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 myself to stop worrying about the future so much and enjoy the moments!
To my younger self: Eating less will not make you happy. Eating better will.
Love that ghost cup idea by the way. Super easy and too cute!! :)
Tweeted!!
Advice I would give to my younger self: follow your intuition because it helps guide your judgement/actions in any situation.
Tweeted about the giveaway (@nograin_nopain)
I pinned this recipe to my Halloween board – so cute!
I would tell myself to REALLY not care what anyone else thinks and have fun (everyone says that, but we still do). Also, never more than 4 drinks in one night. Thats one I learned the hard way.
I tweeted the giveaway too (@handbagreport)!
oh so much advice i would give my 16 year old self! I’ll just choose one thing though…
as someone who was almost painfully shy back then, I would tell myself to put myself out there more, don’t be afraid to take some risks, what seems like earth-shattering embarrassment really aren’t that bad a few years down the road!
fantastic giveaway! happy halloween!
Just tweeted. Thank you for the giveaway!
If I could give any advice to my younger self it would be that life gets better! It’s ok to embrace your flaws and insecurities and turn them into strengths!! And that being healthy and happy is worth far more than giving into societal pressure. But most of all I would tell me that we are loved and that we are worth it!!
Dear 16 year old self, Don’t kid yourself. You’ll get fat like everyone else. Big butt, big thighs and batman flaps hanging from your arms. Listen to me now…KEEP MOVING! I know you don’t want to…you’ll thank me later. Promise.
I’d tell myself to stop worrying and have fun in the moment.
I have twitted @UrbanMystique @ohsheglows =-)
I pinned your apple butter to my Healthy Stuff board. I had completely forgotten about that recipe. I need to make it before Apple season is over!
I have so many of your recipes pinned that you could just look at my board. :)
http://pinterest.com/mommymusician/food/
I would tell my younger self to worry less about what others think, and do more of what makes me happy and healthy. I wish I had known that life would work itself out to be wonderful in the end. Everything happens as it’s meant to, and the bad things are just part of your path and preparing you for good things ahead.
I would tell myself to stop wasting so much time worrying about what’s coming next and live right in the moment! I also need to remind my present self of that, too :)
I would tell my younger self that my body is strong and beautiful. There is nothing wrong with it, and fighitng against it will only lead to exhaustion and frustration. Providing it with love and care, however, leads to joy.
Tweeted the giveaway-wow the blendtech would make my life so much easier! Thanks for your great recipes, you’re my daily go-to site for cooking.