Summer Squash Pie

My good friend, Julie Wharton, gave me this recipe, years ago, when our children were toddlers. We enjoyed it! Why has it taken me so long to pull it back out, again? 

With a bumper crop of summer's prolific yellow squash, one simply cannot deprive oneself of a slice of this goodness! And, with the crust made of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, it's an entire meal!  I'll make this as quick and easy to understand, as possible, so that you'll have time to rush, mind you, rush to the store for whatever you need!

 Summer Squash Pie

4 cups Yellow Summer Squash, round-sliced
1 cup Onion, diced
Olive Oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup Butter
1-2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2-1 teaspoon Fresh Basil, chopped
1/2-1 teaspoon Fresh Oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each Salt & Black Pepper (S&P),
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella
1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar
2 Eggs, beaten
1 tube pkg Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (I believe there are 8 rolls in the pkg)
1 tablespoon Spicy Brown Mustard or Dijon

• Pour a couple of turns around the skillet with olive oil and add butter. Butter cannot take high heat by itself. The oil helps the butter cook at a higher temp without scorching.
• Sauté squash and onions until soft; adding a little olive oil, if needed, to keep veggies from sticking and scorching. You can always turn the heat down a little to control the sauté.
• Add garlic and sauté a little longer.
• In another bowl, combine the cheeses, eggs and fresh herbs and S&P. I prefer the blend of cheeses; however, feel free to use 2 cups of only one type, if you prefer.
• Stir squash mixture into cheese mixture.
• Press 1 tube package of crescent rolls into a pie pan sealing edges to each other. (It won't be pretty. It'll resemble Grandma's crazy quilt.)
• Thinly spread or brush the bottom-only of the doughy crust with the mustard.
• Pour squash - cheese mixture in over the doughy crust and spread to edges.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 20+ minutes. The edges of the crust will brown.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pair it with a side of veggies or green salad or sliced flavorful garden tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and fresh basil! Nom! Nom!

This pic is from my 50th birthday dinner with my hubby, and Andrew & Julie. We closed the restaurant down, that night sitting outside laughing, reminiscing and dreaming about the next 50 years! We discovered all 4 of us have some pretty big, God-sized dreams, yet to be accomplished!

It's the Little Things LinkUp

God created us to be social. I sure am glad! He knew this social media age was coming and that you and I would fit in nicely!

Lauren Serks, one of my fellow-sisters at I'm Fit Possible & Sweat Pink, became intentional of "taking pleasure in the little things that make us happy." Then, she made it public by inviting others to join in the quest. How wonderful!

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4).

I took the scripture to heart and decided to link-up with my online fitness buddy making a pictorial note of those things that at the end of the day made me smile! Happiness is a choice! Happiness is a byproduct of being emotionally fit. Smiling is an expression of being happy.

What made me smile, this week?

Most everyone finds something cute and quirky to treasure. Sock Monkeys are mine! They are what my aunt called, "So ugly they're cute." On Sunday for my 50th birthday, my sweet daughter-in-law and son gave me a new travel mug! I've used it several times, already!





A few weeks ago, my hubby brought home a spindly Knock-Out Rose bush and planted it beside our front porch. To his delight, this week, the baby buds stretch their petals to a sunny sky. Then, Tuesday evening I won a cute garden sign at a Bunco party! The two pair nicely, don't ya think?



Upon our return from a muggy Wednesday morning run, we discovered a gift of zucs & peppers left on our front porch! Gotta love neighbors in the South!





Last night, I set-up a s'mores station for our LifeNet Life Group at church and used the new Kraft SQUARE S'moremallows! How many years have we been trying to smoosh a round mallow completely between square grahams and chocolate? Simply genius! Whoever thought of that deserves a pat on the back!

So, what little things left you smiling at the end of the day?

My Reverse Bucket List

First birthday!

At the Big Five-O, one starts to be reflective.

