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 not to worry so much about everything and that I also shouldn’t care so much about what other people think. Also I would tell myself that I should surround myself with those who love and support me and rid myself of any person that was negatively affecting my life or making me feel bad about myself. I would also tell my younger self that it isn’t fair or right to be unhappy in order to make others happy. Even though I wasn’t able to learn all this when I was younger, knowing them know will make me a stronger person in the future.
I would tell my younger self… Don’t care so much what other people think of you. Enjoy life, enjoy being yourself regardless of the labels or judgements other people might try to assign you. Besides, they’re probably too busy worrying what everyone else thing of them to be judging you anyway. So who cares? Be confident in yourself because you’re way more awesome than you think.
oops, I meant “thinks of them” not “thing of them” haha.
My advice to 16 year old Amy would be to realize that being active and athletic isn’t limited to the team sports we played in gym class. Running, rock climbing, frisbee… I could have found so many things I actually enjoyed
To My Younger Self:
Younger self, don’t count calories. Eat to live, not live to eat. Honor your body and it will reward you. Honor your emotions through eating, and you’ll lose your self esteem. Health is more than just physical; it incorporates the spiritual and mental. Find a new reason to love yourself everyday.
I was so unhappy and lost as my younger self. I would just say stop destroying your body because you are trying to fit into a mold. Be yourself, and people will love you.
Exist in the moment. Life flies by so quickly and you’ll never get those moments back.
I would tell my younger self to stay away from the “bad boyz”! Try to find a nice guy who treats you right & makes you laugh. Looks aren’t everything.
Pinned your apple butter recipe too.
“seriously katie? a perm? not cool. especially with all that sun-in.”
I would tell my younger self that its all going to work out and life really is what you make it.
Congratulations on 4 years of blogging! That’s really great! To my younger self, I would say, “It’s better to develop your own personality and discover your own likes and dislikes than to try to fit in with the crowd. Mainstream does not mean ‘right.'” Thanks for this great giveaway, Angela!
I pinned your homemade twix bars to Pinterest…yumm. Come on Blendtec!! :) :) :)
I would tell my 16 year old self that appearance isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things. Eventually, you will realize it and know that the moments you look back on will never include the number on the scale.
To stay as laid back and easy going as I was in my teens and early twenties. The older I’ve gotten the more rigid and stuck in my ways I’ve become, and I would love to be more of that “go with the flow, spontaneous” person again.
My advise is what I tell my daughter. Your are a wonderful mother and wife and to stay that way take care of yourself! Eat healthy and exercise. She’s now back to making healthy smoothies (in a blender ;( ) So if I win this would be my gift to her health – see always the mother! She’s lost 20 pounds and feels so much better. In fact we are doing the Philly Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon next year – I am one pround Momma.
I pinned your “Perfect Veggie Burger” recipe to Pinterest – I’ve been meaning to try these for a long time! http://pinterest.com/pin/81909286944108548/
I would tell my younger self “this too shall pass”. So many times, I felt like things would be the end of the world but now I know that life goes on and things get better!
https://twitter.com/sarcoupon/status/263711348897247232
Younger-Self, you are beautiful right here, right now. Don’t worry so much about what you look like – turns out the people that really matter don’t care about that!. Worry about doing the things that make you feel happy and really great about yourself. Pursue your passions! And listen to your instincts and do your best to follow your heart. In the future, your Mature-Self gives up meat; consider doing it earlier, and ensure you’re fuelling your body with good stuff… and eat breakfast, even if it’s just a smoothie!
I would tell myself to not be afraid to ask for help when you need it, stop procrastinating, and exercise!