Author Archives: beverly

3 Healthy Salads to Make Summer Sizzle.

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With a little choppin’ there’s no stoppin’ you from enjoying three healthy, no fail salad recipes that taste like a little bit of summer with every bite! Many friends have asked me for the recipe for these three. I have tweaked the first recipe according to the needs of our family. I’m sure you’ll add to your creative touch as well!

1. Herbed Rice and Spicy Black Bean Salad.

Hands down, our favorite family salad. I’ve been making this for the past 6 years. Originally, I stumbled upon this recipe on AllRecipes.com. I’ve taken it to pot lucks, served it up with a side of grilled salmon and eating a bowl full of lunch. The most consuming part is chopping up all the veggies. However, it’s worth the work. 
Above: The ingredients in this recipe were doubled.

 Ingredients:


The Final Product!
I seriously combine ALL the ingredients together in a big bowl. I add the dressing at the end. I play around with the cayenne pepper (some days we like a little more heat) and I always use fresh herbs. Chill before serving. This makes about 8 cups.

2. Summer Chickpea Salad with Honey Garlic Lime Vinaigrette.

Chickpea lovers unite! Run, do not walk to your grocery store to get these ingredients so you can make this recipe today. Thanks to “How Sweet It Is”, no tweaking of any sort was needed for this recipe. Perfect!  

3. BLT Salad

Summertime….and the eatin’ is light. Our family doesn’t consumer beef or pork products for health reasons. (I haven’t had beef or pork in about 15 years.) So, naturally when I saw this recipe from “How Sweet it Is,” I knew I could substitute the pork bacon with turkey bacon. The end result…heavenly. I should have known it would have been a winner after tasting her first recipe (above). You may want to play around with the dressing. I’ve actually substituted Brianna’s Poppy Seed Dressing.

Santa Cruz.

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One of my first photography assignments, my Senior year in high school, was to take pictures at an amusement park. During school, our class ventured behind the school parking lot to snap photos of the rides as they stood dormant before they came to life for the Maria SS Lauretana Festival (or as we all called it, the Italian Fest). Today, I stepped back into that 17 year olds shoes and re-introduced myself to a perspective that made me appreciate my time at the Santa Cruz Wharf all the more. 


I wonder if my first photography teacher ever knew she was teaching us about more than just photography? Besides self expression and an outlet for my creative energy, she helped me learn to focus on life’s details that make up the bigger picture. That’s carried over in several areas of my life. Whether delivering on a project, researching or planing an event…it’s in the details. It’s when we embrace every day moments, the little details that are often overlooked, that we truly give meaning to our life story. 

 {Like candy for the sky.}
 {Every wharf needs a scene like this to greet you. Come as you are!}
 {Street artist creating from spray paint.}


Positioned off Highway 1, this seasonal seaside amusement park hasn’t lost it’s history despite the plethora of modern day additions. 


We purchased a packet for 50 tickets, which seemed to work out fine. We even had a few left over. However, if you are going to spend the entire day at the amusement park, you may want to consider an unlimited wristband. We spent half of our time soaking up the beach! 


Our favorite area (a sanctuary from the larger crowds) was on south end of the park especially designed for smaller kids. Our youngest loved the Sea Serpent rollercoaster. 


We used the remaining tickets on the sky lift. By doing so we also avoided the majority of the crowd below and it made for a relaxing ending to a pretty colorful day! 

{The view from above is a must.}


If you do go, avoid the main parking lot. Instead, head over to the section near the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. There are more parking options and you may snag a metered spot (we paid $5 for 5 hours!). 

If the rides really aren’t your cup of tea, for the summer: On Wednesday evenings, they have a free movie. On Friday evenings, they have a free concert. …beachside. How perfect is that? For more event listings, like the firework spectacular in October for the Santa Cruz Wharf’s 100th birthday, check out the website for the City of Santa Cruz. 

Off the beaten path, you’ll find a great taco shack that only accepts cash called, Taco Moreno. The line is often out the door, but it’s worth the wait. Much like our visit to Santa Cruz!

{Veggie Taco Bliss.}

Beauty Does.

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I admit I was a little shocked when I heard my youngest tell my oldest that “girls like to be called HOT.” I couldn’t help but wonder where he heard that or who shared that with him. After a bit of a discussion, I opened up the conversation to the idea of beauty.

What is beautiful? Can our ideas of beauty differ? Can both men and women be beautiful just as a flower, sunset or painting can? We see beauty but first we must feel it in order to give it meaning.

Is “hot” the same as beautiful? “Hot” leaves little regard to ones intellect, persona and talents. “Hot” is a limiting description of ones exterior being- a superficial definition of a persons existence.

How one acts or the things they do… not their physical traits, makes one beautiful. True beauty carries his or herself with a light in their heart that shines from within. It’s what you do and how you behave that defines beauty.

A week later, I was shopping with my boys. We were looking at picture frames. Inserted in one of the frames was a picture of a young, 20-something model. My youngest looked at me, gave me a hug and said, “You are more beautiful than her, Mama.”

Truth is, I’ve always felt beautiful. It’s always been a feeling that first resonates from within and is amplified by the beautiful company I’m blessed to surrounded by. I know an abundance of beautiful men and women. I bet you do too.

{Sing it! Everybody’s beautiful in their own way.}

GIVE TOGETHER.

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“The boys are transitioning really well and looking forward to making new friends,” I said. “How are you doing? Looking forward to making new friends, too?” I smiled, “I guess that will happen eventually. I mean, as the boys join things I’m sure I’ll met people too.” She continued, “I have a friend who was originally a client. She started this great organization…”

You just never know who will inspire you. I went out to get my hair cut and highlighted. I picked a random place online. Random, yet it felt like I was meant to be there. It was my first real conversation with someone in California. It was the first time I ventured out alone.

{Now, I have a little bit of California sunshine in my hair!}

Before I left, my stylist handed me a business card with the name of an organization called GIVE TOGETHER. “Give Together is a movement to create the next generation of philanthropic leaders. Our goal is to strengthen our community by empowering, inspiring and helping families give back together.” The founder created this organization based off her own love for volunteering and wanted to provide opportunities that include young children. 

“You’ll find your people,” she said confidently. I think I’m off to a good start. Thanks to my stylist at Raymond Marc Salon in Walnut Creek for the sweet new do…and great conversation.