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 younger self to choose a new major in college. Go into nutrition instead of broadcast journalism and then history and you will be much happier by pursuing an interest you don’t know you have quite yet.
Tweeted!! :-)
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/FitintheMidwest/status/263693602629222400
I would tell my younger self that procrastination leads no-where. Putting things off will only lead to increased stress and last minute slap-dash work. Things will always need to be done, and if you take care of them in a timely fashion, you will have time to enjoy the work while doing it and to enjoy time to yourself afterwards! Advice that would have been useful then, and is still applicable now!
Self- Quit fuckng around with pills. Heroin is cheaper, better, and (ironically) safer to shoot.
Dear Little Christina,
Do what you love, and love what you do. Stop forcing yourself to be someone you’re not. Hold onto your precious people; they are the ones who will keep you afloat in your times of sorrow.
Love,
Older Christina
I would tell my younger self to always be the best friend I can be. In high school, I learned the hard way the importance of being a true and loyal friend. But the lesson stuck and it made me the person I am today.
I would advise my younger self to throw all caution to the wind and just travel! I know now that you can make it happen with what you have and it will all work out. If I started younger I would have had some amazing life changing experiences early on — and more stories to tell!
Congrats Angela on completing four years!
I would like to tell my younger self that the habits you form here will stick with you, in some form or another, for the rest of your life so…cultivate good ones…. :-)
hey girl, no matter what it cost you, that trip out to colorado would have been totally worth it
Advice to my younger self: don’t stress about the size of your clothes or the numbers on the scale, focus on the quality of the food you eat and don’t be afraid to love the person you are, be proud of yourself and be brave enough to not be afraid of what others think.
Tweeted!!
HI Angela,
I love your blog Oh She Glows – you are so upbeat. I print out and make so many of your recipes and they always come out just right. Thanks for putting in the time and effort to make them taste so good. If I were speaking with my younger self I would tell her her mother was right. My mother was a sugar free vegan 45 years ago – she’s still healthy. I rejected that lifestyle totally – and ate myself to over 330 pounds. Now in my mature years I’ve become like my mother. Sugar free, plant based healthy person – I’ve lost 111 lbs. I’m trying to demonstrate to others what wonders a plant based diet can do for you.
Keep up the great work. Yes – I would love to win the Blentec. Jan
Year Younger Me:
Be the person you want to be and know you should be in your heart, don’t worry about if what you do means people won’t like you… especially boys. If they respect you at all they will still like you. Sounds cliche but it’s true! Find the things that bring true Happiness and do them everyday! Stop waiting until your “older” to finally establish some good habits.
Ps: Future Husband is totally worth every bad relationship and every night spent crying over a boy.
I would advise myself to take up triathlon training before my 30th birthday.
Also, repinned (and will be making) your Twix bars tonight for Halloween!
Beth, Trust your instincts. They are always right, and stop second guessing yourself.
I would advise my younger self to be more outgoing. Ignore the advice “don’t talk to strangers”. There are lovely people to meet everywhere you’ll go, ask questions, say “hi”!
I would advise my younger self to stop freaking out about things that won’t matter in 5 years, to take piano lessons, to keep wearing my retainer, and to never pop zits or get sunburned, ever.
I would tell my younger self to be more social. Get more involved in extra curricular activities and sports. That way when you get older it won’t be so hard to get motivated to get in shape and make new friends.