I was the firstborn to Mary Alice and Samuel St. Clair Keenan and named Samalee Rose after my father and a grandmother and, possibly an aunt. I'm fairly positive I would have been a "Jr." had I been a boy. Born on June 28, 1964, at 8:08am weighing 8 lbs, 8 oz and was 18" long (all stretched out) my mom said I resembled a shoebox. The good people of Ferriday, Louisiana, in Concordia Parish (there are no counties in my home state) never knew what energy had been released on that day!

My first 50 years have been jam-packed with travel and culture and with the brilliance of laughter and the dull ache of mournful sobs. I say, there is no better way to experience every ounce of life squeezed into a cup and enjoyed than with those dearest to your heart. My husband says my life's motto should be "Let's Go!" YES, HE TRULY GETS ME! If the past is a prediction of the future, I believe the next 50 will be just as full as the previous! So, with that I have tried to encapsulate 50 years with 50 bullet points in a listing of have-dones, instead of to-dos! With the glorious exception of 1-4, there is no order of importance.

MY REVERSE BUCKET LIST...at half-a-century old!

1. God answered a young girl’s request for her future hubby to have green eyes when I married Terry Gene Allen on August 23, 1985.
2. Although considered a “high risk pregnancy,” I gave birth to Jonathan Dane Allen, the joy of my heart, on February 20, 1991. I danced with my son on his wedding day, September 14, 2013.
3. With my hubby, we raised a son who loves God, still loves us, adores his wife, Emily Marie, and is in the ministry!
4. While at a kids camp in Woodworth, Louisiana, I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and be my Savior in 1974!
5. As an elementary student, I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland.
6. As an adult, I traveled to Denmark with a caffeinated team of students and adults.
7. Marveled at the famed White Cliffs of Dover from a ferry in England.
8. Walked the pristine streets and footbridges in Holland.
9. Zip-Lined and Cave Tubed in the rainforest of Belize on Thanksgiving Day.
10. Sleighed in a horse-drawn wagon to celebrate Christmas Day with family and strangers at a barn in Montana dining on Rocky Mountain Oysters and huckleberry coffee.
11. Celebrated New Year’s in La Paz, Bolivia. Elevation: <12,000 ft. sipping warm goat milk and cheese cracker rolls.
12. Learned to snow ski in Aspen and water ski on D’Arbonne.
13. Learned to scuba dive with my son in Cozumel.
14. Ice Skated in Rockefeller Plaza, NYC.
15. Climbed ALL, repeat.. ALL the steps from the base to the crown in the Statue of Liberty.
16. Experienced the grandeur of the Grand Canyon’s rim while riding a horse.
17. Kissed my hubby at sunset on the Ganges River in Calcutta, India, while floating on a small wooden vessel.
18. Like it was secret nobody else knew, I encouraged my son to listen for the sizzling of the sun setting into the ocean while cruising in the middle of the ocean.
19. Have lived in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Have been to 40 of our nation’s 50 states and Washington D.C.! Only 10 more to go!
20. Loaded my Mother, Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law into a car for a fast road trip to the Wild West where we rode horses up a mountain, saw snow in summer and stayed in a historic hotel!
21. Rafted part of the Colorado River, twice.
22. Rafted part of the Rio Grande River in New Mexico, with my 70 year old momma!
23. Camped and hiked in the Great Smokey Mountains, in the Cumberland Mountains and in the Rocky Mountains (where we had a snowball fight in August)!
24. In Colorado, made my son’s dream of climbing a mountain come true. After reaching the top and standing in a field of flowers, it began to sleet and snow in the summer!
25. Peddled a bike 16 miles (with my hubby and 7 year old son) next to the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon and climbed to Hanging Lake midway during the ride wearing flat, cute shoes. My feet paid the price of me looking cute, that day.
26. Hiked “The M” above Missoula, Montana, with dear friends.
27. Wept like a child on the shoulder of a friend standing on the side of a mountain in Glacier International Peace Park on the one-month anniversary of my hubby surviving a heart attack.
