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 young 16 year old self how beautiful she was and not to worry so much about what other people think, focus on developing your own interests!
tweeted the contest :)
Don’t worry so much about school. Having a 4.0 is overrated. Have more fun instead of trying to be perfect.
My advice to myself would be to listen to your mom when she said don’t get a credit card. Save, save, save and no credit cards! Money management is so important.
I’d tell myself to take more risks and say “yes” more often.
I would tell myself I was beautiful just the way I was ;)
And I tweeted! @soy_mal !
…And I tweeted!
Dear younger Sanyika,
You have a hot body & u don’t even know it lol. Don’t be afraid to wear that bikini at the beach, pool, etc. You’ll kick yourself later for not doing it!
Love always older Sanyika
I would love to tell my 17 year old self that that tanning bed is pure evil… no matter how cute I want to look for prom.
I would tell my younger self to be more confident & put yourself out there. It’s a little scary at first but worth it in the end :) Also, stop turning your nose up at anything green…just try it! Luckily, younger self, in the future will will find a fantastic blog that will make all those foods you thought you didn’t like taste soooo good ;)
I would tell myself to be present in the moment. When you are young, the years go by more slowly and it feels like you have forever. You spend time wishing you were 16 so you could drive, then you want to be 18, then you want to be 19. Well, eventually you stop wanting to be any older!! :)
I also Pinned your twix bars :)
Just repinned your black bean and butternut squash burritos for my second entry!
Just pinned your amazing carrot cake oatmeal! Delish!
I would tell my 16 year old self to not drive so fast – those speeding tickets were expensive!
Just re-pinned your pumpkin butter – already made it earlier this season!
The advice that I would give to my younger self would be, Listen to your mother! :-)
To my younger self: Love yourself! If you don’t like something about your life, only you can change it. It is through loving and knowing yourself that you will find the strength to make the right decisions which will lead to happiness and clarity.
To my elementary school self,
Remember who you are right now and hold on to your confidence and optimism. You have faith in yourself at this moment and it would be a shame to lose that faith. Your youth makes you immune to self-judgment; you know who you are and you are proud of that person. Don’t let the pressures of growing up make you forget how wonderful you are.
I also tweeted! Thanks for getting me addicted to coconut whipped cream!