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.
don’t worry about what other people think. just say and do what you want. so long as you’ve thought about it, you’re good. also, don’t wait until you are 40 to go vegan…
I would tell my younger self to be less hard on people (to both myself and others) and give love more freely- life is a humbling experience and you only learn that with time.
I would warn my little Cinderella self that there is MORE housework after marriage, not less. I would advise myself to take cooking classes, cleaning classes, and parenting classes (since these are the areas I wish now I’d been better prepared for). Then I would tell her, “Don’t worry too much about your life, it will all work out.”
If only my future self could give me that same assurance for THIS phase!
I would tell myself to go ahead and join the debate club, or the drama club, or band. The people who will judge you for that aren’t worth being friends with. And the guys you’ll meet when you’re older will care more about how interesting you are than how popular you are.
A very interesting question…I would tell myself..”Shan, take the time to take care of yourself. It’s ok to put yourself first sometimes and do the things that you want to. You have a passion for life, and don’t ever lose that. Follow…no, chase your Bliss…and adopt a plant based lifestyle early in life to reap the rewards and get off that couch and go for a walk!”
My advice I would give to my younger self: don’t go straight to college. Wait until you know what you want to do instead of going into debt and graduating with a degree you can’t/dont want to use.
Word! 18 is such a young age to be making these decisions.
And I love your spooky shakes! :) So cute.
Laugh more. Don’t take everything so seriously.
Read, read, read. Exercise everyday, vigorously most, and take care of your skin (naturally).
I would advise myself to be confident and know that you can do what ever you want in life.
I would definately tell my younger self that what you think and feel is the end of the world is no where near what He has planned for you! Learn to keep your head held high and treat yourself with respect first before worrying about everyone else.
My advice to myself would be to not take myself so seriously! Loosen up, live life, and don’t let things out of your control stress you out.
I just re-pinned you…and now I’m dying for one of your snacks. I can’t wait until we have those star trek replicators so if I see one of your treats I can just beam it down rather than having to go to the kitchen and make it. lol!
Dear younger-self,
Quit stressing the small stuff!!!!!! Relax a little bit; take a night off! You won’t be missing much!
Oh, and I’ve pinned the Blendtec as well, and hope to win it!!
I tweeted!
Beth, stop stressing over the little things in life that stop you from enjoying life. Just take a deep breath and go for it because the reward will far outweigh any negative result you may be able to think of.
Oh how I wish I could tell my younger self……”Never, never, ever get a tattoo to impress a boy!” :)
I would love to tell my younger self to wear sunblock!!! ..And stop complaining about how messy it is.. and that you need a tan to feel confident. Face it your pale and you only burn which turns back to pale anyways, and leaves more freckles. Remember YOU define your own beauty! You are not one of those bronzed goddesses, so stop try to be. Be who you are, and love who you are, because who you are beautiful in your own way! Besides Mom always said one day the pale look will be “in”. And there’s always sunless tanner ;)
In no particular order…..
Laugh. A lot.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Be kind to everyone.
Strength train.
Save money.
Go on every adventure you can while you are young and unattached.
Eat your veggies. They make your skin glow:)