28. Visited Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming where buffalo came close to our car and, later, witnessed a Grizzly with her two cubs on a green knoll.
29. Peered through a Park Ranger’s binoculars at a Black Bear with her three cubs napping up in the green canopy of a tree in Cade’s Cove, Tennessee.
30. Got dangerously (and stupidly) close to a hungry, young Black Bear looking for a pic-a-nic basket in that same cove.
31. Went spelunking in Salt Petre Cave in Grassy Cove, Tennessee, for eight hours with 45 students and staffers. Would do it, again!
32. Repelled the 160’ drop beside the beautiful Ozone Falls near Crab Orchard, Tennessee.
33. Youth Pastored with hubby from 1983 until 2000 in 5 churches and 3 states reaching students for Christ and raising bucks for missions! Best Job!
34. Senior Pastored with hubby for a blazing 10 months in Lebanon, TN, prior to…
35. …Terry and I accepting the appointment as District Youth Directors for the Tennessee Assemblies of God for the next 11+ years! Next best job!
36. Taught many students to play piano, to sing, to lead worship and to lead a worship team. Later, watched some of those students teach others.
37. Almost a portion of every summer of my life has been spent in “Neverland” (a.k.a. kids or youth camp).
38. Have partnered with Terry in working together in ministry 3 years longer than we’ve been married!
39. Dates aren’t really sacred cows with us and we’ve spent 28 wedding anniversaries, somewhere and not always on the actual date, together at “Neverland,” with “The Lion King” on Broadway, on the “Vineyard,” and yelling “Boomer Sooner” at an Oklahoma football game.
40. Skipped church on a Sunday morning in December to attend a Tennessee Titans football game...on the 50 yard line...while it snowed...with a Native American Indian and my hubby…for free! Oddly enough, it was already on my To-Do Bucket List.
41. I set a new year’s goal and actually accomplished it! <and the crowd goes wild!>
42. Slowly ran a 10K and crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with my hubby!
43. Caught over 30 trout in one day and ate 1 grilled over hot coals for lunch.
44. The actor, Tom Hanks, asked me for BBQ chicken on the set of Castaway in Memphis.
45. Ate haggis. Ate the top taste-bud layer of cow tongue. Ate octopus. Ate lobster. Ate crawfish. Ate rattlesnake. Ate shark.
46. Reduced cholesterol almost 100 points by a miracle of God!
47. At age 13, recorded an album with a singing group! I sounded like a chipmunk.
48. At age 27, sang on the stage of the Grand Old Opry in Nashville with the first TN Assemblies of God State Youth Choir. Technically, my son has been on that stage, too. I was pregnant!
49. Started a fruit butter business, Samalee’s Butters, but was too busy in ministry to keep it going. Pumpkin, Apple, Strawberry, Orchard and Banana Nut tasted wonderful! However, Apricot and Pear were exquisite and Plum tasted like Christmas in a jar!
50. From January to my 50^th birthday (TODAY) in 2014, I have run 205 miles and will run many more "miles to go before I sleep."

CHEERS to the next 50 with family & friends! Happy Birthday to Me!

Oatmeal Pancake

When I first started on my journey to a healthy lifestyle, nutrition had to be re-thought. I can cook fat foods like any good Southern girl, but had to learn to prepare fit foods. One of my lifelines in the early days was Lynda Layng who IS the Healthy Hoboken Girl and this is her Oatmeal Pancake recipe!

Oatmeal Pancake

1 Banana (halved)

1 Egg (or eliminate egg, see below)

1/2 cup (or more!) Old Fashioned Oats 

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

• While griddle or skillet is heating, smoosh 1/2 of the banana in a bowl and stir-in the fork-whisked egg; then, whisk together.
• Add oats, baking powder and cinnamon and combine. Let set for 5+ minutes. It gets a little frothy to let you know the baking powder is doing its job to help make the pancake fluffy!
• "Grease" your griddle. I use coconut oil as a good fat!
• Pour your pancake mixture into hot griddle/skillet and smooth into pancake shape.
• Let cook for 4-ish minutes and test the underside to see if it can handle being flipped over with the spatula.
• When pancake is ready, flip and brown.
• Serve with the other 1/2 of the banana sliced on top! 

