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 advise my younger self that daily exercise and eating healthy are two of the best things you can do for yourself! Breaking a sweat and eating a diet of whole grains, veggies and fruit, and healthy fats, along with getting enough sleep, makes you feel much better than skimping on sleep and eating chocolate to stay awake!
Advice to my younger self: do NOT fake bake in tanning beds! The temporary tan is not worth the lifelong damage it causes!
And I have to say that my fingers are super crossed! My current blender just broke last week, so Im very much in need!
I would tell my younger self not to be so hard on myself. It’s okay to get an A and not an A+, It’s okay to eat food that you’re craving – you won’t gain 20lbs. It’s okay to be who you are :)
I would tell myself to ask my dad and grandmother to teach me to cook! I live far from home now and am always so happy to go back and eat their great food.
My friend showed me this blog a few weeks ago to introduce me to zucchini noodles. I’m super excited to try your recipes. Thanks!
I would tell myself to treat your body better. Eat more fresh foods and exercise more and enjoy being so young!
Kay,
Mom is always right…she is. I know you want to believe that you know everything (in all of your ultimate teen wisdom) but you don’t. Spoiler alert! Listen to her, believe her, believe Dad…they are smart people. Go on vacation with them and don’t stay home because you are too cool to be with the parents. Trust your heart and don’t take everything so seriously. I love you!
Older Kay
I would tell my younger self to stop worrying about everything all the time. Things just have a funny way of working themselves out. There will always be bumps in the road, but for the most part it is smooth sailing. Everything you thought was a mistake or misjudgement still las led you to where you are today, which is a good place to be!
My old blender died about a year ago. This would be awesome.
I’d tell my younger self that saving yourself for marriage is a recognition of your own worth. Sleeping with the first person who’s willing to is not. Also, an English major isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. If you’re looking for job skills, computers are the way to go (and those input/output errors on your programs are probably spaces after the semi-colons). Find more healthy ways to move, and do something every day. Don’t buy New Balance shoes when you’re 39. They’ll make your feet hurt.
I would tell 16-year-old me to not be so afraid of being successful and to really own being me (the language of this is kind of confusing, haha). I would tell younger me that it’s okay to be successful and proud of that success and to know that I am worthy of praise and love and all things good. It’s a tough lesson to learn.
Also, congratulations on 4 years! Your blog inspires me to really enjoy the cooking process and every recipe I’ve tried has been such a complete success. Thanks so much, Angela!
I also tweeted it! @morgasbord :)
Dear 16 year old me,
You’re on the right track, so keep up the good work. Stay strong in your convictions. But to be a bit silly for a moment, grunge is not a good look on anyone. Brush your hair, throw out that awful shredded hoodie, and banish those camo bell bottoms you made in home ec to the rag bin.
Cheers,
Me.
I tweeted! TechRat42
Don’t let the comments that you are chubby and clumsy define you! You are bright and beautiful and you don’t have to be an athlete to be healthy and strong!
I pinned Fall Detox Salad on Pinterest. Yum!
Advice definitely would be to never let go of who you are- changing yourself for others only slows your personal growth process.
Start yoga now and eat more dark leafy greens!
Thanks so much; would love to have a Blendtec! I tweeted the giveaway!
Dear 29-year-old self: you think you love him, but he’s not at all who you think he is. Not even a little. Save yourself the heartache.
Tweeted! (miasmay)
Best advice for my younger self and my current self: Listen to your gut feeling. It is always (always!) right.