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.
Thanks for the giveaway – I would tell myself that no matter what happens in life the scary things are worth going for and you are worth it!!
Even though I’m still pretty young (24!!!) I would tell myself to stop worrying so much. Things have a way of working out exactly as they are supposed to!
I would advise my younger self to not care so much about what other people think and just be yourself!!
I would tell myself that life takes unexpected turns, embrace them don’t fight them.
I would have told myself to START COOKING! Frozen dinners are not the way to go.
Oh there are so many things I would say to my younger self…
the most important thing I would say is to be kind to yourself, God placed you here in this moment for a purpose and there is so much more in store! Dreams you didn’t even know you had do come true.
I would tell my younger self to stop being so hard on myself, to try to relax and have some fun!
I have pinned lots of your recipes. My families favorite is your Vegan Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce. We love them!
Courtney, find the grace and peace of the Lord and camp out there at the foot of the cross. In His presence there is no fear, worry, or pressure of what others think of you.
I would tell myself to never grow old – enjoy life and try not to take things so seriously!
I would tell my younger self to trust myself and not to be afraid of new things. I would tell myself that I’m perfect just the way I am.
I would tell my younger self that your outward appearance doesn’t matter nearly as much as the respect you have for yourself and others. I would tell her to study more and shape her character instead of trying to obsessively shape her body to fit the liking of society. I would tell her that the women in magazines aren’t real. I would tell her that the most consistent and real “thing” in this world is love she puts out into the world.
I would tell my 16 year old self to start eating healthy now because that metabolism isnt going to hold up forever!
I would tell my 16 year old self to live, laugh, and love! I definately did not do enough of these important things. I was often upset at myself and others around me – nothing in my life was going the way I expected. I was not a kind person. Now, 11 years later I’m slowing changing/becoming the person I want to be – learning from my past and making my life better.
Don’t have twitter so I Re-pinned!
http://pinterest.com/pin/260857003388005362/
I would give myself oh so much advice, but some of the advice I would give my teenage self would be “Emily, no matter how hard you try silver eye liner with brown eye shadow is never okay. And no matter how many times you ignore your mom calling your cell phone you will always be in trouble for being late when you get home, and she will always take away your cell phone privilages. So answer your phone and TELL YOUR MOM YOUR GOING TO BE LATE!” Thanks for the chance to win….I love, love, love love, blend tec and would love you use one!
I would tell my 16 year old self to get a double major in something more steady than theatre! :)
I would tell my younger self to appreciate my parents’ home-grown tomatoes — can’t believe I didn’t truly enjoy them until college!!
Friendships come and go through out different stages of life but invest time in family and those you know are life long friends.
I would tell my younger self to have more confidence in who you are. For many years I didn’t think too highly of my self but the truth is I am pretty fantastic and the more I believe that, the more I live that way. It’s something I think (hope) many of us come to realize with age.