Happy Halloween!
Before I get to part 1 of the giveaway, I want to share a last-minute Halloween idea.
I present to you: Spooky Shakes…
They are more homely than scary, but let’s just go with it!
I spotted this on Martha and I thought it was a cute idea. To make: all you do is melt a tiny amount of chocolate (about 1-2 tbsp) and then paint chocolate ghost faces on the inside of the glass using the end of a popsicle stick. Easy.
Place the glasses in the freezer or fridge to set the chocolate. For the shake, I blended vegan vanilla ice cream (I love almond or coconut varieties), with a splash of almond milk and some ice, served with a cinnamon stick. You could even make a healthier shake by blending frozen bananas with almond milk. The chocolate faces stay intact thanks to the cold smoothies.
Now, for part 1 of the giveaway…
Today, I’m celebrating YOU – the kick-butt, Green Monster chuggin, recipe-lovin’ Oh She Glows community! On October 31, 2008, I started the blog on a complete whim, not thinking I would ever have the attention span to stick with it, but here I am 4 years later still smashing my head against the keyboard daily and chasing my dreams. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who read the blog each day and my hope is that you find as much inspiration here as I’ve found in all of you.
Now, to celebrate!
1) Blendtec Total Blender & Twister Jar
Blendtec has been gracious enough to donate one of their coveted Total Blender Classic Wildside machines (picture above) valued at $454.95 USD! Whoa baby. I’ve reviewed the Blendtec before on the blog and I can attest that it’s a great machine.
About the blender: “Total Blender Classic Series® is the all-in-one appliance that makes smoothies, fresh juice, ice cream, milkshakes, cappuccinos, margaritas, soups, sauces, bread dough, dressings, salsas, and more! It replaces up to 9 other appliances with one fast easy-to-use machine, at a fraction of the cost. This package includes the new precision tuned 4″ blade in the large nearly 3-quart total capacity BPA-free jar. The new large blade / large jar combination powers through tougher blending tasks and larger recipes with ease, and in less time.”
In addition to the blender, they are also giving away a Twister Jar (shown below) valued at $119.00 USD!
About the Twister Jar: “Blendtec’s newest innovation, the Twister Jar, is designed to blend your thickest recipes such as: Nut Butters, Hummus, Baby Food, Dips, Thick Shakes, Dressings and more! Best of all, it’s compatible with all Blendtec Home Blenders.”
Update: The giveaway winner is….
Thank you for sharing your touching (and often hilarious!) “lessons to my younger self” comments. If you are ever feeling down and need a pick me up, just read through the comments. It’s amazing to see how many of us have struggled with the same life lessons.
The lucky winner of the Blendtec machine is #3659 – Alicia Woulfe! Congrats! I will email you shortly to collect your mailing address. Thanks to everyone for participating!
How To Enter:
Giveway is now closed.
I have tonnes of your recipes pinned, but here is one I can’t wait to try!
http://pinterest.com/pin/274297433526019001/
To my younger self…being perfect is not the same as being happy. Relax a little and enjoy the ride!
I would tell my younger self to take it easy on myself, especially regarding academics. I look back at high school and the tears I shed over this exam or that paper, and in retrospect a couple grades that didn’t meet my standards don’t mean a thing anymore! I need to keep reminding myself of this, since it’s still something I stress myself out about.
Don’t be afraid to try something different, start a conversation or smile. Good things happen to those who try.
I would tell my younger self to keep thinking positive no matter what happens because like attracts like and you want more positive energy around you.
advice to myself at 16:
drive slower
Be kind to others, ya never know what kind of day they are having.
SMILE! (sometimes it just makes people wonder what you’ve been up to)
Tweeted but not sure I did it correctly – Just signed up recently. This looks like a fantastic product.
Advice – Don’t forget to take your make up off and always apply moisturizer to your neck along with you face.
OH MY GOSH I WANT TO WIN THIS GIVEAWAY! I have been needing a good blender for SO LONG – all three sets of Ninja blenders/processors I have gotten have melted at some point in the dishwasher. So much for dishwasher safe :/
I would tell my younger self to SAVE MONEY. I worked as a figure skating coach making mucho moolah for 8 years living at home – and did not. save. a . penny. Stupid stupid stupid.
Also – mom is always right. Pretty much.
I tweeted your giveaway!! Chirp chirp :)
i would tell my younger self that no matter how slowly time passes, or how hard something might seem at the time, time really flies and whatever it is will soon pass. so chill out.
I would tell myself to be an advocate for myself. I think I spent far too much time as a young woman waiting around for someone to notice I was broken and help fix me or hiding the broken pieces and pretending everything was fine. It took a long time to understand that only I had the power to ask for what I needed and to change.
To my younger self, I would say: Stop being afraid of truly pursuing what you want. Don’t live life in fear of letting others down, it doesn’t hurt anyone else but you. And give mum a hug!!
Stay out of debt!! In my 20s I ran up a lot of debt buying all those “to die for” outfits, weekend get-aways with friends, etc. I’m 39 now and even though I’m finally debt free it wasn’t an easy road to travel down or cycle to break.
I would tell her not to sweat the small stuff. Life seems so hard when you’re younger, but you shouldn’t stress out about it. Now’s the time to make mistakes and just have fun.
I would tell my younger self to relax and enjoy the ride! Few things are worth the stress and mind-space we allow them to have!
I’ve tweeted the contest. Wish me luck! :-)
Tweeted :) I’m @grassyknoll on twitter!
To my younger self, I would say: Pursue God with all your heart, and enjoy life to the fullest!
I would tell my younger self to not stress so much and learn to relax a bit more. Enjoy the moment you are in, cherish the present, rather than always looking forward.
I would tell my 16-year-old self to breath through it and know that it would get better. And that I don’t know my own strength.