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 would tell my younger self to take the risks I was waiting to take until I got a little older. Because the moment can never be right you have to make it right. Oh the opportunities I wish I would have done.
I would tell younger me to spend more time enjoying herself then worrying so much about the future. When I think about how few responsibilities and real problems that kid had, it makes me shake my head.
I would tell myself to follow those things that you are most passionate about, and don’t apologize for being the person you are!
I would advise my younger self to listen to her heart. So many of the mistakes I made were things that I knew were wrong, but peer pressure, or the desire to be loved, yelled louder than my good sense. Peer pressure is temporary, but the regret remains forever.
oh and I tweeted. Hoping to win this for my pops so he can get some green monsters in his body.
I’d tell my younger self that looks aren’t everything.
If I could talk to my teenage self, I would say: “Follow your dreams with all your heart. Ask questions, and never stop learning or exploring new opportunities. Don’t let the elders in your life tell you you aren’t amazing and wonderful and capable of amazing things, because you are. Be yourself, and you’ll be happy forever.”
Michelle, we all have frustrating things happen to us in life, especially on a daily basis. But, if you remember to think of how your words become your actions and that kind words create the type of person you can be proud of, just take a deep breath, swallow the negativity and replace it with something positive.
I repinned your Lentil Apple walnut loaf and I’m making it for dinner.
oh and HAPPY OSG BIRTHDAY! Thank you for sharing your time and energy and your rockin’ recipies.
I’d tell my younger self to stop comparing herself to others and that it’s perfectly wonderful to be comfortable in her own unique body, skin and mind. Oh, and also to quit the baby oil attempts at tanning and load on the sunscreen!
Dear Younger Self,
Lead by example and life will be good. BTW, use sunscreen everyday!
I’d tell my younger self not to be so hard on myself. I was my own worst enemy for too many years!
I would definitely tell my 16 year old self to stop skipping class, apply myself and that my high school GPA actually does affect my future ;)
I would advise myself to be wiser financially and don’t expect things to just happen for you. Sometimes hard work reaps benefits, not coasting!
Thanks for the giveaway and congratulations on your (blog) anniversary!
This is amazing, I happily retweeted.
Don’t west your time being angry with choices made for you by your parents. Make every situation work in your advantage to a positive. Self depression and doubt is your greatest enemy.
I tweeted :-) @therunnerchick
As much as I love who I am now, I would tell myself to explore more of my potential that could have made me a more well-rounded person.
I would tell my younger self to APPRECIATE my life and all that was in it! My younger self was always worried and anxious about what was going to happen next, who liked me, who didn’t like me, what I could & couldn’t do (always erred on the side of focusing on what I couldn’t do!)…a whole host of anxious thoughts all the time. Then my worst fear came true and I lost my mom to cancer when I was 27 and she was only 55. I always loved my family and knew I was lucky for having them, but I didn’t know just how lucky I was when I had my whole family, all together. I’d tell myself to enjoy every minute of the certainties I had, like having people who loved me, APPRECIATE IT and not worry so much about all the little junk that was out of my control and that didn’t really matter! Life is so unpredictable, messy and sometimes hard, but it’s lovely just the same.