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 16 year old self to not be afraid to follow your passion. No matter how much family and friends tell you to run after lots of $$$, at the end of the day, I want to love what I am doing 40+ hours every week of my life. In the words of Rumi, “let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” Amen. Glad I listened to him ;)
I also tweeted the giveaway (@sunyblack).
I would advise my younger self to start doing yoga now!
I’d tell my teenage self to go to my parents and ask for help.
I’d tell myself to not just focus on physical health, but also spiritual and emotional health. you really can’t have one without the others!
I would tell my younger self to stay close to God everyday of my life. To enjoy every single day. To fear not and laugh all the days of my life. To not worry and trust the Lord always.
I would tell myself to finish college. It’s so much harder to go back later after you are married and have kids!
I would have told myself to never compromise myself and my health for others. I would have probably never had that first cigarette (I’ve since quit!) or partied so much when I was young. But that’s growing up!
I would advise my younger self to have the courage to be kind to everyone, even if it’s not popular.
I just tweeted :)
16 year old me:
Don’t fear the future. If you fight for what you know is right for you, amazing things will happen. Spend a little less time worrying about looks and boys and go out there and do what makes you happy because you are beautiful inside and out!
I would tell my younger self to trust herself and not give in to other peoples expectations. To live according to her own standards. To be strong.
Just pinned another of your yummy recipes:)
This is so exciting! I’m dying for a high speed blender that I don’t have to worry about breaking with my crazy culinary adventures.
I would tell my younger self to treat every day as a gift and to appreciate the wonderful family and other blessings my everyday life is filled with. Over time, I’ve encountered so many who are less fortunate than I. It’s made me realize how lucky I truly am!
I would tell myself to sleep while you can, before babe comes along :D
Congratulations on 4 years, amazing! Advise I would give my younger self would be to start eating healthier at a younger age (I’m horrified to think back on my diet as a kid and even into college years, yikes) and to wear sunblock everyday (unfortunately my parents didn’t seem to know about sun block either when I was a kiddo or else just didn’t reapply enough!).
And just pinned that delicious looking cinnamon bun granola. I’ve been meaning to make a fresh round of granola and this looks like an amazing option!
I would tell my younger self to stop worrying so much, to live more in the moment without being stressed out about what’s coming next. There are so many beautiful things in life that can only really be seen if we take the time to breathe and actually notice them.
I’d tell myself that my mom’s actually not as clueless as I thought. She was actually pretty on target on just about everything she told me. :)