TIPS:

**Sure, any old cinnamon will do, but I have recently discovered Saigon Cinnamon! Holy Cow! There's a difference! Plus, I did not list it, but I always use 1/2 teaspoon of Nutmeg, too.

**The egg adds moisture, loft and serves as a binder. BUT, if you want to eliminate the egg, a friend suggested using 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon of oil whisked together with double the amount (in this case, 1 teaspoon) of baking powder. OR, just try (double the amount) 1 teaspoon of baking powder whisked with the banana.

**I like my oatmeal pancake drizzled with Agave Syrup or Honey instead of Maple Syrup. Also, the fruit toppings are endless, I just wanted blueberries to accompany my banana, on this sunny day which made for a great pic and breakfast on my front porch!

Thanks, Lynda, for helping me! I just wanted to Pay It Forward and bless you with my words! I'm still mostly plant-based and very active!

Let me know how it turns out for ya! Now, #GoPlaywithYourFood!

I'm Fit Possible!

After participating in a hashtag conversation on Twitter, an online runner-friend suggested I check into the social media community "I'm Fit Possible." So, I did and liked what I saw!

Addiction is such a strong word for all the fun I have on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and blogging! With my recent pursuit of a healthy lifestyle involving fitness and nutrition, I can't help but talk about it and share on social media about what I'm constantly learning, whether or not people comment, email or retweet. But, when someone does respond, OH MY GOODNESS! I squeal and jump up and down on the inside (sometimes, on the outside, too!).

I'm Fit Possible seemed like a perfect fit for my <ahem> addiction pairing my sharing with a healthy lifestyle as an "Ambassador!" Think of that! Me? 

I completed the online "I'm Fit Possible Ambassador Application," which is more like a simple questionnaire, uploaded a photo, clicked the submit button and that was that. In less than a week I received this response from the founder, Tara Gusmanis...

 I got a sweet, glass thermos!

"...You're in! Yay! Congratulations on becoming an I'm Fit Possible Ambassador! You are JUST the kind of person we need to make our community that much better!"

Much squealing and jumping ensued! 

What I had shared only with my hubby and a dear friend was my desire to become a wellness ambassador, but felt it may be a year before I would realize that goal. You do not have to become an ambassador to enjoy the IFP Community on social media and events. 

Am I a professional? Do I know all the answers? Nah. But, I'm enthusiastic about spreading the word and doing what comes naturally, talking and cheering for others! It IS possible to start as a late bloomer on a quest for a healthier self and be successful! 

We are social, big hearted, creative fitness enthusiasts.

We believe in unplugging and heading outside.

We believe that the best workouts are the ones done with family and friends. 

We try and sweat every day, but if we don't we won't sweat about it.

We love to try new things and if we love something, you'll hear about it. 

Oh and smiles, hugs and high fives are not negotiable.

If this sounds like you, come hang out online with other real people. Who knows? Perhaps you'll become an I'm Fit Possible Ambassador, too!

#ImFitPossible #andSoAreYOU!

"Sam"

Smiling at 50: New Year's Goal Accomplished!

(photo by Dane Allen)

I did it! Actually, we did it!

Before the clock struck 2014, my friend snapped a pic of my goal for the new year to run a 10K, 6.2 miles. If for no other reason but that photo, I had to accomplish this goal. 

(photo by Giovanna Gomez)

I downloaded one of the free 10K training plans from Coach Jenny Hadfield and made my plan of attack allowing for injuries, schedule and weather. As fate would have it, Tennessee experienced one of the coldest and longest winters on record further proven by our gas and electric bills.

Another reason to accomplish the goal is my age. I will be the big 5-0 years old on June 28 at 8:08am! That's half of a century! Crazy!

