pack for spring and we get a freak snowstorm? What if I take a skirt and everyone else is wearing pants? Better to be safe than sorry.... well, not in this day and age when the airlines charge you a bundle for your bundles! They're even cracking down on carry-ons. On a recent trip, I had to put my carry-on in a measuring module to make sure it wasn't over the limit. Luckily, I made it fit by giving it a little (okay a pretty big) shove.

So, what's the secret to making sure you have what you need and only what you need? I asked Stylist Leigh Heffron who admits she used to be a COP, as well. She's not talking fashion police, here. She's talking:

Chronic
Over
Packer

But she broke the cycle and so can you. The secret: NEUTRALS that

By GALTime.com Staff
If you've got tweens or teens in the house, chances are there are times you feel like you're turning into Nancy Drew solving The Case of the Missing Mommy Stuff. You know what we're talking about. Every time you turn around-- your makeup, that new cami, your favorite earrings are MIA. Somehow, they always end up in your daughter's room ... no matter how many times you say, "(Fill in the blank) is off limits!"

We love to watch our daughters mature and we love to share. Watching them grow into our shoes is a milestone. But, we work hard and some of our favorite things should be ours and only ours. Did we just say that out loud? Does that make us bad moms?

Watch this hysterical video of how GALTime.com's Ciaran Blumenfeld handles the saga of the empty shampoo bottles in her house, courtesy of her daughters-and their friends. It'll have you laughing AND nodding your head! Then, tell us if anything in your house is hands-off and how you mark your territory!

More from

We were going through our closets, ready to dump the heavy stuff to make room for the lighter clothes that'll put a 'spring' in our step. It seems like such a waste, though, to pack away perfectly good pieces just because the mercury's rising. Style expert Amy Gordon says, you don't have to:

Women everywhere are elated when Spring rolls around. While sweaters, jackets, and layers all sound great in the Fall, come Spring, we want to shed our layers and show a little skin. The great news is many of the pieces you have from your Winter wardrobe can easily be transitioned into your Spring wardrobe.

For example, that great sequin or embellished cami you have been wearing with a sweater and jacket it over it can still be worn minus the jacket. Perhaps you will throw over a slightly lighter weight cardigan or jacket for Spring.

Or do you have a great skirt that you have been layering with tights? Take off the tights and put on a pair of Spring boots. Spring Boots are all

By Ginita Wall CPA, CFP

That big check you get in the mailbox after April 15 is your fun money, right? It's your free gift from your kind Uncle Sam, who has so thoughtfully given you this chance to go on vacation or have fun at the mall.

Not really.

That check is the repayment of interest-free loan that you gave to the government last year. It's your money, just like your monthly paycheck. And the only difference is that it comes in one lump sum after you file your tax return, with US Treasury written across the top.

Since it's your money, here are some suggestions on what you can do with the refund to make it meaningful in your financial life.

First of all, set aside a portion of the refund check, perhaps 20 percent, for your own immediate personal pleasure. Spend some time planning how you will spend this small windfall, and really enjoy the process. Buy an experience that you will always remember or something beautiful or useful for yourself.

Then,