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.
My advice to my younger self would be to not rush into “growing up.” Take your time to travel more, explore yourself more and discover what makes you truly happy.
Tweeted
I was a fat kid and I was really insecure even after I finally lost the weight and my low self esteem carried through. I would tell myself to go for things I wanted and not to be afraid of rejection. Most of the things I’ve wondered about in life are things/people I could have gotten/been with/whatever, if only I’d tried.
It has been one of those days with the kiddos so I would tell my younger self – Don’t take the easy road with parenting – habits are hard to break! :-) It’s really not that bad just some silly stuff I accomandate to get them to go to sleep:-)
I would tell my younger self to stop caring what other kids thought of me. In the long run, none of that matters!
I would tell myself to concentrate more on finding my own happiness… instead of always trying to figure out ways to get other people to be happy with me… I’m good enough just as I am!
I would advise my younger self to always be true to who you are. No matter how ‘cool’ you think another person is, or how much you wish to change your habbits, you are you for a reason. When you start to be someone else, you make decisions that the true you would not have! Love yourself for wh you are!
Dr. Seuss said: “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You!”
I would tell my younger self not to sweat the small stuff, that it will all be ok in the end :) That and you’re not going to end up marrying this guy, so let him go!
I also re-pinned your homemade kit kat bar recipe, looks SO delicious! :)
Dear Young(er) Christina,
Really love others. Don’t be afraid to trust. And for goodness sakes, stop being so hard on yourself.
Love,
Older (and marginally wiser) Christina
I would advise my younger self to be kinder to myself just as I would to a friend and to treat my flaws as simply being human
I would tell my younger self to not stress so much about the little things and to give myself a break!
Dear 16 year old self:
While medical school may sound fun and exciting, being a doctor will leave you tired and hag-looking by 30. Next time, consider the Park Service.
xoxo
I pinned your twix bars. YUM!
Dear 16 yo Me, start exercising early. Your body will thank you for it when you’re 40. Love, current Me
strong eyebrows are sexy. embrace it.
I pined your roasted brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes to my pinterest. I lovebrussels sprouts. http://pinterest.com/pin/4785143325543038/
advice to younger self – don’t worry about what others think of you…most people are just thinking about themselves anyway.
I would tell my 16-year-old self that French onion Sun Chips and a Sprite DO NOT make a suitable vegetarian lunch! Thankfully, I’ve learned to love cooking AND my vegetables since then.
Hi:
I just tweeted the giveaway : ) !!
Denise