My honey was the epitome of encouragement at every step. His words spurred me to get up and go for it when I wanted to stay snuggly and warm in the 20 degree weather. He warned how I would regret not cross-training in Zumba.

Our ImpACT Challenge 2014
Race Bib I wore on my back
for the 10K

Further drive came with the ImpACT Challenge 2014 online group of like-minded friends pursuing weekly fitness and nutrition challenges for a healthier lifestyle. Each week starting in January, we set personal ACTion goals with several challengers deciding on either a 5K or 10K in or near April. 

A 10K is not run just once, but run many times in training prior to the actual event. I chose to run intervals building anaerobic threshold, strengthening muscle and endurance; thus preventing injuries. My "run" is really more like a slow shuffle and I'm a newbie at running so these are truly baby steps forming me into a better athlete. It sounds weird to classify myself as an athlete, still a hard-fought category I have right to claim.

Race swag, bib & chip

On April 12, 2014, together we decided to run "our" race the way we trained and not in competition with any other person or time. My legs were tired from the over-zealous session of Zumba the day before. It's only 6.2 miles, but it's my first; therefore, it feels like 26.2.

The best feeling was to cross the Purity MOOsic City Dairy Dash 10K Finish Line with my hubby, hand-in-hand! My time was slower by several minutes. The next best feeling was to have family and friends cheering us at the finish line!

(photo by Emily Allen)

Now that my New Year's Goal has been accomplished, I've been asked what is next. There are a couple more items, my honey and I want to check off the Smiling at 50 List, but we believe we will continue to run toward more finish lines!







During the timeline of the ImpACT Challenge, I became an I'm Fit Possible Ambassador! Another goal reached! More on that, to come!

Smiling at 50: The Language

(My PR / PB as of 03.15.14)

When one embarks on a journey into foreign territory, she must learn (at least some of) the language. 

The running world has a vocabulary unto itself even with regional dialects. But, if one should find herself a little lost and humbly admits she needs direction, there's most always a friendly native to provide guidance. 

I've learned "PR" means Personal Record; however, I was informed by an online running friend, in Europe the term is "PB" for Personal Best. "Tempo Run" has many translations depending on who you ask. Treadmill is occasionally abbreviated to "TM," but almost always referred to as the "dreadmill." Shoes don't drop, they may or may not have a "drop." And, while I'm training for a 10K (6.2 USA miles) in 25 days, I have aspirations for an "HM" in the fall. 

(Discovery)

The more I venture out on my own or with my hubby to discover new routes, the more I hope for new and future destinations to snap a quick pic and mentally add to my list of adventures to check-off before they have had a chance to be added! Doesn't really make sense unless you're there.

Hanging out with the citizens of this new land, I am learning what the locals wear and eat and have slowly --I mean sloooowwwly-- moved beyond the Tourist status to something akin to having dual residency. Yay, me! I still stick out due in part to my constant questions, but I'm finding common ground and offer tips to new arrivals!

So, if you're considering a visit to this province, be sure to have another pair of shoes to alternate; matchy-matchy is a dead give-away you're new; gum keeps your mouth moist, make eye contact with all drivers before you cross the road; and give a low, almost undetectable, spread-fingers wave to runners coming toward you. It's kind of like a secret, colloquial code for "You belong."

**By the way, it is my request for a Sonic Route 44 Unsweet Iced Tea with Extra Cranberry to reward all future PRs and at the Purity Moosic City Dairy Dash 10K Finish Line on April 12, 2014!

Smiling at 50: People Matter More

The Coffee Marathon
Pa Bunk's route - 5.8 miles

Did your plans for this past week play out the way you intended? Mine did not go like I thought it would. It does not matter I mapped out a running and workout schedule. The plan did not get executed. I could have gotten all bent out of shape and demanded my way, but that's not the way I wanted to do things.

Instead, other events overrode my plans and took me on another journey where people matter more than the miles and points logged. Should I be so bold to call these event "divine encounters?" YES!

