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.
Dear 16 year old Emma:
Don’t be pressured by what you think is considered “beautiful” in today’s society. You ARE beautiful, and once you acknowledge this it shall become your first steps to happiness and health. Skinny does not equal pretty, but rather health equates to happiness. And what does happiness equal? Inner beauty, strength and the ability to live without regret. Love freely, and never apologize for or change anything that is true to who you are. <3
I tweeted!
I would tell myself, “Diane don’t worry and stress so much, the most important thing is to be happy and enjoy your life.”
To my younger self, I would say, “take more risks, don’t be in such a hurry to do what you think you’re supposed to, and don’t delay doing what you want to make other people happy.” Advice I still have to give myself!!
I love this question. I would tell my younger self not to worry so much about fitting in. I am perfect the way I am, as a unique individual. If only I knew then what I knew now…. I would have been much happier should I have just stayed true to myself!
Younger Self: Do not be so afraid to question popular thinking. It will be the secret to your success.
I would advise myself to pursue my passions, whatever they be! And to love myself fully from the inside out :)
I would advise my 16 year self to take more risks! They’re more rewarding than they are scary!
My advice to my 16 year old self would be to put down and walk away from the chick-fil-a sandwich, french fries, and sweet tea. I would also tell myself that the decisions I was making would effect me later as an adult.
I would tell my younger self to stop waiting for things to happen and go out and make them happen.
I would tell my younger self to smile every chance you get! A smile is the most powerful tool we possess – it invites others in, boosts our confidence, and keeps us happy no matter what is going on! SMILE like the whole world is watching!
I posted some recipes on Pinterest :)
I would advise my younger self to lose weight the healthy way — do not resort to anorexia. Not only does it affect your brainpower, but you’ll lose a ton of hair! :( Wisdom comes with age. Wish I was a lot wiser when I was younger!
I just tweeted!
Thanks for hosting a great giveaway! I would tell my younger self to take care of her body, to respect it, nurture it, feed it healthy food and exercise it. I had no idea how much harder it would be to undo the damage once I was in my mid-20s.
I would tell my younger self: 1) stop worrying all the time about what others think; 2) eat more vegetables; 3) that pixie haircut looked good on Halle Berry but will not do you any favors.
I would tell my 16-year-old self that I was a valuable, good, interesting person, and to try to hold my head high when times were tough.
Sonia, there is so much power in choice, and you are lucky to have many choices. However, making choices based on fear, what other people might think, or what you think is expected of you, is never the right way to wield this power. In the wise words of Mark Twain “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” In the long run you will not regret taking risks and trying new things, even if it doesn’t turn out so well – because sometimes trying something new teaches you more about what you don’t like than what you do. Oh, and that crush, the one you are too shy to talk to, well years later you’ll find out he liked you just as much and was just as shy as you were – So just go for it! Whether it’s making the first move or backpacking by yourself in Italy – take the risk!
If I could go back in time to when I was 16 I would have told myself to go vegan sooner ( I was vegetarian at the time). But becoming vegan is the best thing I have ever done for myself.
Dear Tracy at 16-
WHAT YOU EAT MATTERS! Don’t fill most of your menu with junk food- your body is always growing, you need quality fuel! Green leafy vegetables ate your friend!
I also just tweeted the giveaway! Good luck everyone and thanks for hosting such an exciting giveaway.