When I would have been pounding the pavement, concentrating on breathing and sweating it out...

• I connected with old friends doing the daily business of speaking life into their congregations.
• I met a group of pastors, pastor wives, students and church people who heard our story of Calcutta. As a result 25,000+ people in Calcutta will receive food for, at least, one day!
• I engaged in prayer with other friends who need miracles.
• I dreamed with a dear friend those big dreams that are way too big for just her or for just me and know it will take God to bring these dreams to fruition.
• I was introduced to a woman who had it in her hands to creatively be obedient to how she felt God say to bless people in Calcutta. I never would have seen this one coming!
• I considered my hubby before myself and he turned right around and supported me.

Paul wrote the Believers in Philippians, "Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." But, then, he took it even farther by adding, "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." (Philippians 2:3-5)

I may be able to just barely tolerate my schedule being changed and fake a smile through gritted teeth when considering others, but the Lord knows my heart. He requires me to genuinely be concerned with other's lives and considering them with His love. 

Funny thing, the Lord somehow manages to turn it all around and gave me back some time and energy to get some 10K training accomplished!


Completing Training Week 4, I increased my mileage and worked on speed. There are 60 days until the 10K!

Smiling at 50: Empty-nesters

Christmas Trail Run - Arkansas - 2013

There are bushels of blogs, devotions and books dedicated to the seasons that women experience in their adult lives. College grad running toward the career of her dreams. Newly married. Mom. Empty-nester. The autumn and subsequent twilight winter years. 

I find myself in the empty-nester season when our only son recently married and our new puppy, Zuzu, has become our fuzzy, new child. Yes, we talk in high-pitched tones and pamper her with treats and sweaters and permit extended time stretched out at the foot of the bed, where she keeps my feet warm.

Facetime from India

It is that time in life when my hubby and I rediscover who we were pre-parenthood. What did we ever talk about before our "favorite son" (and only son) was born? Are we different? Have we met any of those newly-married goals we talked about deep into the night? I hope we are the favorite grandparents! What will that first grandchild call me? Where do we see ourselves in the not-so-distant future when it's finally time to retire? Am I going to be one of those pink-haired little old ladies with too much "rouge" coloring the apples of her wrinkled cheeks and stockings sagging around her ankles?

Seasons. Struggles. Transitions. Blessings.

I am a blessed woman. I love and am loved by my high school sweetheart. He is a hard

Mile 1 - post heart attack, 2013

worker and loves the God he preaches about at every opportunity. I get to accompany him on speaking engagements. And, sometimes, I get to sing or play the piano...like we did early on! When he's on fire in the pulpit and the words are flowing, I am certain my eyes sparkle and a little smile tugs at the corners of my lips, because I still find him attractive.

The weird and wondrous qualities of this stage are slowly emerging much like watching the image appear from a block of marble under the careful tooling of the craftsman. I love sleeping late or getting up early during the week however the schedule falls. We aren't tied to three meals a day. Sometimes, a a box of fudge brownie mix is as much a symbol of affection as a bouquet of roses. 

Running and fitness have become our new hobbies. He supports my training for the

Training Week 3, 2014

10K in April and says, "You've got this! You run faster than me." And, pushes when I experience the I-don't-wannas. "The sun's shining, today. How about we grab something to eat in Murfreesboro and do one of the routes on The Coffee Marathon?" Instead, we check-off two routes!

I'm a better me because of him. This empty-nesting season doesn't seem to bother him. Turning 50 doesn't rattle him or if it does, he covers it well. It's just another year. In celebration he wants to jump out of a plane with me and I want to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail with him!

I try not to fret about the color of my hair and the new "crows feet" to the side of my eyes. I have my honey, who compliments me and complements me no matter which season we walk through!

Smiling at 50 Training Week 3 Update: This week's bipolar southern winter runs me inside for cardio, one day, and outside on the next day for my training runs.